Excited about this today. Okay, I've got Alan
Gregerman, the Alan Gregerman on the show today.
Let me mount the pressure on all of us, actually.
No, really, Alan Gregerman has worked with companies
like Google. Marriott. He's worked with over
300 companies at least. I think I'm lowballing
that by a huge amount. He's got a great book,
The Wisdom of Ignorance, that's just come out.
He understands how to help us unlock genius.
And one of our core points today, we'll be talking
about how smart leaders stop chasing ideas and
what it is they do instead in order to drive
growth. and to drive great experiences for their
companies. Alan, thanks so much for being here
again on Vision Pros Live. Oh, thanks. Delighted
to be on. Delighted for the conversation. Thanks.
Absolutely. Alan, one of the things that draws
my attention the most about you, I'm a big fan
of education. I'm a huge fan of educating myself
and others the right way and understanding how
that works. And I've studied in religious institutions
and universities as well as throughout. the hard
knocks life process. And I have seen that to
me, the best educators are the one who include
props, make it entertaining. They have a personality
about them. You do all the things that I've seen
my favorite teachers do. You've also got more
years and wisdom of experience on me. Can you
just talk to that point? Is this something that.
only you can do or is this something that can
be done more in companies let's start with that
because if i feel like if we can educate the
world we can change the world at the same time
so fair yeah so um i of course i think i maybe
have a little bit of secret sauce as it relates
to kind of teaching people because i've been
working and teaching people for more years than
most of the people who are listening have been
alive. But can companies and organizations kind
of teach or inspire their people? I mean, think
about what companies and organizations need to
do. They need to get all of their employees to
be excited about learning and figuring out the
future. If you think about where any successful
company is today, five years from now, they're
going to have to be different. And so that means
paying attention to the world around us and thinking
in new ways about what's possible. Just there's
so much change going on. You know, technology
is changing. Customers are changing where people
hang out and live and work is changing kind of
priorities. People have business models are changing.
So the world is going to be really different,
which means we all have to learn how to be awesome
to get there. OK, so I spend a lot of time teaching
companies how to energize people to create the
future as a team, not just as a leader. or a
group of leaders who have a vision about what
the future is going to be like but i challenge
lots of people to do it and the simplest and
best way is actually to ask people to get up
from where they work and wander around and pay
attention because outside most of our windows
um is a world that's changing really, really
fast. And we rarely, other than to take a lunch
break, go out and engage it. So I'd like people
to do that. I also want people to understand
that education and learning today. It's always
been important, but I like to think of the idea
of like just in time learning, like what do I
need to know now to be awesome in the future?
Because so much of the stuff I learned other
than how to learn. is relatively irrelevant tomorrow,
right? Yes. I've heard a lot of facts and that's
all really good. But the reality is I got to
get out there, figure stuff out, find out the
stuff I need to learn to be impactful and awesome,
and then go and do that. And so that's... I guess,
I mean, learning is a huge topic, but that's
what I want people to think about is learning
is vital. We all need to learn. We all need to
learn fast. Leaders need to create a culture
in which they say it's cool for all of you to
go out and get smarter and bring us these ideas
to make us better. Absolutely. I love what you
just broke down there. You talked about in an
office environment, getting up, wandering around
and paying attention. But you're also speaking
outside the office environment. You're talking
about life in general. And today I have the opportunity
to do this in such a fun way. And this is probably
illegal in the United States. But I'm down here
in Ecuador. Today is the second day of Carnival.
And I'm going to be on the fourth story of this
apartment complex. Throwing water balloons at
children. How awesome is that? What a great way
to go out and experiment in the world and see.
And of course, you're going to go downstairs
and they're going to have these foam things as
well if they spray all over. I mean, there's
so much opportunity in the world to discover.
