Bright sparks

It was a typically dreary summer day in ManchesterEngland's second city, with a population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It was an important industrial centre during the Industrial Revolution.. But there was still one benevolent sphere glowing down on the city: the shaven head of Manchester City FC manager Pep Guardiola. He waved down from an open top bus, cigar in hand, as his team celebrated winning the treble.¹

Josep Guardiola - known popularly as Pep - is the best manager in football. Everywhere Pep goes, glory follows.² He is the only manager to claim two trebles and the youngest to win the UEFA Champions LeagueAn annual football competition for Europe's top clubs. . He holds records for the most consecutive wins in three of the world's most competitive leagues.

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 his life and career.

It contains surprising details. In 2012, Pep suddenly resigned and spent a year in New York. There he attended economics lectures at Columbia University given by his friend Xavier Sala-i-Martin.

He was an engaged student. Sala-i-Martin recalls: "His main source of success is his creativity. You cannot innovate unless you are curious - unless you ask questions."

Pep's career is testament to his ability to innovate. As a player he began as a so-so midfielder. But after he took a more defensive approach he became extraordinary. Sports writer Miguel Val called him "the brains of Barcelona's Dream Team".

As a manager, he transformed a struggling Barcelona. He retired legendary players and brought in new blood. In just one season he turned them into local and international champions. He won them 14 trophies in four years.

Pep's glory seems to stem from his ability to adapt to changing conditions and bring in new ideas. Curiosity and creativity is the secret fuel behind many of the world's greatest minds. As SocratesConsidered by some to be the greatest philosopher in history, Socrates is credited with developing the whole notion of critical reason. quipped: "Wisdom begins in wonder."

Renaissance polymathSomeone with a wide range of knowledge and learning. 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, whether hydraulics, anatomy, art or engineering.³ 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 believe that genius is innate. 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. Contemporary research suggests that people become creative when placed in particular environments.

One Australian study found people are better at solving puzzles when lying down. Perhaps we can all become Peps if we find the right place and posture to unlock our genius.

Historian Yuval Noah Harari has suggested that schools should teach the "four Cs", which include creativity.⁴ 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 nebulous 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.