The Innovation Show

Complex problem solving is the core skill for 21st Century Teams Complex problem solving is at the very top of the list of essential skills for career progression in the modern world. But how problem solving is taught in our schools, universities, businesses and organisations comes up short. Our guest today shares the seven-step systematic approach to creative problem solving developed in top consulting firms that will work in any field or industry, turning you into a highly sought-after bulletproof problem solver who can tackle challenges that others balk at. If you want to become a better problem solver,  you can do so with only a modest amount of structure and numeric ability. Individuals make decisions that have lifetime consequences—such as career choice, where to live, their savings plan, or elective surgery—often without due consideration. These are among the examples you walk us through in the book to illustrate the value of a structured process to improve your prospects of better outcomes in your own life. More about Charles here: https://bulletproofproblemsolving.com/

This episode is about the creation of a new global currency. Unlike traditional currencies, such as the dollar, yen, or euro, this currency strives to be a risk-free store of value. And unlike bitcoin, which tethers to a finite number of units, this store of value tethers to zero risk. As a result, it is constrained not by an arbitrary number of units, but by market forces of supply and demand. The foundational ideas are not new and not unique. A privately controlled, market-based currency striving for zero risk is arguably the holy grail of multiple influential thinkers and Nobel laureates and the basis for many monetary and investment theories. What is new is that advancements in capital markets, when combined with new technologies, make it possible for society to facilitate old ideas in new ways. Money Without Boundaries is about bringing some of the greatest economic theories to reality. More about Tom here: https://moneywithoutboundaries.com/  

Your job is at risk-if not now, then soon. We are on the leading edge of a Smart Machine Age led by artificial intelligence that will be as transformative for us as the Industrial Revolution was for our ancestors. Smart machines will take over millions of jobs in manufacturing, office work, the service sector, the professions, you name it. Not only can they know more data and analyse it faster than any mere human, but smart machines are free of the emotional, psychological, and cultural baggage that so often mars human thinking. So we can't beat 'em and we can't join 'em. To stay relevant, we have to play a different game. Our guest offers us that game plan. We need to excel at critical, creative, and innovative thinking and at genuinely engaging with others--things machines can't do well. The key is to change our definition of what it means to be smart. Our guest calls it being NewSmart. The crucial mindset underlying NewSmart is humility -not self-effacement but an accurate self-appraisal: acknowledging you can't have all the answers, remaining open to new ideas, and committing yourself to lifelong learning. The key to success in this new era is not to be more like the machines but to excel at the best of what makes us human. We welcome the author of Humility Is the New Smart, Rethinking Human Excellence In the Smart Machine Age, Ed Hess

Most of us do not see ourselves as biased towards people of different races or genders. And yet in virtually every area of modern life disparities remain. Even in organisations, which have, for the most part, embraced the idea of diversity as a mainstream idea, but patterns of disparity remain rampant. Why is this? Breakthroughs in the cognitive and neurosciences give some idea why our results seem inconsistent with our intentions. Bias is natural to the human mind, a survival mechanism that is fundamental to our identity. And overwhelmingly it is unconscious. Incorporating anecdotes from today’s headlines alongside case studies from over 30 years as a nationally prominent diversity consultant, our guest today helps us understand how unconscious bias impacts our day-to-day lives and particularly our daily work lives. And he answers the question: “Is there anything we can do about it?” For those of us seeking to understand and confront their own biases to human resource professionals and business leaders determined to create more bias-conscious organisations in the belief that productivity, personal happiness, and social growth are possible if we first understand the widespread and powerful nature of the biases we don’t realise we have. The Clark Doll Experiments: https://youtu.be/PZryE2bqwdk More about Howard here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/howardjross/

In his 14-plus years as a strategic communications trainer, the biggest obstacle our guests comes across - one that connects directly to nervousness, stammering, rambling, and epic fail - is that most speakers and writers don't have a point. They typically have just a title, a theme, a topic, an idea, an assertion, a catchphrase, or even something much less. A point is something more. It's a contention you can propose, argue, defend, illustrate, and prove. When we have a point, our influence snaps into place. We communicate belief, conviction, and urgency. Our guest shows us how to identify a point, leverage it, stick to it, and sell it and how to train others to identify and successfully make their own points. In a world of information over abundance standing out becomes even more difficult, yet so many of us don’t know how to make a point. As professional communications shifted from physical to virtual, he noticed firsthand both highly effective and utterly ruinous approaches to using video conference technology to communicate and make strong points.  We welcome public speaking trainer and author of Get to the point, sharpen your message and make your words matter and friend of the show  Joel Schwartzberg We discuss an overview of Get to the point and the takeaways from Joel’s Harvard Business review article entitled “How to Elevate Your Presence in a Virtual Meeting” We discuss: How we often have what we think is a point, but it is often just: A topic A title A theme Uptalking Bias in communication Tips for panelists and MCs How we formulate a point and the “I believe that test” Virtual meetings in a digital world Elevating both your point and your presence Projecting your voice Proximity plays a part The HBR article is here: https://bit.ly/2TLkpvk Joel is here: https://www.joelschwartzberg.net/ Previous episode with Joel is here: https://bit.ly/2ZGRw7y

