Celebrate Innovation Week 3

2018, April, 02

I spent the first week of March in Des Moines, Iowa for Celebrate Innovation Week. During my visit, I had the opportunity to get to know the other presenters, be exposed to all kinds of fascinating topics, and learn about the numerous ways they are re-imagining boundaries in their respective fields. In celebration, I am introducing them to you here, so you too can be inspired:

Rob Manning
Rob Manning is the chief engineer for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) Engineering and Science Directorate. He has been designing, testing, operating, and managing robotic spacecraft for over 35 years including Galileo to Jupiter, Cassini to Saturn, Magellan to Venus, and Pathfinder and Curiosity to Mars. Manning has received four NASA medals, is in the Aviation Week Magazine Space Laureate Hall of Fame at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, has received two honorary PhDs, and has a minor planet named after him.

James Barrat
James Barrat is an author and filmmaker. His book Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era started a national conversation about the dangers of artificial intelligence. His films provoke viewers to think about the machines whose intelligence could overtake our own and if we can rely on their “kindness” to survive.

Dr. Jill Pruetz
Dr. Jill Pruetz is a professor and primatologist. Her studies of non-human primates such as chimpanzees, spider monkeys, and howling monkeys have led her to conduct fieldwork in Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Kenya, and Senegal. Supported by the National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation, Pruetz focuses her research on the influence of ecology on primates and the implications her findings might have on early human feeding and social behavior.

Rob Wolfe
Rob Wolfe is a lifelong “picker” of antiques and original paint cars and trucks. He is the brother of Mike Wolfe, of History Channel’s hit reality show American Pickers. Rob can often be seen on the show traveling the country and digging through old barns and garages looking for what he calls, “rusty gold.”

#ciweek #beinspired #innovation #spaceexploration

Theatre of the absurd continued: Giant space umbrella
Following up on my story last week about GE’s big idea for using CO2 emissions, let’s continue with another seemingly wacky, repurposing concept again this week. How about a giant space umbrella to solve the problem of global warming?
The Un-Carrier: T-Mobile disrupts U.S. mobile telecom
An industry disruptor is one that shakes up an industry by challenging taken for granted assumptions and rules of competition. It is able to disrupt and reshape an industry by delivering tangible value focused on the needs of customers, while the incumbent industry players are focused on trying to outcompete each other.
Companies with the best sense of humor
At the start of this month was arguably the most important date of the annual corporate calendar. It was none other than April 1st, aka April Fools Day. Humor is one of the most universal manifestations of creativity, which is the central fuel for future-shaping companies. Not surprisingly, more and more organizations worldwide are embracing humor as a core cultural dimension, and we see an exponential, global proliferation from year to year of companies commemorating April Fools’ Day, the annual celebration of laughter and childlike fun. These organizations conceive of and bring to life farcical campaigns on April 1st, signaling to all internal and external constituents that they, as an organization, have a sense of humor and appreciate levity.
Children’s imagination building city of the future
Once, Thomas Edison was asked by a reporter: “Mr. Edison, you being the world’s greatest inventor, what you do you think is the greatest invention?” He replied without hesitation: “The greatest invention in the world is the mind of a child.”
On to the eternal city
I am pleased to be giving the opening keynote presentation at the upcoming PMI Congress in Rome, Italy on May 1st.
On to Kiev, with Sir Richard Branson
Yes, sir. We are on Kiev for another mega event. It promises to be epic, because such an event has never been held in Kiev before, and because the forum looks to re-energize the Ukrainian business community at a time of great uncertainty and hardship.
Uber and out?
It is definitely a sign of the times. Take a six-year old company that has spread globally to drive a traditional service industry into obsolescence. Then consider the company’s real ambitions, which are much bolder than that. Finally, take note that it is already facing severe challenges as the market space it created is rapidly evolving. There is no time to stand still.
The bold start-up pouncing on banks’ turf
According to Ask.com, “Taula de la Ciutat was the first bank to record in Barcelona in 1401. Banking practices can be traced back to the Roman Empire.
Face to face with lions and giraffes in Kenya
Last month I had the pleasure of spending time at Mahali Mzuri, Kenya – part of Sir Richard Branson’s Limited Edition luxury resort collection.
My interview on Speaking.com
I am pleased to share my recent interview, featured on Speaking.com. For those of you who are regular readers of my blog and practitioners of Slingshot, the interview is a nice refresher of its ongoing relevance. And for new Slingshot enthusiasts, the interview is a good summary of its key concepts.

Celebrate Innovation Week 3

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