Invisible Solutions

To celebrate Thanksgiving here in the United States, I decided to share this segment from my book, Goal-Free Living. Chapter 4 is entitled, "Want What You Have." Instead of looking for more and creating a different future, appreciate what you have now.

Before we get to the podcast, I want to share two items:

1. My "Purple Monday" sale - $50 off the Personality Poker® Starter Kit and a free copy of Best Practices are Stupid if you buy a copy of Invisible Solutions. Sale ends December 3rd. Learn more here: https://stephenshapiro.com/purple-monday/
2. The launch of my new yearlong peer-to-peer mastermind as just announced. Learn more at www.invisiblesolutionsmastermind.com. If you qualify and this is of interest to you, please schedule a discovery call to explore this further.

In the podcast I share a number of stories that will hopefully inspire you to have a deeper appreciate for where you are in life, even if things are challenging at the moment.

Happy Holidays!

This podcast celebrates 20 years since the launch of my first book, 24/7 Innovation. It also marked the time when I left Accenture and started my own innovation business. In honor of this special period in my life, I read the Prologue to that book and share some thoughts on where we have come in the last two decades.

In this episode, we explore:

• how innovation and management theory have followed the times of the day (from Taylor to today)
• why past innovation strategies have focused on "boxes" (activities) while newer models focus on "lines" (interconnections)
• why jazz is a good metaphor for innovation in that it is a collaborate and improvisational approach that adapts to new realities
• the recent progress innovation has made to move towards "lines" rather than boxes
• why relevance and adaptability is more important than ideas or novelty

Thank you to everyone who has made the past 20 years possible!

Stephen

Want to be a better problem solver? What if the solution is to get in the mud?

In this episode, I interview Joe De Sena. He's the founder of Spartan and is the host of CNBC's No Retreat: Business Bootcamp.

This incredibly powerful show puts business people in physically challenging situations as a way of getting them to be more resilient.

In this episode, here are some of the questions we tackle:

• Why Spartan? He feels that businesspeople need to treat themselves like an Olympian - going for the gold medal.
• Why the TV Show? A lot of people like the idea of being in business but might not be fully committed.
• What is the Show? The use of military-style training, tackling obstacles to build resiliency skills.
• Why Physical Challenges? If you can master being under tremendous physical and mental stress and still push through and keep it together, you're unbreakable.
• Why Do Businesses Fail? Most businesses fail because they quit when it gets hard.
• How is the Show Constructed? Each week, three business issues are identified and then physical challenges are constructed to help them get stronger in dealing with them.
• Why Does It Work? He uses an analogy on how steel is made:you heat it, pound it, and then drown it. His physical process is about tackling the problems and searing it into their brains.
• What are the Results? Each week, at the end of the show, the positive impact is shared. For example, one company increased sales 170% in just three months.
• How Has This Been Applied to Your Business? Joe shares how the pandemic decimated the Spartan business and how his process helped keep the company afloat (this is a very compelling story).
• What are the Three Top Challenges for Businesses? 1) Communication, 2) Process (having Standard Operating Procedures), and 3) Cash.

And we covered so much more.

We also discovered that we both are Cornellians who lived in Boston and now live in the Orlando area. Small world.

This is an episode you won't want to miss. Please share it with others who might find it valuable. And be sure to watch the show on CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/no-retreat/

In this episode, I explore why some people are luckier than others - and how you can create luck.

Contrary to what some experts say, luck is not just about hard work. It requires something else.

I share a probabilistic model that explains why focusing on specific outcomes reduces the likelihood of success.

I then share how you can increase your creativity and luck through a very simple technique that can be done immediately and does not take any extra time.

To get the lenses from Invisible Solutions, go to www.GetTheLenses.com

To learn more about Goal-Free Living, go to www.MeanderWithPurpose.com

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and lucky 2021.

What if loving your ideas can lead to failure? I first address this question and why confirmation bias and positive test strategy can destroy your innovation efforts.

Then I have on my first guest, Jack Elkins, the former Director of Innovation for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He and I discuss the question: How can we help organizations solve their own problems in a collaborative environment?

We explore a number of key points for setting up the right environment:

• Generate laughter and listening through improv comedy
• Reduce anxiety
• Reinforce why they are there - and remind them they have permission
• Remove labels and hierarchies

We also discuss a great story on how observation led to a problem-reframe for a college football team, along with a few other helpful tips.

This one is an action packed 17 minutes!

To connect with Jack, go to www.SideKickInnovation.com

To download the lenses from Invisible Solutions, go to www.GetTheLenses.com

To submit a problem to be solved on a future episode, go to www.InvisibleSolutionsPodcast.com