This episode aims to empower young women and give some tips to parents and mentors along the way. Recast yourself - Own your wins - Define your legacy - Leverage your success Written by Randy Patterson, the CEO of a multimillion-dollar startup, The Matriarch Rules provides you with guidelines that empower you to find personal success and growth in being the compassionate, powerful, and forward-thinking woman you are. Achieve success by becoming the change maker you were always meant to be. What is a matriarch? For one thing, you can tell she's in charge the second she walks into a room. She's bold, she's fierce, and she's got her own unique style. The matriarch isn't some crusty old lady dressed head-to-toe in black who sits at the head of the table barking demands at Sunday dinner. The modern matriarch is alive and vivacious. She's purposeful and deliberate about everything, from her career, to her home, to her family, to what she eats for lunch. She is not second guessing herself but moving herself and those she loves boldly into the future. The matriarch's vision for her career is as big as her love for her family, and she's paid her worth for work she's passionate about. The matriarch knows exactly what she wants the end game to be and she has the power to make it come to fruition. Simply put: she has her act together and you feel safer and more secure when you're in her presence. So, the question is, how does one become her? This episode answers that question and more. - Recast yourself - Own your wins - Define your legacy - Leverage your success.

Today’s leaders are getting stuck at an ever-increasing rate as they reach outside their core capabilities in search of growth. After experiencing this himself, and observing countless other CEOs facing a similar battle, our guest decided to do something about it. Craig Lemasters leveraged his extensive leadership experience to develop a unique perspective around why this phenomenon keeps happening and what leaders can do to break free. His book guides readers through examples of some of the most common challenges preventing progress and teaches them how to intentionally tap into the vast knowledge and experience of others. More about Craig here:  https://craiglemasters.com https://gxg.co/    

There are plenty of leadership how-to books, filled with advice such as “Just do this to get ahead!” Lots of books tell you how to become a leader, this book tells you how to stay successful once you’ve reached a leadership role. This episode and today’s book helps aspiring, early-stage, and experienced leaders alike answer a critical question: “How will I use my leadership power?” Being a good leader doesn’t require being a bad person, and if you know what to look out for, you can keep your ego and hubris in check and become (and stay) a leader who is effective, successful, and good. We welcome Bill Treasurer, the author of: “The Leadership Killer: Reclaiming Humility in an Age of Arrogance.” More about Bill here: https://www.giantleapconsulting.com/killer/

Kris Østergaard provides real-world advice and research-based information on how to grow innovation by employing new technologies, improving processes, and establishing a culture of creativity and forward momentum. Conventional business wisdom views innovation as the biggest advantage startups have over large, established organizations, often referred to as legacy organizations. This belief is false, especially when considering that 70% of all startups fail within 20 months of their first venture round. The truth is innovation initiatives of legacy organizations have far better chances of succeeding. Organizations with superior resources—money, customers, suppliers, data, employees, infrastructure—can overcome challenges from new entrepreneurial ventures: knowing how to leverage their underutilized advantage is key for achieving sustained, long-term innovation success.  More about Kris here: https://krisoestergaard.com/ https://su.org/about/faculty/kris-ostergaard/

Our bonus guest is a neuroscientist and pioneer in the field of NeuroLeadership. She trained at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research and is a McKinsey consultant; she delivers brain-based leadership programs to Fortune 500 executives and organisations around the globe to transform how they think, innovate, and navigate change. Her book “The Leading Brain: Neuroscience Hacks to Work Smarter, Better, Happier” has been translated into several languages and received many awards and that book was the focus of episode 86 of the Innovation show. Neuroscientist and author Friederike Fabritius shares how fear makes us think less effectively and changes both our physiology and our neurochemistry. We discuss: The Neuroscience of Fear The Neurochemistry of fear How our thinking is less effective How the Covid-19 pandemic is affecting us Concerns for the post Covid-19 world More about Friederike https://www.fabulous-brain.com/