Creatives in military leadership positions

[ianjanks]

Jocko,

I have typically leaned towards a more creative mindset in terms of music, writing, drawing up plans on the spot and not being immensely gifted in the art of numbers. I have heard it said that the military and war is an extreme form of creativity (having to achieve the greatest result with the least amount of access to supplies). Wanted to get your opinion/what your experience was with creative mindsets in your career?

Sincerely,

Ian 

Ps. also wanted to know if you had any interaction with SFOD-A guys and how were they as brethren in the military

[mynewunit]

Jocko doesn't troll the boards. If you want to hear him answer this question, drop it on facebook, twitter or email him.

There is a difference between artistic and creative. Artistic creates, either from emotion or typically to illicit emotion.
Creative is finding the art in the craft. The military loves people that are creative. Like Mikey Monsoor, gets the joke of giving Jocko exactly what he asked for, saying nothing but "Roger that" for an entire day of training, then shooting video when in a fire fight, waiting for the unit to pull out.

My industry is building heating and cooling design. There is nothing new under the sun. Whatever you create has to be built, installed and serviced by guys who never held a graphing calculator. There is an art to determining what system, configuration and equipment are the best solution.  This takes some creativity to turn the "problems" of the building into benefits for the system.  Even Chairman Mao admits that all the rules can be broken to take a tactical advantage over the enemy. 

There is a video done by a guy who ended up in the Navy on a carrier. I think it was on Navy.com about 8 years ago.  He didn't think he would finish boot camp. Didn't think he would get assigned to a ship. Then he is on a carrier, as broom operator, cleaning up after everyone else. He started taking videos and interviewing his fellow sailors to send back to his family and their families.  His NCO found out about it, and had him do a welcome video for new crew members.  That got passed around and he ends up making videos for the Navy to explain life on a ship for kids in high school.  That is the kind of creativity that does well in the military.  Creativity within the framework of the organization.