What Coldplay Can Teach Us About Business Creativity

Be logical. But embrace serendipity too.

Chris Martin once told the story of how Coldplay wrote the song "Yellow."

It wasn’t a master plan.

It wasn’t based on years of research or months of planning.

He was strumming random chords.

Then he glanced at a Yellow Pages phone book on the table…

And the rest is history.

Today, the song has been streamed billions of times.

(Yes—with a “B.”)

And to the outside world, it looks like genius—the type of song that takes months to write.

But the truth?

It was serendipitous.

And there’s a powerful business lesson in that.

Creativity Isn’t Always Scripted

Some of the best ideas in business don’t start in a boardroom.

They start in the middle of a conversation.

On a walk.

By noticing something small and letting your brain run with it.

Yes, business leaders need process.

Yes, structure is vital.

We’re engineers at Reboot.

And we’ll always value logic, planning, and rational decision-making.

But real innovation often happens when we make the most of what’s right in front of us.

Not from a playbook…

From awareness. From curiosity.

From being with the right people, in the right place, at the right time.

Why It Matters

AI is making everything feel more formulaic.

But the spark of real creativity is still deeply human.

And in any industry, it’s vital to try new things. To innovate. To imagine new horizons.

You can plan all day long…

Or you can stay open to the unexpected.

Sometimes all it takes is a few chords and a phone book.

You never know…

You might just write a hit.