We live in a culture obsessed with innovation. Leaders and consultants toss the word around like it’s a commodity — something you can buy off the shelf if you just hire the right people or invest in the right tech.

Satya Nadella captured this sentiment perfectly when he said: “What the world rewards most is innovation.”

It’s true. Except here’s the catch: as gapingvoid put it —

Innovation is not a thing, it’s just the product of other things. We can’t just pop into Innovations-R-Us and order it by the yard. Innovation is something that only comes after the real work is done. And the real work is creativity which is upstream from innovation. Always.

That last line is where most organizations stumble. Everyone wants the fruit, but very few want to tend the soil.

When the Tool Becomes the Distraction

I was in a recent conversation where this showed up clearly. The interest was on an assessment tool — a powerful one, no doubt, that reveals deep motivational drivers. But the fixation on the tool itself risked overshadowing the real opportunity: stepping back to ask the question that makes all the difference.

This isn’t about one client; it’s a pattern I’ve seen across industries. Leaders reach for the part that feels measurable, tangible, immediate. Something they can hold up and say: “See? We’re doing something.” But if all the focus is placed there, they miss the deeper current that actually shifts the game.

It’s like buying the best fishing rod money can buy — but never learning how to read the water.

Creativity: The Work We Resist

Why do so many avoid the upstream work of creativity? Because it feels ambiguous. Because it doesn’t fit neatly into a quarterly report. Because it asks us to slow down when the market is screaming at us to speed up.

But creativity isn’t an indulgence. It’s the engine. And without it, innovation dries up.

Creativity is not just painting murals in the break room or brainstorming sticky-note ideas on a whiteboard. It’s the discipline of asking the question behind the question. It’s noticing the patterns everyone else skims over. It’s refusing to accept survival-mode thinking as the permanent way forward.

When we do this, something subtle but powerful happens. New possibilities reveal themselves. What once felt like a problem of scarcity often turns out to be a problem of perspective. And from there, fresh strategies emerge — strategies that feel less like a gamble and more like alignment.

Why I Refuse the Shortcut

This is why I insist on beginning with the One Question™ in my work. Not because I’m allergic to tools — I use them, and they’re excellent at deepening self-awareness and team clarity. But without first answering the question, they’re just data points.

The One Question™ forces us upstream. It demands the creative work that so many sidestep. And when we honor that work, innovation doesn’t feel like an impossibility. It feels like the obvious next step in a path we finally see clearly.

The River Analogy

Think of a river. Everyone downstream is fighting for the same catch —competing, hustling, undercutting. It’s crowded, exhausting, and unsustainable. But go upstream, closer to the source, and the water is cleaner, quieter, and more abundant. That’s what creativity is — the source. Innovation is the river further down, powerful but dependent on what happens upstream.

Too many businesses set up camp downstream, wondering why they’re struggling. The answer is simple: they never did the upstream work.

Strategic Reflection Prompt

What part of your business are you trying to fix with tools — when what you actually need is to ask the deeper question that sparks creativity?

About Giselle

Giselle Hudson is a writer, possibility thinker, speaker, Strategic Alignment Facilitator™, and MCODE Legacy Coach. She helps solo professionals, non and for profit organizations identify where focus and learning need to occur to stay aligned and achieve real results — all beginning with The One Question Every Business Must Answer™.