We Are All Creative with Michael McMillan: Episode 275 of The Action Catalyst Podcast - a podcast by Dan Moore and Dustin Hillis

Michael McMillan is a designer, best-selling author, public speaker, and business consultant.







Throughout his career, Michael’s client roster has read like the Who’s Who of Business. Fortune 100 corporations, startups, nonprofits, and sports and music legends have all sought Michael’s leadership with award-winning results. While Michael’s work has been recognized by major design, marketing, and advertising organizations around the world, his bottom-line results have been recognized by clients, partners, and stakeholders.







Michael’s creative direction on Michael Jordan’s New York Times best-selling pictorial autobiography, Rare Air, established a new niche in retail publishing. This success was followed by several more award-winning publishing initiatives including Mario Andretti and The NBA at 50. Michael’s leadership on Genuine Value: The John Deere Journey established a cultural framework and value catalyst for Deere’s future.







After 20 consecutive years of growth, Michael sold his firm

and began sharing his unique insights on creative thinking, innovation and

making positive change.







Michael has spoken to audiences throughout the US, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia. When the United Arab Emirates launched its national innovation initiative, Michael was invited to Dubai to address this subject with UAE leaders, international investors, and entrepreneurs.







A best-selling author, Michael’s current books include Paper Airplane: A Lesson for Flying Outside the Box, The Power of Teamwork (co-authored with the Blue Angels’ Scott Beare), and Pink Bat: Turning Problems Into Solutions.







In 2013, Michael was recruited by the founder and CEO of a Fortune 1000 financial firm to serve as Chief Marketing/Branding Officer. Charged with driving growth and elevating the brand, Michael established a new department, and developed and deployed a fully integrated digital marketing strategy including the underlying technologies, business processes, and demand generation tactics. Michael's leadership and contributions helped move the stock price from $46 a share to $100+ within three years. The company was acquired in 2016 for $4.3 billion.







Show Highlights:







Having the right people in the right places doing the right things is what creates synergy. -Michael McMillanNo matter where you go, you should earn the right for the power that you have in an organization. The leader should provide this opportunity. -Michael McMillanIt's difficult for me to let go but A. That's the only way you grow and B. Other people have better ideas than me. -Michael McMillanTry to find people that have unique skills and are smarter or better than you are. That's the key to building a great organization. -Michael McMillanA lot of people say that they're not creative but everyone is creative. It's innate; it's who we are as human beings. -Michael McMillanWe all have gaps and shortcomings. But likewise, we all have strengths. If we start buying into our shortcomings, we start forgetting about our strengths. -Michael McMillanStay true to your values and principles. -Michael McMillanIdentify who you are and what you're about, and continue to look at things from multiple perspectives. -Michael McMillanSo often we label things as a problem and then they become a problem. What we should do is reframe the way we look at the situation and realize it's not a problem at all. -Michael McMillanEvery adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit. -Napolean Hill







Michael's closing thoughts: We learn from life, we learn from living, provided that we're willing to do so.







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