Wandering Into Wisdom

This blog chronicles the knowledge, insight and wisdom I encounter every day as a leadership consultant, executive coach, educator, father, friend and citizen. This site is dedicated to my father, Louis (Jack) Laughlin, who passed on to me an appreciation for wisdom. A special thanks to my friend Isaac Cheifetz, a businessman and journalist, who helped me understand the value of blogs and encouraged me to write one.

Killing Creativity

Many executives struggle to find a response to bad ideas because they don’t want to kill the creativity that could also generate good ideas. A colleague of mine once suggested I articulate the virtues of the idea then follow with a request to meet additional requirements. Truly creative people respond positively to both the praise and the subsequent challenge. There are, however, people who do not realize that the difference between an idea and an innovation is utility.

“I never perfected an invention that I did not think about in terms of the service it might give others.”
Thomas Edison