And I'm kind of untying points on purpose. When
you first spoke, I was thinking of how valuable
it would be to go into another department, pay
attention, wander and see. I think it's so important,
too, as you talk about in your book to just and
in your speech, just go out and explore. Just
let life itself inspire you to win. So, Alan,
again, I'll give you back the mic for a little
bit and then we're going to cut for a little
break. What do you got? You know, so the world
is changing fast, right? And it's not changing
fast in our office, right? We show up at work.
eight o 'clock or nine o 'clock or wherever we
are and the idea is we're going to get through
our inbox and do more of the same and that's
just simply not going to cut it what we need
to do is more of something different now i have
faith in everyone listening only because i know
that everyone listening at one point was a small
child and as a small child i know they were innately
creative and questioning and wondering and putting
things together that didn't belong and always
wondering, what could I do that's even more remarkable?
And then at some point, wherever you live, this
came by the school bus, okay? And the school
bus came by and said, hop on, we'll take you
to a place where you'll learn the stuff you need
to learn. You'll learn language, you'll learn
math, you'll learn science. but you'll learn
stuff that has only one right answer, okay? And
so the first thing they teach us is one plus
one equals two. That's our first math class.
Now that's a pretty pathetic thing to learn if
we're being honest, okay? Because if I take one
of me and I combine it with one of you and all
I can get is a sum total of what we know, then
that's not really brilliant, but that's what
math tells me. Instead, if I put one person in
an organization, together with another person
outside our organization, and I let some sparks
fly, I get a lot more than they'd ever be capable
of doing on their own. So we have to be cautious
when we wave to our kids and parents are sad,
you know, they're going off to school. They shouldn't
be sad that they're going off to school. They
should be sad that they're losing a lot of what
they innately knew as kids. And part of my getting
people out of the office is to get us to be like
kids again, to get us to go, wow, that's pretty
awesome out there. Or why are they using technology
in this way? Or why do they have this business
model? Or why is it easier or at times harder
to get customer support? Why are these things
happening? Or why are so many people using scooters
today? How did that suddenly become a thing?
You know, and then I go, oh, that gives me some
clues about where the world is going. Now I need
to redesign my business to make sure I get to
where the world is going. Huge. Absolutely. My
friends, we're going to come back and we're going
to talk about how smart leaders stop chasing
ideas and what to do instead. We're going to
add more impact on this. This is going to be
about unconventional wisdom, thinking outside
the box, looking at life from a completely different
perspective. We're going to have a lot of fun
while doing this. We'll see you guys on the other
side. All right. Welcome in to Vision Pros Live
with Jackson Callum. I'm your show host. We'll
be doing interviews for visionary entrepreneurs
and guest leaders who are building fantastic
visions out there. Hey, what's up, everybody?
Welcome into another episode of Vision Pros Live.
I'm your show host, Jackson Callum, founder and
CEO of First Class Business. And while most organizations
believe innovation begins with ideas, the smartest
leaders know that that's not where the real breakthroughs
start. And we'll be talking to Alan Gregerman
about exactly that. Alan has decades of experience,
and you may have just seen him. showing a little
bus here and sometimes when I talk to people
I've had people say Jackson why do you talk to
me like a child and those are people who really
don't relate to my style and who I am and my
thought process for those people these days is
No, I just have fun when I talk. It's not because
you're a child. It's because it's fun to live.
And so Alan's got this ability to teach us and
help us see things. And he's also got this playful
spirit that allows us to contribute to that process
as well. And that's exactly what we're going
to be doing is talking about how do we lead super
well with the combined thousand plus companies
and brands that we've. we've both worked with
and on these exact processes, it's so important
that we open our minds. I'm going to give a quick
shout out to a Ted talk by Sir Richard, uh, Ooh,
Sir Richardson. Um, I believe is his, his name.
If you look that up, Ken, Ken, Ken, Ken, his
name is Ken, Sir Ken Robertson. I don't care
if you look it up wrong. Google will find this
for you because it's one of the top TED Talks
of all time. And it talks about how the education
system has caused us to stop learning how to
think for ourselves and to lose our innovation.
Alan's bringing that back to us today. And again,
we're going to unlock some things today. I'm
going to make sure that both of us are seeing
the things that we will not typically bring up.
in other environments that you probably haven't
heard elsewhere. That way you guys get as much
out of this as possible. Now, before I bring
Alan back on, a couple of the sponsors up here
for you. These are important. They don't pay
for these, by the way. I put them here because
I love these companies. Dr. Shannon and Dr. Justin
Pierce have been friends with them for eight
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issue and they don't know what to do, I highly
recommend Dr. Shannon. I've sent her three different
loved ones over the years. All three of which
I followed up with after. These are people who
had illnesses they didn't know what to do with.
