Author: ZaibaaHoosen

“We are educating children out of their creative capacities.” ~ Ken Robinson. My team loves Post-it notes. Come to our office, and you’ll see Post-it notes on pretty much every wall. That is how we think, brainstorm, plan, and solve problems. So it’s only appropriate to bring the story of the Post-it note here. Dr. Spencer Silver, a scientist working at 3M back in the 1960s, invented a strange adhesive with a curious property: it was somewhat sticky, but it did not stick! His employer, 3M, did not see the value in a glue that does not stick – quite obviously – and did not support the project. Until one day, when Dr. Silver noticed that his colleague, Art Fry, was using his adhesive to keep his bookmarks from falling out of his book; and “Eureka!” a purpose was found for it. The adhesive was applied to little square pieces of paper and became the legendary Post-it notes, which is now a billion-dollar product and one of 3M’s most valuable assets. Here’s what I love about this story: it shows us the true nature of innovation; that innovation… 1. Rarely comes out of nowhere: Dr. Silver was a creative invented the adhesive, but not its ground-breaking application. For the application, he relied on another creative person, his colleague. Similarly, nearly all of the greatest innovations were built on other, preexisting innovations. The invention of the light bulb by Edison relied on the discovery of electricity by Jefferson, 150 years prior. The invention of the internet relied on the invention of computers and computer networks. 2. Is rarely achieved by one person: in all likelihood, neither Dr. Silver nor Art could have come up with the concept of Post-it notes on their own. It had to be the two of them: without the adhesive, Art would not have invented the Post-it; and without the Post-it, Dr. Silver’s new adhesive would have been scrapped. So, the question is, who invented the Post-it note? The answer is: both of them. Similarly, Steve Jobs did not invent the iPhone. Or more accurately, he and his team did not invent any of the components that went into creating the first iPhone. Pretty much every feature of the iPhone was already in existence in other products. All they did, was to put everything together in a creative and innovative way to create a product that was useful and appealing to consumers. 3. Happens through persistence: if Dr. Silver had given up on his discovery just because his employers saw no benefit in it, the Post-it would not have come into existence. Instead, he refused to give up and continued to search for practical uses for it. Edison famously had a number of failures and frustrations before finally inventing the light bulb. Innovation is never easy or instant. It takes time, effort and persistence. And those who are willing to put in what it takes, are often rewarded. The world belongs to the innovators, and to be an innovator, you need to be creative. Creativity is the source, innovation is the outcome. The world belongs to the creatives, and this will continue into the future. The great thing is, we are all born creatives; but the trouble is, we spend 12 years at school learning how to destroy our creativity. That is what Ken Robinson means in the saying I quoted above. How do we get it back? Simple: become a child again. Children are remarkable. They are constantly curious about the world, always asking questions, always learning, always willing to try new things, and never afraid of failure of of judgment. Never too proud to look silly. Give a child a set of painting kits and some paper, and instantly her imagination will run wild. She will easily spend hours painting whatever comes to her mind. She doesn’t paint to impress anyone – she just enjoys the process. We were kids too, at one time. But somewhere along the way, we lost our creativity. It’s time to go back to our childhoods and get it back. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents

I can be cruel to my team sometimes. Once I hired an intern, and on her first day at work, I sent her a text message with a link to two videos, with a simple instruction: edit these for TikTok, add subtitles and upload it to my TikTok. I told her I needed it done with two hours. I knew it would not get done. Two hours later, I stood at her desk, looking serious, holding out my phone to her, asking why the video wasn’t uploaded yet. She was horrified, thinking that I was going to scream at her. She eventually mustered up the courage to tell me that the work was not done. I asked her why, and she responded that she had no idea how. That’s when she received the best education of her life: how to attack a complex problem, and solve it. I outlined everything she could have done: 1. Admit ignorance: I asked her why she did not tell me that she didn’t know how to do the work. She had all the usual answers: she was scared, didn’t want to look stupid, etc. 2. Ask for help: Once she admitted she did know how, it would have been so easy to ask for help. It beats me why people in general just don’t askfor help. I have never asked someone for help, who didn’t help me – something Steve Jobs said, and I’ve experienced too. 3. Frame the problem as a question: In her case, the question would have been: “How do I edit these videos and upload to TikTok?” 4. Do problem analysis: That is, identify the exact problem. Often, the problem is just a small part of the project, not the whole project. Like a toothache which is cause by a tiny, barely-visible cavity. So in this case, the problem was not that she did not know how to use a computer – she was actually a graduate of my institute, and quite good at coding. She could even build mobile apps. So what was the issue? She never learned video editing. Everything else, she could do like a pro. 5. Solve the problem: Now that we have identified the exact problem, we can address it. A 1 -hour YouTube video tutorial on video editing, got her going with ease. 6. Get feedback: She sent the edited videos to me, but there were issues which I pointed out to her, which she subsequently fixed. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. In other words, you can solve any problem by breaking it down into small, manageable units. Then, you solve each micro-problem, and the bigger problem looks after itself Once the intern and I were done with the exercise above, she found that she was no longer dealing with a complex, insurmountable problem; rather, she had to solve a much smaller problem, which was: ‘Identify the best videoediting software, and learn how to use it.’ Question: Do we learn this at school? No, we don’t. Kids are set up for failure because they are given a projects or an assignments, with no idea how to complete them. They are not taught problem-solving skills, and that put them into a major disadvantage, which stays with them until they become adults. Most people shy away from doing work, or procrastinate, because they have no idea where to start. Hence, given a complex task, they go into a corner and die quietly. What I’m trying to say is, most people run from their problems, rather than facing them head-on and solving it. The reason is because they haven’t been equipped with complex problem-solving skills. Unfortunately, this will put a ceiling on their growth in their careers, and in most other aspects of life. Remember, there’s something Elon Musk said and this is very interesting. He said, ‘you get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of problems you solve.’ And this coming from a guy who has solved some major problems and has made himself super wealthy in the process. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents

