This Jonathan Ive interview is really good. I thought his answer to the question of what makes a great designer was instructive.

A: It is so important to be light on your feet, inquisitive and interested in being wrong. You have that wonderful fascination with the what if questions, but you also need absolute focus and a keen insight into the context and what is important – that is really terribly important. Its about contradictions you have to navigate.

I’d argue this answer can apply to a lot more than just design. Any intellectual endeavor needs exactly this agility.