Not long ago I began reading Creativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration the story of Pixar written by co-fonder Ed Catmull.
On the surface you may consider this a story about animation movies beginning with Toy Story. However, you would be wrong. Some may want this to be a historical look at the company from Lucasfilm and their acquisition by Steve Jobs to the merger with Disney. Others want to see the inside of Pixar as Jobs ran the company.
However this book is about management. And, it does not disappoint.
Managing one of the most successful entertainment companies is not an easy task. And here Creativity, Inc. shines in revealing deep lessons running a developing company, how to manage creative people and how to change the world. Yes indeed.
Clearly anyone who manages people in any profession or service should read this book. If you work as a designer or in an artist agency it is damn well worth your time.
Pixar’s lessons will have even greater impact if you enjoyed their movies with your children because Ed reveals details of how Pixar struggled to make their amazing animations. His details will surprise you. More importantly you will see how you can apply his lessons in your life:
https://hbr.org/2008/09/how-pixar-fosters-collective-creativity
Just imagine the company owning a string of incredible movie releases failed often and quickly but rose to maintain an incredible company. The lessons in management by Ed Catmull are some of the most rewarding that I have learned to manage teams in a long time.