There is a place torture and suffering; Within whose inescapable borders, millions of people are ensnared, trapped. A place where hope dies, ambitions wither, dreams fade to nothingness. A treacherous expanse that lulls its inhabitants into a false sense of security, masking the gradual erosion of their aspirations. Behind the façade of its tranquility lies the tragic fate of countless souls who never dared to step beyond its boundaries, their existence fading away in the shadow of unexplored horizons. Millions, no billions have lived and died there. I bid you, dear traveler, welcome to the Comfort Zone. We are living in a time of unprecedented change. Change is everywhere around us, and things are changing all the time. If you own a cell phone, you know what I’m talking about – that brand new, shiny, top-of-the-range model you bought, is outdated in under a year. But the trouble with change, is that we a terrified of it. We are creatures of habit, and we love the familiar. The thought of change is unbearable. Despite our fears, we need to embrace change because it is a certainty. It is what grows us. “In the grand story of life, change is the unwavering protagonist, driving our evolution.” When we look at our businesses, things are changing all the time. We look at our jobs, things are changing all the time. The world is in a state of flux because of the frantic innovation that’s happening. This is largely because of the technology that’s coming up, but also due to other factors, such as competition and market trends. Everybody is experiencing change; but the sad part is, not everybody is going to be successful in embracing this change. There are always the sceptics. Sceptics hate change. In fact, they hate anything they don’t understand or cannot relate to. They are the ones who stand at the periphery, criticizing everyone and everything. When there’s something new introduced at work, like a new software system, or a new process, sceptics have an instantaneous, knee-jerk reaction. They will shudder and scream internally, saying things like: • “But that’s not how we do it around here.” • “This is the way we’ve always done it.” • “What’s the point of that?” Now, when I hear words like that, to me it actually translates to: “I’m terrified of doing it differently because I don’t want to look stupid. I’m in my comfortable here. Please don’t take me out of my comfort zone. It terrifies me.” The comfort zone is a deadly delusion, and I feel sorry for this type of person. In today’s world where change is guaranteed, one of the most important skills you can have is the change mindset. Those people who have that mindset will be the future leaders, while the sceptics will be wiped out. I’m not saying it’s easy; change requires a tonne of courage, and leaving your comfort zone and venturing out into the unknown, is like leaving the warmth and comfort of your home and walking into a forest full of wolves. That is why we cling to the past. It’s safe. It’s familiar. It’s known to us. We have dominion there. It’s a cozy cabin in the middle of a dark, snowy and scary forest. We want to stay inside. But the safety is a delusion. Because in due time, the big bad wolf of change will come along, and huff and puff and blow that house down. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents

Do you remember your school teacher asking you to read a book, and then review it, giving your thoughts and opinions about it? Do you remember hating that? I do. It’s not that I did not enjoy reading – I did. But I just couldn’t see the sense in writing down my thoughts about the book in detail, and expressing my opinions about everything in the book. All I knew was: I read it, good story, enjoyed it, done. Little did I know at the time that the task of reviewing a book was in fact a powerful mental exercise, designed to unleash my hidden super power: critical thinking. Of course I didn’t know, because no one told me. My teacher did not tell me why it was so important to do the book review. She did not tell me that it was to develop my critical thinking ability. She did not tell me that critical thinking – the ability to take in information, process it in my brain, formulate my thoughts about it, and then communicate my thoughts in writing – was one of the most powerful skills that I could ever learn, a skill that would make me an unstoppable force in life. I doubt even she understood the value of doing a book review, other than for some grade points. Let me tell you something that sounds like an exaggeration, but isn’t: critical thinkers rule the world. Every great thinker, author, scientist, inventor, entrepreneur and revolutionary, had one thing in common: they were critical thinkers. They are the ones who were able to analyse the world around them, see what was wrong with it, formulate their own ideas about it and communicate it to others. Nelson Mandela was a critical thinker. So were Gandhi, Edison, Jobs and Einstien. And they all changed the course of history, each in their own way. They were not sheep who followed the herd. They did not accept the staus quo. Nelson Mandela did not accept being treated like a lesser being by the arpartheid government. He said, “Nope, this ain’t gonna fly.” Ok he didn’t actually say that, but you know what I mean. Whereas he could have been like the millions of others who just accepted the harsh treatment and went about their lives, he decided to stand up and fight for his rights. And he had hell to pay for it – 27 years in prison. But in the end, he came out on top. Thomas Edison took a critical look at the phenomenon known as “electricity”, something that had been discovered century and a half before his time, yet no one seemed to find any actually mainstream use for it. He pondered about how he could put it to good use, and then a lightbulb went on inside his head. The invention of the incandescent light bulb changed our world forever. In 1882 Edison set up the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of New York, which began to roll out light bulbs to streets and homes close by. Within a short space of just of 30 years, the whole of the United States was electrified, and the rest of the world was soon to follow. Critical thinkers rule the world. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents

I love this example of Doug Dietz because for me this is one of the best examples I have ever come across of the interplay between humans and technology. It also demonstrates how we as human beings can create technology that improves countless people’s lives. I mean, take a re-look at the example of Doug Dietz. He built an amazing machine. He probably had a passion for it, but not just that, he also built a lucrative and rewarding career out of it. Added to that, the machine was a commercial success. Most importantly, the MRI scanner was a blessing to people around the world. It was such an incredibly valuable machine in the children’s hospitals, and it probably helped to cure thousands, if not tens of thousands, of children across the world. It probably helped to diagnose hundreds of ailments, and helped doctors to find cures. It was useful to so many people – to the kids, their parents, the doctors, the nurses. Now that is what I imagine technology should always be. It should always deliver value at every level. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents

Let’s analyse what happened in the story in the previous chapter, step by step. Step 1 – Critical Thinking: When Doug saw the child reaction to his MRI scanner, he was justifiably shocked. He stepped back, critically analysing the situation. He realised that, while the machine was a brilliant work of engineering, it failed as far as the user experience went. Critical thinking is the ability to question ideas and assumptions, to see something and not take it for granted, not take it on surface level, but to independently think it through and apply your mind and make a judgment on that situation. In other words, it is to carefully observe and make up your own mind about something. That is exactly what Doug did. He critically examined the MRI scanner design and its impact on young patients. He analysed the specific challenges it posed, such as anxiety and the need to sedate children before they used it. It took courage to do that, because the hardest thing to do is to criticize your own work Many of us would have likely made an excuse and covered up the problem. Step 2 – Change Mindset: It is one thing criticise something, and an entirely different thing to actually do something about it. Doug did not just identify there was a problem. He also resolved that he needed to fix it. That is the very essence of a change mindset: recognising the need for change and improvement. It is a crucial step towards finding a solution, and enjoying success. And that is where most people get it wrong; they can identify the issues, they might complain about them, but they fail to cross the chasm between “something’s wrong” to “I need to fix this.” Very, very few people make that jump. That is why so few people are successful. Why don’t they make the jump? Because they don’t have a change mindset. They lack the courage to embrace the problem and to pursue a solution. It’s hard work. When a situation arises, whether at home or at work, they fail to do some much needed self-talk at that point, saying to themselves: “This needs to change. I can do something about this. I will do whatever it takes.” When a new technology is introduced at work, rather than embracing it, they become afraid and resort to scepticism and criticism. They make excuses. But that’s not what Doug did. After criticizing his machine, he committed himself to change. Step 3 – Complex Problem-Solving: Once Doug’s mind was made up to change, it was time for action. The task ahead of him was a huge challenge: changing the user experience of the MRI scanner from terror to fun, without redesigning the machine, was a very complex problem. The best approach would be to start by analysing the problem and its root causes. This would typically be a process of framing the problem as question, and then working to find an answer. A good starting point would be something on the lines of: “How can we improve the user experience, thereby making this machine children-friendly?” Beyond that, they would have probably broke down the issue into its constituent parts to pinpoint exactly where the issue lies. Just like a dentist, who will identify exactly which tooth has the cavity that is causing you the pain. “Exactly what about this machine makes it so terrifying for kids, and how can we fix it?” Next, they would go about finding a viable solution by applying problemsolving techniques. Step 4 – Creativity: Solving problems requires creativity. What followed might have been the team meeting and putting their minds together, each providing their own perspectives and ideas. They would have identified what resources they had, and what their constrains were. They would have gotten inside the mind of a typical child. Then, they would have gone through a series of intense sessions of brainstorming, spit balling, sketching, mind mapping, playful exploration and prototyping. In other words, they would have gotten creative. Step 5 – Collaboration: No matter how clever you are, or how educated and experienced you are, you don’t have all the answers. Nobody has all the answers. As such, Doug’s team would have looked for ideas outside of their circle. They would have likely collaborated with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds, like school teachers, child psychologists, children’s book authors and graphic designers; basically, anybody who is clued up in understanding children and how they think. Through this collaboration, they would have come up with ideas that were beyond anything the core team could have come up with. Step 6 – Communication Skills: Make no mistake: one of the most valuable skills you can ever learn, is the ability to communicate effectively. Very few skills have the power to catapult a career, like the ability to effectively get a message across to your desired audience. But communication is not just about speaking. This is a major fallacy. We can communicate in myriad ways – writing, body language, facial expressions, photography, art, poetry, song – the list goes on and on. Often, other forms of communication are far more effective than verbal communication. This story is a very good example of that. If you really think about it, this entire story is about communication, and nothing else. There was essentially a message that needed to be effectively sent to someone: the child. And the message was, “the MRI machine is not something to be afraid of!” The father tried to send this message through verbally when he said to the little girl: “We’ve talked about this. You can be brave.” Despite her father being a person she inherently trusted, she clearly did not believe him. His attempt at verbal communication had failed dismally. Consequently, the team at GE Healthcare decided to use a combination of two completely different types of communication: visual communication – with graphics – and story-telling, and the end result was a success. And that, my friends, is how Doug Dietz and his team at GE Healthcare used the 6C’s, to innovate and design an extremely successful machine. You can apply these skills too, in any way you choose: individually, or all at once; in the order described above, or in any order you deem appropriate to your situation. You’ll be able to use these skills to turn any problem into a golden opportunity Previous Chapter | Table of Contents