The doctors didn't know what to do. And every
single one of them raved about what Shannon's
capable of doing. And it's not magic. She just
follows processes that allow her to see certain
test results that others aren't paying attention
to. That's as far as I can speak to this from
an educated standpoint. This is not my craft,
but I am so grateful. that those loved ones got
help and attention from somebody who actually
knew how to provide something of value to their
situation. So you got something like that, definitely
help them out. And let me know that it happened
too. I would be grateful to know the impact that
we're able to drive. Then there's practice makes
permanent with Jennifer Reed. Jennifer Reed has
been working at none other. than the IRS for
the last 20 plus years. She's an emotional intelligence
and spiritual intelligence professional who runs
facilitation workshops now for corporations and
for companies. And I don't think there's a harder
training ground than the IRS person. I would
just imagine you think of what the word bureaucracy
and the stress and the pressures and the difficulties,
or perhaps the lackadaisicalness, whatever you
want to paint the picture of as that particular
institute. It's just, I know. It's not an institute
that I would personally want to work in. She's
been there for 20 plus years, but she also has
a personal story, very driven around emotional
intelligence. I highly recommend asking her about
it and any other cultural or leadership development
executive that you're going to work with. Ask
them what their why is. Ask them what matters,
what it is they're up to. And I would keep that
question very simple. This is kind of HR training,
if you will. But if you can keep that simple,
watch for how their eyes light up or watch for
the story they go into. In the case of Jennifer,
bring a tissue box. You'll need it. It's very
important to understand why she's committed to
what she does. And you'll instantly understand
how valuable she can be to your organization.
And one of the greatest things that I've seen.
As we improve the culture of an organization,
that people improve how they serve. And if they
improve how they serve, then naturally your revenues
are going to go up too, because you're impacting
those who you're serving in a way where they're
going to want to belong and be part of what you
do. So phenomenal team over at Practice Makes
Permanent as well. Thank you, Marie Victoria,
for showing what you're showing. And there's
the water project. The water project is something
that's near and dear to my heart these days because
I've never had. to to search for water in my
life i've always had access to it and so when
i came across this project i was looking for
a new cause to support on a bigger scale and
i couldn't relate to it at first because i've
never been thirsty but i realized there's millions
of people who don't even have access to one of
the most basic elements that our world has to
offer and these kids i thought about what it
would be like if my kids had to drink water out
of some random place um or rainfall and what
if they had to leave school what if i had to
leave work to go get water i saw that the water
project was actually allowing you to pick the
community that you want to support and when you
donate to it they'll actually show you the project
get finished they send you photos of the proof
of that project and this next photo almost brings
me to tears every time it is children celebrating
water like my kids celebrate christmas day We
have the ability to drive that type of impact.
And so if you don't have the financial means
to get back to the water project, my hope is
that you will show this to somebody. Maybe you
bring it up over dinner, over lunch with a friend.
Maybe you decide to put on your own podcast.
I don't know what you can do with this, but I
do know that you never know how far the ripple
effect of good will go when you just open your
mouth and talk about these types of opportunities.
Somebody might even donate $100 ,000 for this
today. And that's my big hope is that we can
get as much as possible to these individuals
who need it most. We have the opportunity. to
bless generations. And so without further ado,
we've got 8 billion people to help in this world.
I hope you come and join me. I hope if you have
a cause that you'd like to see us support, drop
a link to that cause in the comments. I will
personally take a look at it myself and see if
there's something that we can do for it. Without
further ado, we're going to go back to helping
each one of you with your visions. So Alan Gregerman,
it is my honor. Thank you so much for being here
with me on Vision Pros Live again. I just, I
can't get enough of this. OK, great. No, no,
I appreciate it. Yeah. So one of the things I
think we were talking about a few moments ago
that I'd love people to think about is that most
people who are going to be listening and most
of their organizations get innovation all wrong.
That's right. Most of the time, what they do
is they get a bunch of smart people that assumes
they're smarter people than others into a room.
