In desperation he retreated to a quiet spot to prepare something at least acceptable. His preparations were nearly over when suddenly, a week before departure, the flash occurred. He scrapped all his work to date, called for a stenographer and dictated the entire series of lectures without a break. He left for America, delivered the lectures and published them as dictated, without a single alteration. An entire intellectual edifice was completed in a single burst of creativity.
Creative leaps have their own internal form.
Creativity is a gift. A human being has to regard them as unhoped-for gifts from above which he has to receive and revere with joyful thanks. High thoughts, indeed, as befit a genius. However, in a future column, I will explore how we ordinary mortals can put them into practice. Dr. Terry van der Werff is a Seattle-based certified management consultant who advises corporate leaders on strategy.