The Innovation Show

Marshalling unique insights from archaeogenetics, an emerging new discipline that allows us to read our ancestors' DNA like journals chronicling personal stories of migration, our guest charts two millennia of adaption, movement and survival, culminating in the triumph of Homo Sapiens as we swept through Europe and beyond in successive waves of migration - developing everything from language, the patriarchy, disease, art and a love of pets as we did so. As well as being a radical new telling of our shared story, today’s book is a reminder that the global problems that keep us awake at night - climate catastrophe; the sudden emergence of deadly epidemics; refugee crises; ethnic conflict; over-population - are all things we've faced in the past and overcome. Our guest is one of the most established international experts in the field of archaeogenetics, he is director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Germany and he is the author of "A Short History of Humanity: How Migration Made Us Who We Are", Johannes Krause welcome to the show.

In our world of incessant change, we are all threatened by VUCA volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity — at the individual and organizational levels.  Today’s book offers you a new lens through which to consider change as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.  You’ll be inspired to consider the big questions of today:  What does the future hold? What does the exponential growth of technology mean for the world of work? What does a changing job market mean for future generations? What do waves of disruption mean for business leaders? Society is evolving at breakneck speed. What does this mean for all of us?  While we cannot see into the future, there are repeatable patterns that we can understand. The first step to becoming Undisruptable is to realize that evolution is a natural part of life, and nature provides many examples.  If you haven’t guessed already that is the blurb for my own book and because of so many requests from former guests and listeners, I will be interviewed today by guest host, a friend of the innovation and professional friend, Whitney Johnson.

Have you ever wanted to disagree with your boss? Speak up about your company's lack of diversity or unequal pay practices? Make a tough decision you knew would be unpopular? We all have opportunities to be courageous at work. But since courage requires risk—to our reputations, our social standing, and, in some cases, our jobs—we often fail to act, which leaves us feeling powerless and regretful for not doing what we know is right. There's a better way to handle these crucial moments—and today’s book provides the moral imperative and research-based tactics to help you become more competently courageous at work. Our guest is the world's foremost expert on workplace courage, He explains that courage isn't a character trait that only a few possess; it's a virtue developed through practice. And with the right attitude and approach, you can learn to hone it like any other skill and incorporate it into your everyday life. We welcome a friend of the Innovation Show and one of our very early guests, author of Choosing Courage: The Everyday Guide to Being Brave at Work Jim Detert More about Jim here: https://jimdetert.com

If you're a shaper, you put your stamp on your work. You earn your stripes. You sync with a rhythm of life that lights you up. At times, work may be a frightening obstacle (and obsession), but shapers move through adversity with temperament and tenacity. A determination to continually improve and evolve. A willingness to experiment and learn from mistakes. To create on the fly. To work fluidly; To persevere and be patient in equal measure.  To nourish the soul. A shaper is someone who becomes energised by work. The way they work provides for the highest expression of self. They lead deeper and more fulfilling lives because what they do every day serves them and the greater good. We welcome the author of Shapers, Jonas Altman More about Jonas www.shapers.life

Flex is a manifesto for living and working on your terms. It means looking at the established, rigid ways of doing things and asking: ‘Is this really working for me?’ If the answer to that question is ‘No’ then read on because this book is for you. When we learn how to flex we gain a superpower that allows us to challenge what is holding us back and reinvent the rules for a smarter, happier life. Because things are changing for women across the globe. We are getting married and having children later, if at all. Dual-income families have replaced the traditional template of man as breadwinner and woman as homemaker. Technology allows us to work differently and understand ourselves better. But the old systems still persist. We’re continually bashing up against inflexible structures that were built by, and for, men. We are trying to do everything, but following a rulebook, we didn’t write. We welcome the author of Flex: Reinventing Work for a Smarter, Happier Life, Annie Auerbach More about Annie: https://starlingstrategy.co.uk