They give them all a blank sheet of paper and
they say, we need to do something remarkable.
And we can pick something remarkable. So they
say, you know, there's a lot of competition.
We need to be faster than we've ever been before.
Well, my view is the following. And it's based
on research. And I've written about this in several
of my books. And it's what I call the 99 % rule.
And that is 99 % of all new ideas throughout
the course of human history have been based on
somebody else's thinking. or something someone
found in nature. So the reality is rather than
racking our brains and trying to find that corner
of our brains that comes to work and doesn't
have an original idea, why not head out in search
of brilliant ideas? So let's say we wanted to
be fast. If I wanted to be fast and lots of our
customers say, how do we do what we do faster?
There are lots of places I can go in the world
where people are fast, but one of the places
I might go, is actually the savannas of africa
to study cheetahs because cheetahs are actually
the fastest land mammal. So we're land mammals.
So cheetahs are like the fastest land mammals
on earth. So I would try to imagine what the
cheetahs know or how are cheetahs designed to
make them really fast. So they're designed in
a few kind of interesting ways if we think about
it. This is not an exact replica of a cheetah,
but it's the best one I could find. So cheetahs
have really long legs. um and so those long legs
give them the ability to make really long strides
it also gives them the ability to accelerate
super fast so a cheetah actually can get up to
like 62 miles per hour which is 100 kilometers
an hour for those people who think metrically
which is probably more logical in less than three
seconds. That's kind of cool, okay? So now we
have electric cars that can do that, but a cheetah
could do that a long time ago. Cheetahs have
actually, this is not a replica, have relatively
small heads. And the reason they do that is...
because it gives up less wind resistance, right?
You don't want your head to slow you down. And
then cheetahs have a really long tail. This tail
should be longer. But cheetahs have a really
long tail, so that allows them to change direction
really quickly. So I've just mentioned three
things I learned from cheetahs that would help
organizations to be faster. The one is, what
are the long legs of our organization? How can
we design a process that allows us to accelerate?
The second is don't ever let your head slow you
down. So what's all the wind resistance? What
keeps us from being fast now? And how can I imagine
designing my body? I mean, I'd like to have some
pretty cool spots too, but how can I do that
so that the wind goes right past whatever I design?
And then the last is how do I change direction
really, really quickly? So the reality is, if
I want to solve a problem, I'm way better off
to already find somebody who's kind of solved
it, whether it's an animal or a human, and use
that as my starting point instead of just brainstorming
to try and be brilliant. OK, so I want people
to think about two things. One is. Just asking
people to be brilliant isn't a winning formula.
Even your most brilliant people. Sending people
out to find brilliance and then use that as the
starting point for the best thinking of your
organization is way better. And I spend a lot
of my time actually taking teams of people, exploring
cities, looking for ideas that we're going to
use as a starting point. I never start in a meeting
room. I never started. I never have asked people
to take out a blank sheet of paper and show me
what they've got. I mean, that's like painful.
Why would I do that? But if I say to them, let's
go out and look for ideas. And then I say, show
me what you've got. Then suddenly everybody's
come back with a bunch of ideas that have sparked
their thinking because they saw things that are
cool. Now, let's step back from that. We're all
walking around all the time. So I'm sure all
the people out there listening are wandering
around, but they're not wandering purposely,
right? So they're wandering around on their cell
phones, you know, just walk down a block of your
street and look at how many people are on their
cell phones. Like they couldn't be bothered to
pay attention to the world around them or to
connect with people who are different than them.
