What Simone Biles and Albert Einstein Have In Common

Where Does Creativity Come From?

More and more, we hear the lament that we – in all industries – have plenty of hard workers but are lacking in creativity.

True.

Having spent the past 27 years studying creativity – its origin, genesis, process, characteristics, manifestations, and so on – that’s an honest assessment. I went on to work with corporate executive teams in building more creative environments. I then created and taught a graduate-level course in creative leadership: Creativity, Change, and the 21st Century Leader. I delivered that course for 10 years at Fairleigh Dickinson University – and excerpts from it in various corporate settings.

So when I validate the lament that we are short on creativity, I know I’m right. Trouble is, in a century in which the nature, pace, and scope of change advances in degrees like never before, falling behind by a foot is falling behind by a mile.

That, we cannot afford.

Where to start, though, is a mystery to most, causing a petrified inaction and, consequently, loss of more ground.

Or we can do something about it.

I was prompted to write on this today by a great piece written by Laura Cappelle in The New York Times on 7/7/24 – He Teaches Gymnasts How to Excel on the Floor – telling the story of Grégory Milan, whose choreography will be performed by none other than Simone Biles, as millions around the world will, no doubt, once again watch in awe.

Taylor Swift. Beyoncé. Alvin Ailey.

In reading Cappelle’s piece, Einstein and his famous formula – E=mc2 – seemed so relevant. It seems that Biles’ 90-second floor routine is far more than a series of jumps and flips performed in a way that only a supremely and uniquely gifted athlete like Biles can. There’s much more. Milan, you see, combines songs from Taylor Swift and Beyoncé with choreography from Alvin Ailey to give Biles the basis for the performances. Milan didn’t invent or discover all the pieces of what we’ll witness; he found them and pieced them together. An intricate structure, yet simple.

Origins of E=mc2

Like Milan, Einstein looked back, saw relationships, and put the pieces together. Energy and mass, explained Einstein, are two manifestations of the same thing, and his proof lay in his formula. But where did he get all that?

Michael Faraday (1791-1867)

English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism. The “E” – Energy.

Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794)

French chemist whose atomic theory influenced much of Einstein’s works. The “m” – Mass.

James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)

English physicist with a huge impact on the study of electromagnetic radiation. (Einstein has a framed picture of Maxwell in his office.) The “c” – Speed of Light.

Emilie du Chatelet (1706-1749)

French natural philosopher and mathematician. Squaring the speed of light.

See? Pretty simple, isn’t it? Creativity is not the result; it’s the main ingredient – and it is collaborative. When it works, you get innovation.

Innovation is applied creativity. And that’s what Biles and Einstein have in common.