In the 1960s, NASA commissioned researchers to test the creativity of their rocket scientists. The test was so simple that the researchers wondered if they could apply it more widely. So, they tested 1,600 children aged four and five.
98% scored at genius level.
They retested the same children five years later and were shocked by the results. Only 30% scored at genius level. Five years after that, only 12%. The researchers then tested 28,000 adults. Just 2% reached the genius level that almost every one of them possessed as a small child.
What happened in between?
That is the question Hello Leonardo answers – and then reverses.
What’s inside
Part 1 — Who Killed Your Genius?
The eighteen creativity killers, from self-doubt to the glitter of success. Discover exactly what happened to your genius and why.
Each chapter is built around a compelling story – such as the surprising link between an ancient Greek shepherd and high-speed trains. Each arrives at an insight that is both uncomfortable and actionable.
By the end of Part 1, you will understand exactly what happened to your genius.
Part 2 — Finding Your Inner Leo
Part 2 is where the recovery begins.
This section introduces the mindset shifts and actions that unlock the creative confidence you had at five.
The 20 Creative Firestarters are practical starting points for reigniting creative thinking in yourself and in your team.
You’ll learn why doing nothing is one of the most productive things you can do. Why stealing time from yourself is a creative discipline. Why the most valuable thing you can ask is the naïve question that every expert in the room is too expert to ask.
Part 2 is practical, energising, and built on a single conviction: That the best ideas you will ever have are still ahead of you.
Part 3 — Leonardo’s Box of Tricks
The book’s final section is a working toolkit of 31 creative thinking techniques. Each is introduced with context, examples, instructions for use, and guidance on when each tool is best deployed.
What’s inside
Part 1 — Who Killed Your Genius?
The eighteen creativity killers, from self-doubt to the glitter of success. Discover exactly what happened to your genius and why.
Each chapter is built around a compelling story – such as the surprising link between an ancient Greek shepherd and high-speed trains. Each arrives at an insight that is both uncomfortable and actionable.
By the end of Part 1, you will understand exactly what happened to your genius.
Part 2 — Finding Your Inner Leo
Part 2 is where the recovery begins.
This section introduces the mindset shifts and actions that unlock the creative confidence you had at five.
The 20 Creative Firestarters are practical starting points for reigniting creative thinking in yourself and in your team.
You’ll learn why doing nothing is one of the most productive things you can do. Why stealing time from yourself is a creative discipline. Why the most valuable thing you can ask is the naïve question that every expert in the room is too expert to ask.
Part 2 is practical, energising, and built on a single conviction: That the best ideas you will ever have are still ahead of you.
Part 3 — Leonardo’s Box of Tricks
The book’s final section is a working toolkit of 31 creative thinking techniques. Each is introduced with context, examples, instructions for use, and guidance on when each tool is best deployed.
A tool to solve any problem
The 31 tools in the Box are divided into three broad types.
A tool to solve any problem
The 31 tools in the Box are divided into three broad types.
Tools that break your assumptions
Techniques that first expose the invisible rules governing your thinking, then systematically dismantle them.
Tools that create new connections
Techniques that force unexpected combinations, drawing inspiration from unrelated industries, unlikely heroes, and the natural world.
Tools that uncover hidden value
Techniques that reveal what’s already there, waiting to be found or fixed or freed.
How can you get a copy of the book?
Here’s the thing: The book isn’t for sale. Book a Hello Leonardo workshop for up to 30 people and everyone gets a copy. In your workshop, I’ll introduce a few of the tools in Leonardo’s Box of Tricks. Using these, you’ll easily generate 60 surprising ideas in an hour.
Then, armed with the book, you can go on generating ideas long after the workshop has ended. What sort of ideas?
For business:
Personal:
How can you get a copy of the book?
Here’s the thing: The book isn’t for sale. Book a Hello Leonardo workshop for up to 30 people and everyone gets a copy. In your workshop, I’ll introduce a few of the tools in Leonardo’s Box of Tricks. Using these, you’ll easily generate 60 surprising ideas in an hour.
Then, armed with the book, you can go on generating ideas long after the workshop has ended. What sort of ideas?
For business:
Personal:
“Your book is amazing! Just beautifully written. Inspiring stuff indeed.”
Manne Pyykkö, Counselling Psychologist, Laurea University of Applied Sciences
“Your book is amazing! Just beautifully written. Inspiring stuff indeed.”
Manne Pyykkö, Counselling Psychologist, Laurea University of Applied Sciences
Discover the 20 sneaky ways your creative genius was stolen from you.
In a Hello Leonardo workshop and the book, learn the changes you can make that will help you reignite your dormant creativity.
Dive into Leonardo’s Box of Tricks – 31 games and tools that will help you solve any problem, see new opportunities and improve your position.
Each tool is guaranteed to reignite your imagination – and do it in as little as an hour.
Discover the 20 sneaky ways your creative genius was stolen from you.
In a Hello Leonardo workshop and the book, learn the changes you can make that will help you reignite your dormant creativity.
Dive into Leonardo’s Box of Tricks – 31 games and tools that will help you solve any problem, see new opportunities and improve your position.
Each tool is guaranteed to reignite your imagination – and do it in as little as an hour.
