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Nancy Koehn is a historian at the Harvard Business School where she holds the James E. Robison chair of Business Administration. Koehn's research focuses on how leaders, past and present,[…]
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A good sermon by Rev. Peter Gomes.

Question: Do you have a creative process?

Nancy Koehn: My creative process is not systematic or formulaic. I think I'd be calmer and more peaceful if it was. It never has been. I'm very intrigued by art. And so I think sometimes my … some of my best work has come from seeing a painting; or hearing a piece of music; or in the case of, you know, a sermon, hearing a fabulous sermon from Peter Gomes and seeing a nugget there that led me to see a bunch of other things about my own work, or about the topic I was thinking about in my book, or for my class. I think that's been . . . the nuggets of art, and literature, and music, and great speaking have been incredibly motivating and inspiring for me – always and still are. You know I'm a bit of a … a bit of a sociologist in terms of ideas. That is … I can't remember who said that some of the best sociologists are people who talk to taxi drivers all the time. And I certainly know of folks of mine that used to ask taxi driver for investor tips … investment tips. But I talk to people all the time, and some of my best ideas have come from a very casual conversation. So I have good ears, and I have pretty good antenna. And I use the magpie light and take them and go.

Recorded On: 6/12/07

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