It's no coincidence that most of the top 100 most valuable global brands invest heavily in technology to drive innovation into every aspect of their business: product development, operations, marketing, and customer service. In the next decade, a suite of six strategic technologies—artificial intelligence (AI), Blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality, autonomous machines, and 5G networks—will drive unprecedented innovation into products and services, creating entirely new business models along the way. Investment in information technology (IT) will be a strategic imperative for every company. Every company will become a technology company, and every company will become a data company. Business operations will be retooled using both process automation and worker augmentation. Today’s book is both a call to innovate for survival in a rapidly evolving competitive environment, and a moral imperative to use these six technologies to serve people, elevate work, and make a lasting, positive impact on the world. We welcome the author of "The Innovation Ultimatum How six strategic technologies will reshape every business in the 2020s”, Steve Brown More about Steve: https://www.baldfuturist.com

Do you spend too much time learning with disappointing results? Do you find it difficult to remember what you read? Do you put off studying because it’s boring and you’re easily distracted? Today’s book is for you. Our guest struggled in the past with our learning. But has found techniques to help us master material—any material. Building on insights from neuroscience and cognitive psychology, she gives us a crash course to improve your ability to learn, whether you’re studying maths, language, coding, karate, cooking, or anything else. You’ll see why the strategies work because you’ll see what’s happening in the brain when you use them. No, this isn’t a little book of miracles. But you will find that reducing frustration and improving your study success may sometimes feel miraculous. We welcome author of "Learn Like a Pro", Barbara Oakley

Innovators. Changemakers. Entrepreneurs. Intrapreneurs. Catalysts. One of these things is not like the other. That is to say, each of these types of people can make a whole lot of change happen in the world, but within any group of innovators, changemakers, entrepreneurs, and intrapreneurs, are those people called Catalysts, Those of us who have a deep-rooted need to create positive change. Among Catalysts, there is an unmet need to be seen and valued for who we are and how we show up in the world. We move so fast that we lose people. We can break shit without intentionality. And all of that can lead to burnout—frequently. Catalysts feel a deep sense of drive toward a better future state. We can’t help but see potential change and set it in motion, wherever we are. We’re energized and we’re driven by it. We welcome the author of Move Fast. Break Stuff. Burn Out.: The Catalyst’s Guide to Working Well, Shannon Lucas, welcome to the show.

Even before the pandemic, it seemed the world was spinning so fast it’s difficult to keep up. Arguably a lot of the technological disruption that was around in 2019 simply got accelerated – remote working, digitisation and AI to name just three.  Our guest today notes in his new book: Two hundred and fifty years ago the Industrial Revolution replaced our arms and legs at work. The fourth Industrial Revolution is now replacing our brains.   He says The Machine Age is engulfing both organisations and people. This shift is challenging the very essence of what it means to be human.   His book The Human Edge, how curiosity and creativity are your superpowers in the digital economy won Business Book of the year in 2020.   He explores the skills you need to survive and thrive in a world of smartphones and AI. He urges you to stop competing, and instead do things machines can’t. To become a more human, human. We welcome the author of “The Human Edge” Greg Orme. https://gregorme.org

Leaders have experimented with open innovation programs, corporate accelerators, venture capital arms, skunkworks, and innovation contests. They've travelled the world to learn from today's hottest, most successful tech companies. Yet most would admit they've failed to create truly innovative cultures. There's a better way. And it all starts with the power of habit. The central argument in today’s book is that the world’s biggest untapped source of energy isn’t the wind, water, or sun. It is inside existing organisations, which are brimming with innovation energy. Today that energy is largely constrained and contained. You need to release, harness, and amplify it. Today’s book will show you how. We welcome a friend of the innovation show, 3-time guest and author of a plethora of titles author of Eat, Sleep, Innovate Scott D. Anthony welcome back to the show. More about Scott: https://www.innosight.com/insight/eat-sleep-innovate/

Faced with the choice of starting a company or joining a large corporation, Steve Jobs believed that it was 'more fun to be a pirate than to join the navy'. But for innovators inside established companies, making a distinction between being a pirate and joining the navy is a fallacy. We have to figure out a way to become pirates in the navy! There is nothing harder in business than trying to innovate within large corporations. Innovators in big companies often face internal opposition as well as their external competitors. It is the management of the core business that tends to get in the way of innovation. If you work in corporate innovation, if you run an innovation lab or work in one, if you are a pirate I’m the navy, there is so much in this episode, there are some hard truths to face, some butter pills to swallow, I certainly know I’ve made some of the mistakes our guest identifies. More about Tendayi here: https://tendayiviki.com

