More on why creative tension works

Yesterday I blogged about Ford Motor Company's new CMO James Farley and a recent comment he made about the need for 'institutionalizing tension' for creative breakthrough. Here's another great quote passed along to me this morning from Kottke.org. It's chef Dan Barber talking about his organizational philosophy at the innovative kitchen of Blue Hill at Stone Barns:

"At the same time, I don't think the cooks look at me as a real community member. I'm not that cozy paternal figure. I'm always doing different things, and it creates this atmosphere where the cooks are on the balls of their feet. They're thinking, Where's he going next, what's happening next? There's a little bit of confusion. I think that's good. It's hard to articulate, because you think of the kitchen as very organized; and, like I said, the more control you have, the better. But a little bit of chaos creates tension. And that creates energy and passion, and it tends to make you season something the right way or reach for something that would add this, that, or the other thing." [Source: Metropolis Magazine]

A kitchen is both a laboratory and collaborative workspace and it's a very fine line between tension and liberation. It's clear that good leaders have an arsenal of creative ways to manage both sides.

If anyone has other examples of leadership and creative tension building, I'd be most interested to hear them.

[Image Source: Jen Munkvold for Metropolis]