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lornbr's review against another edition
5.0
I was very impressed how creativity, drawing, and storytelling in the case of Pixar, and Software Engineer have in common.
No, I don't think that we need inspiration and stuff to work and a lot of work we do is not a game changer in any matter but that's in true in animation too. Of course, that does not apply to the history/script itself, but even there we have some framework/recipes like the "Hero's Journey".
Talking about coincidences, Edwin Catmull, the book's author, is a friend of Alan Kay they study at the college together and Alan Kay introduce Steve Jobs to Ed
Some quotes from the book
“I believe the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do not know—not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and strive to clear the path for them; and always, they must pay attention to and engage with anything that creates fear. Moreover, successful leaders embrace the reality that their models may be wrong or incomplete. Only when we admit what we don’t know can we ever hope to learn it.”
“it is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.”
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
“If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.”
“When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.”
“What is the point of hiring smart people, we asked, if you don’t empower them to fix what’s broken?”
“You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility.”
“For many people, changing course is also a sign of weakness, tantamount to admitting that you don’t know what you are doing. This strikes me as particularly bizarre—personally, I think the person who can’t change his or her mind is dangerous. Steve Jobs was known for changing his mind instantly in the light of new facts, and I don’t know anyone who thought he was weak.”
“Making the process better, easier, and cheaper is an important aspiration, something we continually work on—but it is not the goal. Making something great is the goal.”
“We start from the presumption that our people are talented and want to contribute. We accept that, without meaning to, our company is stifling that talent in myriad unseen ways. Finally, we try to identify those impediments and fix them.”
“What interests me is the number of people who believe that they have the ability to drive the train and who think that this is the power position—that driving the train is the way to shape their companies’ futures. The truth is, it’s not. Driving the train doesn’t set its course. The real job is laying the track.”
No, I don't think that we need inspiration and stuff to work and a lot of work we do is not a game changer in any matter but that's in true in animation too. Of course, that does not apply to the history/script itself, but even there we have some framework/recipes like the "Hero's Journey".
Talking about coincidences, Edwin Catmull, the book's author, is a friend of Alan Kay they study at the college together and Alan Kay introduce Steve Jobs to Ed
Some quotes from the book
“I believe the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do not know—not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and strive to clear the path for them; and always, they must pay attention to and engage with anything that creates fear. Moreover, successful leaders embrace the reality that their models may be wrong or incomplete. Only when we admit what we don’t know can we ever hope to learn it.”
“it is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.”
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
“If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.”
“When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.”
“What is the point of hiring smart people, we asked, if you don’t empower them to fix what’s broken?”
“You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility.”
“For many people, changing course is also a sign of weakness, tantamount to admitting that you don’t know what you are doing. This strikes me as particularly bizarre—personally, I think the person who can’t change his or her mind is dangerous. Steve Jobs was known for changing his mind instantly in the light of new facts, and I don’t know anyone who thought he was weak.”
“Making the process better, easier, and cheaper is an important aspiration, something we continually work on—but it is not the goal. Making something great is the goal.”
“We start from the presumption that our people are talented and want to contribute. We accept that, without meaning to, our company is stifling that talent in myriad unseen ways. Finally, we try to identify those impediments and fix them.”
“What interests me is the number of people who believe that they have the ability to drive the train and who think that this is the power position—that driving the train is the way to shape their companies’ futures. The truth is, it’s not. Driving the train doesn’t set its course. The real job is laying the track.”
cristiangarcia's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most insightful books on business and creativity I have read. The story is sustained on methods, frameworks and freedom at the same time. Really valuable reading.
holmstead's review against another edition
4.0
This book was truly inspirational. I normally would not read books like this. But with the challenges I've been facing at work, and the frustrations that are seriously affecting my goal to succeed in the marketing department of a billion dollar company, I thought maybe a book like this would help me gain some perspective on what it's like to thrive and succeed in the "corporate world." Every large company is not without their own faults, and sometimes those lessons that are learned ACTUALLY happen, with great avail. This book definitely struck a chord, or ten, with me. It was honest, direct, and at times even magical. To work at Pixar seems to be a great honor. To get a glimpse into Steve Jobs and his involvement with Pixar was eye-opening as well. This was a powerful read. I am very pleased I decided to try it. I think it has really given me some clarity and now my attitude going forward won't remain so tainted and hopeless. Thanks Ed!!
casswe368's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Great audiobook
su5hma's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Informative, inspiring and interesting! Many lessons and tips that are useful and a great insight in to Steve Jobs as well.
taranicolewilson's review against another edition
4.0
I think pixar needs to reread this for inspiration
rachcannoli's review against another edition
3.0
I wished this book was more interesting than it actually was. It falls under my common non-fiction issue when a non-author writes a book so it comes off very factual, but not interesting in any way. It kind of came off matter-of-fact and maybe if I was a more technical person or wished to be in animation this would be fascinating, but it just wasn't quite there. I liked some of the thought process behind figuring out stories and their process, but it's ironic that their main mission is about how important story is but this book basically reads like a textbook. I can respect why people who are already in the know with animation or even any kind of computer design or art, but seeing as I just wanted some fun insight into a cool company and movies I love, it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.
sutoscience's review against another edition
5.0
A must-read if you run a creative organization or are a leader of creative people
kaitgrau8's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting read for anyone becoming a manager in their career. Also really enjoyed the anecdotes about my favorite Pixar movies!