Today’s book was born out of a desire to show how and why ritual is critical in our everyday lives, using examples from across the animal world, including elephants, chimpanzees, orangutans, wolves, dogs, lions, zebras, whales, flamingos, fish, and even insects. Although social animals exhibit many rituals, this book focuses on ten important rituals that are essential to our well-being: greeting rituals, group rituals, courtship, gifting, spoken rituals, unspoken rituals, play, grieving and healing, renewal, and travel and migration. Ritualized greetings, such as mouth-licking in wolves or a handshake in humans, are a form of information gathering, and they have evolved among social animals to strengthen bonds and build trust. Let’s take play For example, play affords individuals the opportunity to experiment with their surroundings and come up with creative solutions critical to a species’ survival. Examples include a lion cub practicing hunting skills by pretending a littermate is prey or a toddler building a fantastical world in a sandbox, which fosters coping skills for later life challenges. Reincorporating the lost art of ritual will better equip us to discover new ways to reconnect to others, to ourselves, and to the natural world. More about Caitlin: https://www.caitlineoconnell.com

Paradigmatic shifts in the business landscape, known as inflection points, can either create new, entrepreneurial opportunities (see Amazon and Netflix) or they can lead to devastating consequences (e.g., Blockbuster and Toys R Us). Only those leaders who can “see around corners” - that is, spot the disruptive inflection points developing before they hit - are poised to succeed in this market. Columbia Business School Professor and corporate consultant Rita McGrath contends that inflection points, though they may seem sudden, are not random. Every seemingly overnight shift is the final stage of a process that has been subtly building for some time. Armed with the right strategies and tools, smart businesses can see these inflection points coming and use them to gain a competitive advantage. Seeing Around Corners is the first hands-on guide to anticipating, understanding, and capitalising on the inflection points shaping the marketplace. We welcome author of Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, Rita McGrath https://www.valize.com

Barry O'Reilly shares how the Cycle of Unlearning is a new way of thinking and a new way of leading organisations in every industry. It’s not difficult to learn more. What is difficult is to know what to unlearn, what to stop, and what to throw away. This is the paradox of success. While thinking and doing certain methods may have brought you success in the past, it’s almost certain they won’t continue to bring you success in the future. We discuss the importance of unlearning How Serena Williams unlearned her way to success The Origins of Disney’s Magic Band And much more. More about Barry here: https://barryoreilly.com

This mind-opening episode summarises some of the groundbreaking analysis of the business, economic, and technological trends of today to predict what the world will look like in 2030 – and how the Coronavirus pandemic will accelerate each of these major trends. Some examples stats from the book and the episode: Birthplace of the next industrial revolution: sub-Saharan Africa The reason: 500 million acres of fertile yet undeveloped agricultural land The size of Mexico: 500 million acres Percentage of the world’s wealth owned by women in 2000: 15 Percentage of the world’s wealth owned by women in 2030: 55 If Lehman Brothers had been Lehman Sisters: global financial crisis averted Worldwide, the number of people who went hungry in 2017: 821 million Worldwide, the number of people who will go hungry in 2030: 200 million Worldwide, the number of people who were obese in 2017: 650 million Worldwide, the number of people who will be obese in 2030: 1.1 billion Percentage of Americans projected to be obese in 2030: 50 Percentage of the world’s land occupied by cities in 2030: 1.1 Percentage of the world’s population living in cities in 2030: 60 Percentage of worldwide carbon emissions produced by cities in 2030: 87 Percentage of world’s urban population exposed to rising sea levels in 2030: 80 The largest middle-class consumer market today: United States and Western Europe The largest middle-class consumer market in 2030: China By 2030, the number of people entering the middle class in emerging markets: 1 billion The number of people currently in the middle class in the United States: 223 million The number of people in the middle class in the United States in 2030: 209 million More about Mauro: http://www.mauroguillen.com