So the reality is just get up, wander around,
put your phone away. And just look and say to
yourself, what are things I see that are new
and remarkable? And those new and remarkable
things give you a clue as to where the world
is going and as to the target you need to hit
to win. I love that. And I love that you found
a way to cater to a virtual audience by this
idea of bringing the cheetah involved. And it
reminds me, too, of the book, A Man's Search
for Meeting, because he was stuck in that. that
prison, right? Victor was stuck in the prison
and he was playing golf in his head. He did not
have the ability to leave his cubicle. I mean
his prison. Right. And so sometimes we do have
limitations in life where we can't physically
go. And there are lots of people that I think
that listen to this type of show that are in
third world environments or that are in a corporate
cubicle or something, might not be able to get
up. But you have the power within yourself to
be able to do this and to really double down
on Alan's point. But if you can get up and you
can get out, why not? Don't make the excuse that
you have to stay. Go and do something creative
as part of this process. So, Alan, let's dive
into another point on this. You know, we were
talking about the real breakthroughs and I was
looking at the idea of challenging innovation,
leadership and growth. So there are the conventional
ways of looking at innovation, leadership and
growth. I want us both to just think about what's
one out of the box reality regarding innovation
that could change the perception of a leader
today. Same thing for leadership itself. Same
thing for growth. You want to start with innovation,
leadership or growth? Let's play. I'll start
with all of them together because, you know,
my field is innovation, you know, and so if I
think about it, I believe we only should be innovating
if we're going to grow as people and organizations,
you know, so just coming up with a new idea because
it's a cool idea. that doesn't get us to be more
valuable to the people in our organization or
the broader world, to my mind, isn't particularly
valuable. So I always think about innovation
being purposeful. And I always think about leaders
as the fundamental gatekeepers. They set the
landscape for whether we're able to be innovative
or not. So having said that, I guess I'll start
with leaders and I'll mention the following thing.
And that is. The smartest thing that any leader
can do. And remember, I worked hard in an organization
to rise to become a leader. I got to look like
I have my whatever together. OK, and I won't
use that word, but, you know, I've thought of
that. OK, so I got to think I got to make it
look like I'm smarter than the rest of the people.
Or do I? I actually got to make it look like
I'm smarter than the rest of the people because
my smarts is actually not knowing stuff. How
many leaders listening today absolutely can tell
me five years from now where the world is going
to be? And so they can't. And so here's the thing
that I would advise leaders to do that makes
innovation and growth flourish. And that is to
get in front of all your folks and say, you know.
I don't know the answer to where we need to be,
but I believe together we can figure it out.
That single statement would change the way that
organizations engage with the world and innovate.
But because we're trying to impress our leaders,
because they have an idea, because they've given
us directives on what to do, we tend to follow
them as opposed to collaborating with them and
helping them to be better. So a smart leader
says, we need to be innovative. We don't know
what we need to do, but I believe that we're
smart enough if we get out there in the world
to see where the world's going, see what value
we add in the world and bring those two together.
So that's the fundamental thing. Then the innovation
thing is, I believe quite honestly that anything
is possible. But I got to figure out what the
anything is. I think what happens is in most
organizations, they believe that they have a
bunch of stuff they've already developed. And
whether those are tools or software or pharmaceuticals
or a health care experience or an automobile
or whatever, they've kind of developed that.
That's their knowledge base, their thought leadership.
And that's the basis for creating the future.
I'm not sure that's the case. I believe the basis
for creating the future is trying to figure out
something that would matter in the future and
then conceiving of the details of how to make
it happen. So that requires that humility. I
don't know exactly if what we're doing is going
to be relevant in the future. It might be, but
what's more important is what do people need
in the future? What do companies need in the
future? You know, and then suddenly all kinds
of models kind of appear. So imagine this, you
know, and I don't know what the world is like
in Ecuador, but I do know that as an American,
we pay more for health care than any place else
in the world. OK, I just was given a prescription
for a new medicine that I was supposed to take.
It's $2 ,200 a month to get this medicine in
the U .S. It's $138 a month in Canada, and I
don't know in other places what it costs. So
think about this. Healthcare companies think
about the world in terms of providing healthcare.
They have a really funny incentive, and that
is the more you get sick, the more money they
make. Customers don't need health care. What
they need is health. Health's the primary thing
we need. And then health care would be good to
have if for some reason I get sick. So now imagine
this. My wife's from Sweden and in Sweden in
the summer, the Swedish government, which controls
the health care system and is totally focused
on reducing costs by keeping people healthy.
subsidizes aerobics instructors to go to every
community in Sweden and lead aerobics classes.
Like an insane way to spend your health care
dollars? Actually not, because that's going to
create a culture of go to class, stay healthier.
