Here is something that tells why this is important.

My favorite definition of creativity is a pathological unwillingness to accept the status quo. When I was a kid, mornings consisted of a frosted, rainbow sprinkled Pop-Tart and a few glasses of sugar loaded orange juice. In gym class, we did sit-ups on a floor of maple wood planks. In grade school, fist fights occurred behind a fence, a single block away from school grounds, and no teacher or administrator interfered because it wasn’t in their jurisdiction. In the past 30 years, nutritious breakfasts, functional bodily movement routines, and anti-bullying interventions swept through society, and my childhood seems like a post-apocalyptic drama. Far more promising, life expectancy around the world grew from 65 years in 1990 to 73 in 2019, more than double the longevity of humans in 1900. Cultural and product innovations are churning out regularly, transforming the quality of human experience. Innovators design solutions to fix what isn’t working and build on aspirational visions of what is possible. By questioning and scrutinizing existing conventions, and rolling out improvements, society continues to advance. Creative thinking is uncomfortable and risky. Often there are high levels of anxiety and avoidance at the start until that moment when a discovery is shown to work. We must learn to embrace the complicated challenges faced by Innovators, who start their quest with nothing more than healthy skepticism, intellectual humility, and a desire to create something better for them and the rest of us. The central value of Innovators is creativity.

Anytime you take constructive action in a morally problematic situation, you are a Defender. A defender offers support in the face of injustice and unfairness. There is the whistleblower who discloses misconduct (not unlike the referee who blows a whistle to halt illegal or foul behavior). There is the upstander who breaks free from silent, passive observers witnessing misdeeds and offers aid (the opposite of a bystander). There is the rescuer who helps someone in a dangerous situation despite the possibility of physical, social, economic, and/or emotional harm (best characterized by the underpaid first line responders in your neighborhood).  When there are problems that are difficult to manage, you want a defender by your side. They are everyday heroes. A Defender is guided by a sense of morality. As for what they do, let me count the ways. They speak out publicly even when it is unpopular. They stop the spread of false, malicious information. They educate on why something is wrong. They risk their bodies to protect or save someone in jeopardy. They sacrifice their reputation and resources in hopes of improving the well-being of others.  They influence social change behind the scenes by building a case, strengthening resistance, or collaborating with power brokers. Many seemingly intractable problems are difficult to fix because the solution requires a large number of people to abandon existing rules, orders, and authority figures. Defenders do not wait for society to change, they take charge of their own lives to help others. The central value of Defenders is fairness and justice.

There are many candidates for problematic belief systems. Culture Shifters aren’t designing products such as the Innovators, they are poking and probing at what doesn’t make sense around them. Their pokes and probes at conventional thinking are the early harbingers of cultural progress. They question whether widely held beliefs are true, whether they are working well, and why and how particular beliefs, practices, and norms came to be. They might refuse to accept the belief that genetically modified foods are bad because research shows they are a primary reason for the decline in world hunger. They question the assumption that a person’s race and sex determines their potential. They wonder why a person’s degree or salary determines their worth as a human being. They seek evidence that jail sentences for drug use are more helpful than mental health treatment. If they think something doesn’t make sense or is making society worse off, this ignites their motivation to push for change. In their freedom to explore what many of us take for granted, by welcoming them into the fold, we are liberated. Society requires Culture Shifters who challenge overly constricting social scripts and outdated social norms. The central value of Culture Shifters is independent thinking.

Some people abandon the notion of a single path to living. They aren’t focused on creating something for humanity like Innovators. They aren’t invested in obliterating social norms that make little sense like Culture Shifters. They just want to live in ways that work for them, maximizing their own well-being. Niche Carvers engage in acts of principled insubordination because what works for the group, doesn’t work for them. They are outliers, they are weird, and they are proud of it. Just let them do their thing. Perhaps it is a personalized plan of only working to live, instead of developing a calling. Perhaps it is deciding not to have kids and making your world revolve around work that you love. Perhaps it is designing new art or sport because it resonates. The Niche Carvers possess a strong sense of self and their interests, empowered to resist societal influences. Each of us has a unique profile of qualities in terms of personality traits, values, cherished interests, and biography. Niche Carvers embrace what makes them unique and forge a path that works for their individual differences. They deviate from the norm and act in ways that increase their well-being without obstructing anyone else’s well-being. While Niche Carvers might be primarily focused on their well-being, their insubordination inspires others to be more unique and divergent. Their lives are fascinating and their actions remind us of what is possible. The central value of Niche Carvers is autonomy.