Now we get to the juicy part, the core of the book, where we discuss the 6 power skills. I think the best way to describe them is via a real-life case study where the skills are actually put into action. Otherwise, it will be a dull, academic discussion. In the book Creative Confidence, authors Tom and David Kelley narrate the story of Doug Dietz, an engineer at GE Healthcare, who had headed up the team that built a revolutionary new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine for hospitals. The scanner was a marvel of engineering, and was submitted for an International Design Excellence Award, which is seen as the Oscars of design. Doug and his team were rightfully very proud of their accomplishment. A number of hospitals purchased the machine, and Doug decided that he wanted to go and see it in operation in a hospital. The hospital he chose happened to be a children’s hospital. The first patient to arrive was a tiny, frail little girl. As she came close to the machine, she quickly turned around, grabbed her dad’s legs, and started to cry bitterly. She said, “Dad, I’m scared. I don’t want to go into this thing.” Her dad tried to comfort her: “We’ve talked about this. You can be brave.” Unfortunately, this was to no avail. He looked at the nurse helplessly. She picked up a phone and called for an anaesthetist. This surprised Doug, who was aware that you did not need to be sedated to get an MRI scan. The nurse indicated to the terrified child, saying the only away she could get the job done was to knock the child out. Immediately Doug knew something was wrong. He knew that something needs to change with this machine. He went back to his team and related the whole story. The team went back to the drawing board and start putting their ideas together. What do we do? There was no chance of reinventing the machine from the ground up, because that would literally cost the business millions of dollars and probably even bankrupt them. So what could they do? Eventually, after going through the whole process, they came up with a brilliant idea: they would make the machine child-friendly by disguising it to look like a children’s ride at theme park. They came up with a few possible themes. One, was a pirate ship theme. Another was a fairy tale palace theme. The team would use carefully-designed decals to achieve this. The idea was that when you looked at that machine, it literally looked like a pirate ship or a fairy tale palace. But they did not stop there. They also came up with a narrative that was based on the theme of the machine, and the nurse would read the story to the child, pretending as if the MRI machine was an actual pirate ship or a palace. This would add to the experience, turning the scary MRI scanner into a little adventure. They decided to put their ideas to the test. Doug went back the hospital to observe the newly-designed machine in action. What happened next was critically important to his career. As the next patient, also a tiny, frail little girl, came in for a scan, the nurse welcomed her and started to read the story. Rather than being terrified of the machine, the child was intrigued. Soon, she became absorbed in the story and started to enjoy the experience. The result? She happily and voluntarily went into the machine and the scan was done without a hitch. As they left the MRI room, the little girl held her father’s hand, looked up at him and she said, “Dad, can we please come back tomorrow?” It was at that point Doug knew that they had succeeded. Previous Chapter | Table of Contents