I always felt like a bit of a freak for thinking this way when I worked at big ad agencies, but I usually cringed at having to attend brainstorming sessions. I found they were usually a waste of time, that many who attended just liked to hear themselves spout off and, besides, I usually felt I was more creative coming up with ideas on my own.
It turns out I may have been right.
An op-ed in The New York Times says the new groupthink so popular in organizations today doesn't work. In fact:
"Research strongly suggests that people are more creative when they enjoy privacy and freedom from interruption. And the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted.... They're extroverted enough to exchange and advance ideas, but see themselves as independent and individualistic. They're not joiners by nature."
This may also explain why I've felt like my career and creativity have experienced a new lease on life since I started working from home and on my own. I still team up with my business partner/art director on occasion, I still dial into conference calls when needed. But when it comes to doing the work I'm really being paid for -- making stuff sound good -- it's all about me, myself and I.
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