The Power of Being the Unique “Other” - E49

Understanding yourself is key to tapping into emotional intelligence. Rei continues his dialogue with Kevin Bethune, renowned design executive and author, to hear about his experiences as a minority in corporate America and examine the oscillating focus on diversity and inclusion in corporate culture. This episode delves deep into Kevin's personal journey and highlights his strategies for overcoming the feeling of the "other." As a Black professional in fields like engineering, design, and consulting, Kevin shares candid stories about navigating bias and finding strength in his individuality. 

Kevin Bethune is the Founder & Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank that delivers design & innovation services using a human-centered approach. He's also the best-selling author of Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation (The MIT Press) released in March 2022. His second book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction (The MIT Press), will be coming out February 4, 2025. Kevin's background spans engineering, business and design in equal proportion over his 25+ year career, positioning him to help brands deliver meaningful innovations to enrich people's lives.

His work represents creative problem-solving that brings multidisciplinary teams together to see the future through an open aperture, and a deep industrial design approach to inform and influence desirable, feasible and business-viable design outcomes.

Timestamps:

0:03 Challenges and Resilience of Minorities in Corporate America

7:27 The Pendulum of Social Equity and Inclusion Awareness

12:05 Building Diverse Teams Through Social Media and Innovation

16:50 Empowering Diverse Voices in Multidisciplinary Innovation Teams

23:17 Emotional Intelligence and Overcoming Challenges as a Minority

Episode References:

• Kevin Bethune | Kevin's 2nd book NONLINEAR is available for pre-order 
• Kevin Bethune | Online Portfolio
• dreams • design + life | Corporate Site
• Rei Inamoto | Instagram
• Rei Inamoto | X
• I&CO | Corporate Site

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