My point in sharing this is to inform you of the “fractal no” or the “long no” so that you recognize when you are stuck in a fractal no loop. You can waste a lot of personal energy in such a loop.
This is “the elephant in the brain”.Â
Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behaviour. The aim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly – to track down the darker, unexamined corners of our psyches and blast them with floodlights.
In Innovation work, it is no different.
We must have extensive knowledge of our industry, of adjacent arenas. We must read widely and eclectically. We must dream big and experiment small.
A huge mistake in innovation work is to hire someone in an innovation role who is all chaos and no order. If you do have an innovator who lacks discipline, then it is important to support them with a do-er. While vision without action is a daydream, action without vision is a nightmare.
Talent without discipline is not enough.
Wonder without rigour remains wonder.
Chaos with order remains chaotic.
One final thing in Innovation is that Innovators need leadership air cover in order to succeed. When you are improvising you are going to make mistakes. It is only through embracing the mistakes that breakthroughs emerge.
It is an immense honour and real treat to welcome the author of a plethora of titles including the focus of today’s show: Metaphors we Live Byâ, George Lakoff you are very welcome.
While it is natural for organizational neurotypicals to misunderstand changemakers, it is very hard to stomach the incongruity, the mismatch between the espoused values of the organization those values in practice. Innovation and change need friends in high places, without the air cover of leadership in organizations those people who can unlock future growth in organizations will leave to find authenticity and fulfillment somewhere else.
It encourages you to integrate both wonder and rigour into your daily life in order to produce new and novel products, services, and experiences that deliver greater value to your community and your organization.
To this end, youâll gain three major tools from this book:
Catalyzing inquiry
Integrating improvisation,
and elevating intuition.
There is a need for chaos and order. Too much order and you fossilise. Too much chaos and you fall apart. These things are always in fruitful harmony.
Our guest today is a learner who courageously took on challenging turnaround roles in industries where he had no prior experience. He used his rigorous French education and elite training as a McKinsey consultant to lead five companies as CEO, culminating in the transformation of Best Buy.
During these years, he went through a personal transformation, from seeking to be the smartest person at the table to becoming a passionate and compassionate leader of people. By the time he became CEO of Best Buy in 2012, he had led turnarounds as head of EDS France, Vivendiâs video game division, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, and Carlson Companies.
Despite his achievements by his early forties he was feeling disillusioned from chasing success. This is what inspired him to take âa step back and spend time looking into his soul to find a better direction for his life.â In his study with Catholic monks and a number of CEOs in France, he realized that work is a noble calling to serve others and an expression of love.
He believes work must be guided by the pursuit of a purpose with people at its center. This conviction has shaped his life and his career. It is a great pleasure to welcome: Senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, former chairman and CEO of Best Buy, and author of, “The Heart of Business – Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism”, Hubert Joly
Find Hubert here:
https://youtu.be/UTS95OchFOE
it is vital for organizations and individuals to reinvent in permanence, to constantly build capabilities before we need them. When we do need new capabilities, it is often too late.
In retrospect, Enron did not conceal their dubious transactions from the investing public, but Enronâs brass didnât go out of their way to point them out, but for anyone willing to wade through the companyâs financial documents, the numbers were clear.
We are joined today by a brilliant journalist who did that work, who asked the questions others did not, and whose work would expose one of the biggest scams of all time.
We welcome the author of âThe Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enronâ, Bethany McLean