How Do We Create Innovators?
In Creating Innovators, Tony Wagner argues that as mentors, leaders, parents, and teachers, we must do a better job nurturing young, potential innovators to help address the pressing economic and social challenges of our time. And I believe him. Innovation is essential in every industry.
In many ways, we’re stifling youth development and innovation through outdated teaching methods and uninspiring work environments. At every stage of my life, I’ve experienced moments of feeling trapped and uninspired.
Economies across the globe are struggling. Poverty is widespread. Technology is simultaneously unlocking new possibilities and rendering old ones obsolete. What feels cutting-edge today can become irrelevant tomorrow. The world needs people who can identify constraints, define problems, challenge inefficiencies, and make bold decisions that advance society.
A Playground Mentality
When I think back to my childhood, I remember the joy of building things—especially with Legos. I’d spend hours creating elaborate structures and spaceships, admiring them briefly before they were dismantled... or before my mom stepped in. She was serious about keeping the living room clean!
But I was never that interested in playing with already-assembled Lego sets. For me, the joy came from the process: experimenting, problem-solving, evaluating, and reworking systems—whether Lego manuals or my own ideas. That joy hasn’t left me.
Tony Wagner explores a question that still echoes in my mind: What happened to playing?
He points out that many schools—especially in the U.S.—are designed to produce high standardized test scores and “college-ready” students. Colleges, in turn, are often focused on producing graduate-level-ready individuals. Whether or not you agree, the point is that these systems rarely prioritize producing innovative people. Many of us have already lost that fearless, creative spirit that once thrived on playgrounds and in playrooms.
Play, Passion and Purpose.
The world needs innovators—everywhere. We need innovation in science, education, infrastructure, finance, the culinary arts, plumbing—you name it. Wagner explains that innovation is often the result of a nontraditional educational approach, one fueled by three intrinsic motivations: Play, Passion, and Purpose.
As a teacher, my partner finds creative ways to inspire her students every day. In fact, she introduced me to this book. It offers both evidence and practical methods to better prepare our youth for a world that’s ready—desperate, even—for disruption. One day, her students—those who may have arrived at school with obedient, unimaginative minds—will leave with fearless, inventive ones. They could become the next generation of innovators.
There’s something in this book for everyone—if you can get through Wagner’s many stories, which at times slow the pace. But it’s a worthwhile, explorative read. It challenges us to consider how we can foster the qualities of innovation—whether we’re working with students or professionals. And doing so starts with introspection: understanding who you are, what matters to you, why you’re here, and how to translate that into a meaningful leadership platform.
Above all, innovation thrives in an empowering culture—one that embraces the intrinsic motivations of Play, Passion, and Purpose, and creates space for all ideas, good and bad, to grow.