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267. Alan Gregerman | The Wisdom of Ignorance

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Sep 25, 2025

Guest

Alan Gregerman

Alan Gregerman, an award-winning innovation strategist and author, shares his insights on utilizing 'enlightened ignorance' to fuel creativity. He warns that expertise can limit innovation and discusses how fresh hires can bring invaluable outside perspectives. Gregerman introduces a clipboard exercise for new employees to highlight fresh insights and emphasizes the importance of observing nature for innovative ideas. He also elaborates on the powerful leadership practices that drive innovation, urging listeners to embrace curiosity and take initiative in problem-solving.

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insights

INSIGHT

Ignorance Expands Possibility

Expertise narrows your aperture and limits breakthrough thinking.
Not knowing invites possibility and broader solution discovery.

question_answer

ANECDOTE

Ted Lasso As A Leadership Model

Alan compares Ted Lasso's people-skills to unlocking team potential despite sport ignorance.
Understanding people and motivating them can outperform domain expertise.

insights

INSIGHT

Most Ideas Come From Outside

99% of new ideas come from elsewhere or nature, not pure originality.
Innovation is mostly about finding existing ideas and adapting them to your context.

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Why Not Knowing Can Drive Innovation

01:29 • 2min

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How Fresh Perspectives Beat Deep Expertise

03:18 • 2min

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Treating New Hires as Sources of Insight

05:03 • 6min

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How to Brainstorm by Collecting External Ideas

10:44 • 3min

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Learning Packaging from Produce and Nature

13:56 • 1min

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Biomimicry and Everyday Observations for Innovation

15:15 • 3min

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Purposeful Initiative Powers Innovation

18:30 • 2min

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Six Leadership Practices to Cultivate Innovation

20:19 • 2min

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A New-Hire Clipboard Exercise to Surface Insights

22:03 • 4min

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Using Modern Marketing and Younger Perspectives for Books

Using Personal Brand and Color to Signal Difference

32:32 • 5min

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Daily Observation Exercises to Spot Opportunities

37:23 • 27sec

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Where to Find the Book and Connect with Alan

37:50 • 1min

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One Actionable Message: Share Your Genius Now

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The Wisdom of Ignorance

Alan Gregerman

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Translator Lunine Pierre-Jerome

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The novel is written in the form of letters, primarily from Celie to God and later to her sister Nettie. It depicts Celie's journey from a life of oppression and abuse to one of independence and self-realization. The story explores themes of feminism, gender equality, sexuality, and the struggles faced by African American women in the rural South during the 1930s and 1940s. Celie's life is influenced by various characters, including her lover Shug Avery, her sister Nettie, and her husband Albert, as she discovers her own strength and finds joy despite the hardships she faces.

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In 'Choose Yourself,' James Altucher argues that the traditional paths to security such as college, employment, and retirement are no longer viable. He advocates for individuals to take control of their own lives, focusing on building physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. The book provides actionable steps for personal growth and creating a fulfilling career and life on one's own terms. Altucher emphasizes the importance of doing what you enjoy, surrounding yourself with positive people, and continually expanding your horizons to achieve success and happiness.

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In this book, Jimmy Soni delves into PayPal’s turbulent early days, drawing from hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to internal material. He reveals how the collaboration among a rare assemblage of talent, including figures like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Max Levchin, and Reid Hoffman, changed the world. The narrative highlights the challenges faced by the company, such as bruising competition, internal strife, and the dot-com bust, and how these individuals went on to influence leading companies like Tesla, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

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Purple Cow

Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable

Seth Godin

In 'Purple Cow,' Seth Godin argues that traditional marketing strategies no longer work in today's saturated market. He advocates for the creation of 'Purple Cows' – products or services that are so remarkable they naturally generate buzz and attract attention. Godin uses the metaphor of a purple cow to illustrate how being ordinary is no longer sufficient; businesses must be bold, innovative, and willing to take risks to stand out. The book is filled with examples from successful companies like Apple, Starbucks, and JetBlue, and it challenges readers to rethink their marketing strategies to focus on creating truly remarkable offerings.

Join us for ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BookThinkers LIVE 2025⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Happening November 9, 2025!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bookthinkers.com/book-thinkers-live-2025

In today’s episode, we have the pleasure to interview Alan Gregerman, author of The Wisdom of Ignorance: Why Not Knowing Can Be the Key to Innovation in an Uncertain World.

Alan is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, and internationally recognized innovation strategist. He’s the President and Chief Innovation Officer of VENTURE WORKS Inc., where he’s helped hundreds of teams create meaningful breakthroughs—often by unlocking the hidden genius in people who aren’t “experts.” He’s been featured in major outlets from The Wall Street Journal to CNN and is known for turning curiosity into real-world results.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to use “enlightened ignorance” to spark better ideas, a simple new-hire clipboard exercise that surfaces game-changing insights on day one, and why 99% of great ideas come from outside your industry—including nature—and how to adapt them fast.

We hope you enjoy this incredible conversation with Alan Gregerman.

To Learn More about Alan and buy his book visit:

The Book: https://a.co/d/gUtK54b

Website/Socials:

https://alangregerman.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-gregerman-a33b236/

https://www.instagram.com/agregerman

https://www.facebook.com/alan.s.gregerman

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:31 The Wisdom of Ignorance & How To Innovate By “Not Knowing”

5:21 How to stand out by your organization & drive (not only by what you know)

8:01 Connecting the dots between unconnected opportunities

10:45 Practical strategies for innovation (get out of the box!)

15:07 Lessons from nature to integrate into business

16:47 The importance of presence to get new insights

18:48 We are most innovative when we are purposeful

20:02 6 principles to cultivate innovation as a business leader

25:23 Real-world successful applications of his own ideas

28:49 Idea Sex & Book Sex (A practice for innovation)

32:32 Alan’s innovation & ownership with his personal brand & style

35:07 Paying attention in everyday moments to spot a fuller spectrum of life

37:41 Where to connect with Alan, his work and his book

38:56 “Don’t stop sharing your genius”

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