And the healthier I am, the less health care
I need. But I need to get out there to see that
there's a different model of doing that. You
know, it's that I have as my primary care physician
in the U .S., someone who's called a lifestyle
physician. He's an expert in kind of helping
me to figure out how I use my lifestyle to stay
healthy. Shouldn't like all physicians do that?
Shouldn't physicians be about keeping me healthy
as opposed to treating me when I'm sick? So I
think we have kind of we define things the wrong
way. We have a skewed idea about it. In innovation,
let's begin with what's the big issue that really
matters to people that we can try to address?
And then I think we address that. And then growth,
I think, happens if we do something that matters
to a growing number of people. We grow as an
organization. Absolutely. Huge. And so with that,
the what would matter? That is such a great question
to be considering. It does. It unlocks the genius
of thinking through what's going to be purposeful.
And those of you who are listening right now,
I'm going to plant a seed for you while we watch
some of the things that can help each of you.
We're going to watch the sizzle reel that Alan
Gregerman has about how he helps companies and
the types of companies that are their visionaries.
You need sizzle reels. We need to be able to
drive clarity for what it is that we provide
to people. People need to be able to see it.
They need to be able to hear it. They need to
be able to feel it. He's got a great example
of what that looks like. And he talks about towards
the end of it, the fact that all of us need to
be a bit paranoid. And I thought that was a very
interesting point. So we'll get to see that.
We'll come back. Before I move into that, though,
this what would matter, my seed that I'm going
to plant. You can also use AI to help develop
those types of thoughts. I'm not saying replace
your brain with AI. Some people are doing that
right now. But I'm talking about actually leaning
into it and say, you know what, after I've done
my walk around the world and taking a look at
things and taking things in, if I want to continue
to expand the process, it's not a bad idea to
ask it for insights into, well, what would matter?
And my thoughts go to what would matter in 2027,
2028? for the podcasting world. And like, what
is it going to need at this time? And it's amazing
what happens when you collaborate with human
beings, with AI, et cetera. We'll see you guys
on the other side of the sizzle reel. Enjoy this
and think through, how can I apply this sizzle
reel to my own life and to my own vision? Even
if I don't have decades of experience like Alan,
what can I showcase to bring the world value
and help the world see the value that I provide?
Innovation is the lifeblood of our company and
organization. Innovation is the way that we will
take AI and use it for our advantage. Innovation
is the way we imagine and then deliver remarkable
customer experiences to leverage what's remarkable
about being human. Most adults and most organizations
get innovation all wrong. They rely on things
they already know. It turns out that's not the
way innovation actually happens. Not knowing
stuff, what I call the wisdom of ignorance, is
a real key to innovation and creating breakthroughs
in an uncertain world. I believe that not knowing
is really our superpower. Alan Gregerman, innovation
expert and author. His mission? To unlock the
genius in people and organizations, helping them
solve problems and seize new opportunities. It's
a proven... Fearless method for achieving remarkable
results in a world changing super fast. On the
evening of March 16th, 2021, I had a really rare
stroke and I lost the ability to see and speak.
But what I learned more importantly in having
this stroke was that the world is an uncertain
place. It's a place that's filled with change
that challenges all of us to think in new and
powerful ways. But the challenges and opportunities
waiting to be solved are going to be solved by
people who engage the world head on. People who
are willing to try to do something different.
What I'd like you to think about are two big
ideas that I've spent a lot of time working on.
Ideas that I've worked on with over 300 companies
around the world. The first is what I call enlightened
ignorance. The kind of ignorance that has guided...
entrepreneurs, innovators, and scientists throughout
the course of human history. They enable you
to think fearlessly. Good thing is we were all
born with the skills we need. And they make up
what I think of as the six fundamental skills
we all need to stay competitive and relevant
in a world changing super fast. The first is
we need to have a compelling sense of purpose.
In the absence of a clear purpose, none of us
are going to do anything remarkable. The second
is curiosity. You want to solve a problem, get
out from the place where you normally are. The
third thing I want you to think about is the
idea of humility. We haven't solved this problem.
I don't have a lot of expertise, but I'm willing
to go and find that expertise. I'm willing to
figure out how to solve the problem. The fourth
thing I want you to think about is ideas can
come from everywhere and we ought to respect
every single person we meet. Any human I have
the privilege to meet, I can learn something
from. The fifth thing I want you to think about
is we all need to be what I call future focused.
