I am now more involved in the delivery of technology solutions and the supporting methodologies and strategies. Moving more to align myself as a management and technology strategist. Much of what I have done over the years has been from the abstract, creative, physical understanding and interpretation. Finding the simplicity within a complex environment. I never really put a label to it as I thought that it was my own interpretation and method.
Since I completed my master of management which was a major highlight in my life and career, I have continued to read and learn. Recently I spend close to ten weeks overseas researching mobile technology and trying to understand how we got to where we are. I mean that technology was suppose to make our lives easier but it had made it more complex. The more that technology improved and increased in capability and capacity the more the environment became complex. That was until Steve Jobs. It was not that Steve Jobs was the perfect shining model of management, you only have to read both his biography and other book and stories about him to see that. But it was the insights and inspiration that he created. He showed that technology no matter how complex and sophisticated could deliver the experience that empowered people. That has been so successful that people will refer to design of other products as why not make it like the iPad or Mac. And it was that I was interested in finding out how we could achieve the same results with other technology and systems.
It couldn't be just something that only Steve Jobs and Apple did, there must be something to be distilled to show light on what and how. With that in mind I applied and received a Churchill Fellowship in 2011 and then took my research trip in 2012. What I distilled from my experience is that there was no great secret, that the answer has always been there, in the room but we were not focused on the right question.
That then raised another point being the question, what was the question and how do you find the question? So again I went looking and reading and listening. What I found was an idea which was generated from a design company in Palo Alto, IDEO called design thinking. I did not realise the value and extent that this way of approaching things from a human-centric perspective. Nor did I really appreciate being in Stanford where I could have visited that school, but that will happen in time.
I now been going through the work of Tim Brown the CEO and president of IDEO on Design Thinking and how to go through the stages of inspriation, ideation and implementation. Initially I have been reading his HBR article of June 2008 and lately his book Change by Design. The whole process is around five key points.
- Empathise
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
These are repeated multiple time the goal being to take divergence ideas through synthesis to convergence and analysis to implementation. Tim Brown had a great quote to explain design thinking which is:
"What we need are new choices - New products that balance the needs of individuals and of society as a whole; new ideas that tackle the global challenges of health, poverty and education; new strategies that result in differences that matter and a sense of purpose that engages everyone affected by them." - Tim Brown - CEO and President, IDEO
Conventional problem solving practices over look the capacities we all have which design thinking awakens. This tool looks to be very powerful and is something I have gainfully engaged with and awakening other to. But in context to what I am doing I find that many of the theories I have been working through and learning are now coming together and forming what I hope to be a new beginning. The other thoughts and ideas are in the areas of Clayton Christensen's disruptive innovation. The work of W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne of INSEAD in the area of Blue Ocean Strategy the overall area of strategy and how we apply it to business, shifting the boundary. All of these strategies have started to focus more and more in what I do and what I how to do in the future. What seem to be complex has started to become simpler and I am coming across like minded people who I believe could be the opportunity I have been looking to find.
On my wall I have a great quote of Steve Jobs who is someone I may not really have like to work for but have found inspiration in his words and ideals.
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice.
You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn't matter to me Going to bed at night saying we've done something wonderful, that's what matters to me. - Steve Jobs"
As many people will know I don't go the the drumbeat of others and my inner voice has always been quite loud. I see the dots starting to come together and in my gut the time is coming. I want to make a difference. I do what I love and that is being the glue that binds and idea. The trick about wealth came from a lecturer I had a number of years ago. Do what you are passionate about and help other people. The rest will come. I know this is so because it is always getting better. So if you are not happy where you are there is only one person that controls that. Stand up and go look in the mirror. You might not recognise the person, maybe you have been look at someone else. I am sorry to say but there is only one person that controls your future. As Dr Peter Drucker says in on of his sayings.
If you want to predict the future, Create It!
That means you and no one else but YOU!
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