FEATURE INTERVIEW
“The benefits of
triple accreditation are
pretty universal. You
get the bragging rights
that come with the
achievement, as well
as the positive impact
it has on bolstering
your attractiveness
and building your
reputation.”
10
You used to work with
many corporations on strategy
and innovation. Can you
share some insights into how
employees at all stages of their
careers can best approach
adopting an innovative mindset?
My biggest piece of advice would be to
travel as much as you can, but staying in
five-star luxury resorts in places you are
familiar with doesn’t count! Getting out of
your comfort zone and exposing yourself
to different environments is the quickest
and easiest way to learn new things—both
about different places and cultures and
about yourself. Force yourself to scout
out landscapes where things are moving
and changing rather than taking the easy
route and sticking to the areas dominated
by expats. In the mid 1980s, I traveled
through southern Asia on a shoestring with
nothing more than a small handbag for
company. There was no mobile phone,
Internet, or credit cards. It definitely
wasn’t always comfortable, nor was it
always safe, but I learned a lot from
venturing into what was at the time
for me very unknown territory.
Secondly (and this is closely linked to
my first piece of advice), deliberately seek
out zones of transition at the fringes of
society where there is friction. Play Theory
figured out years ago that these
transitional zones are hotbeds of
innovation. Interface with people you don’t
know so you learn to see things from wildly
different perspectives. Hult is very well
positioned to take full advantage of this, as
it is deliberately built on interfaces where
students are actively encouraged to learn
new languages and mix with peers from all
backgrounds and nationalities.
And thirdly, use your hands. Practise being
spontaneous and get used to improvising!
This is why team sports, physical pursuits,
play, and acting are all fantastic media
through which to learn—your neurons are
firing off in all directions and you have to
make spur of the moment decisions. All
of this advice necessitates changing your
behavior—but I can assure you that an
innovative mindset won’t be fostered if
you sit (on your hands) in the same office
year after year, talking to clones of yourself.