Last year, in a survey of global CEO’s, it was said that creativity and innovative thinking would be the most critical skills of the future. As a futurist and business forecaster, I agree. It’s a cliche to say we need “to think outside the box” but I want to share with you just two ideas [...]
A Board of Reverse Mentors
January 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I’ve written about the importance of getting a “reverse mentor” on numerous occasions. I recently happened upon this article highlighting Tesco’s decision to create an advisory board of children ages 9 to 12. To be sure, the board’s directive is focused on a narrow area but the idea of tapping into the creative energy of [...]
Unlearning & the Future of Food
January 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
What if we could end childhood diabetes, fight world poverty and engage in a more sustainable form of agriculture just by tricking our taste buds? Sounds farfetched–if not impossible–doesn’t it? After watching this insightful TEDx talk by Homaru Canto and Ben Roche, two innovative chefs from Chicago, I think you might have a more open [...]
The Business of Unlearning
January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Dear Readers: I was recently interviewed on the concept of unlearning by a reporter from The Economic Times. I understand that he’ll only end up using a sentence or two from my lengthy written responses so rather than allow all of my thoughts to languish unread on my hard drive, I thought I’d share them [...]
The Writing is Clear: Break the Rules!
November 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Elements of Style is a small book that lays out the rules for clear writing. Near the end of the book is this brilliant observation: the best writers sometimes disregard the rules.
Unlock the Keys to Failure
November 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
“To kill an error is as good a service, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.” – Charles Darwin Question #9: Who coined the phrase, “The survival of the fittest”? Did you say Charles Darwin? If so, you are mistaken. The honor belongs to Herbert Spencer who first used [...]
Innovation = Unlearning
October 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment
As I have said before, unlearning is the key to creativity. It is also a theme that David Kelley, the founder of design firm IDEO, emphasizes at the Institute of Design — AKA the d.school — at Stanford University. The following paragraph was taken from Innovation 101: … a lot of time at the d.school [...]
