Think Outside the Career Box

"Think outside the box." How many times have we heard or read this catchphrase, intended to stimulate creative imagination and innovation? After all, innovation is a hot topic in the business world -- the key to staying ahead of competitors at home and overseas. But, as anyone who has ever participated in a brainstorming session can report, it often seems as though getting out of the box just leads to projects and products that get out of hand.

The issue is that creativity and innovation must be implemented in a world where there are rules and limitations. In this BusinessWeek item, "Turning Limitations into Innovation," Google VP Marissa Ann Mayer discusses how the tech leader balances creative constraints with "a healthy disregard for the impossible." She also points out another key limitation for successful innovation: Setting short time limits for implementation.

Mayer explains, "Speed also lets you fail faster. Have you ever wondered how a product so lame got to market, a movie so bad actually got released, a government policy so misguided got passed? In cases like these, the people working on it have spent so much time and are so personally invested that it's too painful to walk away."

What's good for a successful employer like Google is also good advice for employees. Are you thinking creatively about your career? Do you work with "a healthy disregard for the impossible"? Are you really thinking out of the box or just trying to stay in one -- too invested in a job or company to walk away? Being creative in your career means taking on the big tasks while defining limits on what you will accomplish, along with establishing a timetable for success -- or failure.

Here are more resources about career creativity:

• "Be More Creative"
• Bob Sutton's blog "Work Matters"
• "Balancing Boundaries With Creativity"
• "Limit Creativity, Get Innovation"
• "Think You Manage Creativity? Here's Why You're Wrong"
• "Top Book Picks for Creatives"
• "Weird Rules of Creativity -- Think You Manage Creativity? Here's Why You're Wrong"

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