This book is certainly not new. It was published in 1998 — how about that for ancient history in the business world! But, that being said, it is by far one of the best books I have ever read about nurturing creativity and innovation within the typical confines of creative death that exist in corporations. The message in this book still falls on deaf ears today across most businesses, where creativity and innovation are regularly stifled.

MacKenzie worked at Hallmark for 30 years, originally starting off as a sketch artist and eventually worming his way into getting Hallmark to let him loose within the company to jump start creativity and innovation. How? With the job title of Creative Paradox, MacKenzie spent years putting together what he calls diversions with a purpose, shaking up the rules, traditions and “normal” ways of doing things within Hallmark to eliminate the mediocrity that comes with doing things the same way all time (just because they worked in the past). By taking orbit off the hairball (the corporate culture), MacKenzie shows how he helped foster innovation at Hallmark during his tenure (though after he left, apparently it was back to business as usual.

Even the way the book is presented isn’t the typical business book — drawings, weird type, colors — the presentation of the information is also all about the point of the book, which is that you don’t have to follow the same formula all the time. In fact, you might just create something brilliant if you don’t.

Buy it and keep it close by during those moments of corporate drudgery…