The underdog has sharper teeth (Fiona Smith - AFR)

Many good ideas and quotes (of Fons Trompenaars) regarding creativity.

Basically, the article recognises the challenge all creatives face (writers, musicians, entrepreneurs), in that being the underdog fuels creativity, but achieving success then requires 'reinvention'. Smith reports: "If you don't act consciously on reinventing yourself, then I am pretty sure you will the die," Trompenaars says. "But there are companies that are huge trailing and still reinvent themselves can from time to time, like says IBM and prevent HP."

The article also recognises the value of scenario planning (made famous by Shell), and that of 'Servant Leadership", which has been called many different names (e.g. "leaderless leadership", or Dee Hock's "Chaordic Leadership"1), but all arguing the same point: for leaders to get out of the way and enable their staff to use their skills, creativity and enthusiasm to produce a far more dynamic, productive reality than if the leader 'micro-manages' everyone.

With the rise of social media, Smith reports how this is changing the style of leadership, by necessity: "Open innovation is a version of servant leadership, he says."

"These new approaches are not what they the call systemic," he says, adding that they are not internally-focused, or necessarily controlled by the entrepreneur and they do not involve investment in research and development.

"No, you invite tribes outside your organisation to tell you what you need to do - and that needs a complete new style of leadership."

• 1. "It is true leadership -- leadership by everyone -- chaordic leadership, in, up, around, and down that this world so badly needs, and (it is) industrial age, dominator management that it so sadly gets." The Art of Chaordic Leadership.