Bright sparks

Josep "Pep" Guardiola is the best manager in football. Everywhere Pep goes, glory follows.¹

Last week saw the release of a BBC documentary about Pep, Chasing Perfection, as well as a new four-part podcast on BBC Sounds exploring the Manchester City manager's amazing career.

It contains surprising details. In 2012, he suddenly resigned and spent a year in New York. There he attended economics lectures at Columbia University.

Pep's success comes from his curiosity and creativity. It allows him to adapt to new situations and make bold changes. As a manager, he transformed Barcelona's line-up. He took them from struggle to glory in a single season, leading them to 14 trophies in four years.

Curiosity and creativity is the secret fuel behind many of the world's greatest minds. Leonardo da VinciAn Italian artist and inventor (1452 - 1519), considered to be one of the world's greatest geniuses. He painted the Mona Lisa and designed an early flying machine. is celebrated for applying his genius to whatever field took his fancy, from art to engineering.² Scientific genius Albert EinsteinA German-born physicist, whose work in the early 20th Century revolutionised scientific understanding of the world. said: "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

Geniuses are often seen as exceptional, with a creative power beyond the average. Many think that some people are born with it. In his 1869 study Hereditary Genius, the Victorian geneticistSomebody who studies genes and family traits. Francis Galton even argued that great intelligence was passed down through families.

In the 20th Century, however, psychologists began to believe that we can learn to be inventive. Historian Yuval Noah Harari has suggested that schools should teach the "four Cs", which include creativity.³ Only by thinking creatively will they be able to deal with the problems of our rapidly-changing world. If we do not get creative we are doomed.

Can anyone learn creativity?

Yes: We can all think deeply about the world around us. The philosopher Edmund Burke called curiosity "the first and simplest emotion." The correct education system can unlock the creative genius in all of us.

No: The poet John Dryden wrote: "Genius must be born, and never can be taught." He is right. If creativity could be passed through teaching, we would live in a world of towering creatives. But we do not.

Or... Creativity is a complex term. Everyone can be creative, but in different, difficult-to-compare ways. You can be inventive at solving problems, a remarkable wit or, like Pep, a sporting genius.