And that is, even though we live in the present,
we need to be paying attention to what's going
on in the future. The last thing I want you to
think about is I want all of you to be paranoid.
And the reason I want you to be paranoid is because
there is always someone following you. But the
people following you are the people who are going
to make you less relevant unless you stay relevant.
These are the six skills. the heart of what I
call enlightened ignorance, that will define
who succeeds and who doesn't. And the second
thing I want you to think about is what I call
the 99 % rule. It's basically the notion that
99 % of all ideas throughout human history are
based on someone else's thinking or something
found in nature. These two look remarkably the
same because the folks who invented the helicopter
thought about how dragonflies fly. Instead of
having people meet in a conference room, I'd
take not just our smartest people, but our most
open -minded people, and I'd send them out in
search of ideas. Innovation is all about the
ability to not know, but the ability to be inspired
to know in new and better ways. The future is
going to be way different than it is today. You
don't have to come up with a totally original
idea to be innovative, but you have to put your
whole heart into whatever you decide to do. All
of you and all of your companies and organizations
are the change makers we need in an uncertain
world. I believe in you because I believe in
the power of humans to make a difference. Now
I simply want you to go out and make it happen.
awesome awesome scissor reel i've watched it
three times uh four times actually i shared with
my team once as well and it's just it's chock
full of so much value alan um and so with uh
with your book wisdom the wisdom of ignorance
and your vision where are you going with it what
are you doing on the horizon uh well right now
i'm trying to get the word out as much as i can
i'm traveling around the world, talking with
groups and companies and organizations about
the power they have that they don't realize to
do remarkable things. So how they can unlock
the genius in all of their people. So that's
kind of my mission over the next couple of years.
What I really want to do is kind of create just
a different understanding. You know, I think
what's happened a lot of the time is that People
say I'm not particularly innovative or organizations
tend to rely on the usual suspects, the people
who run R &D, the people who are product developers,
and they believe that's the sum total of the
places they can go to get brilliant ideas. And
I guess I want everybody to realize they have
the potential to be brilliant and that organizations
need the brilliance of everyone. So that's what
I'm trying to do. I also want to open people's
eyes up to the possibility. that their next great
breakthrough not only doesn't come from their
organization, but comes from outside their organization
and maybe even outside the world they're familiar
with today. So it can come from some other part
of the world, some other industry. some other
walk of life, some other culture. So I really
want people to be open to the possibility that
they can learn, find ideas, capture ideas, innovate,
and that we all have the power to do that. So
that's what I'm determined to kind of do. And
I figure at least for the next couple of years
doing it. And of course, I'd love to travel around.
So if anybody's listening and they'd like to
bring me someplace where I can also learn some
stuff. I'm open to that. But I really am trying
to get this book out. I just believe so strongly
in the ideas in this book and that this book
would be particularly. kind of energizing and
liberating to people that's kind of absolutely
i can tell it's a game changer and uh again the
sizzle reel really helps plant the seeds for
that mel robbins is endorsing it too she's also
one of the has one of the greatest ted talks
of all time for those of you who are listening
and may not know and i do like puppies there
if you you know you're struggling we only have
three dogs but i do like puppies that's awesome
and and the uh you know this this process of
Innovation. And you talked about earlier how
companies tend to strangle it. They tend to limit
it. And, you know, I love what you said about
leaders. You said a leader sets the landscape
for innovation or not. And I know that I've,
as you said, that I was thinking about how my
evolution as a leader. Oh, yeah. No, I've definitely
stamped out. And accidentally cut off innovation
and people from thinking outside the box about
things. It's not always something we do with
intent and it doesn't come from just being a
bad leader. You can be a great leader and still
stifle innovation if you're not well trained
on how to open the framework. So I'd like to
go back into that a little bit. How do we help
leaders, you know, move towards thinking about
what would matter? while also not losing sight
of what's important in the here and now? Is there
a harmonious path for those to live together?
Well, I think there's a hugely harmonious path,
but I think it all begins with leaders coming
clean, okay? And so I talk about that a lot.
I talk about the idea that... Leaders have to
take us all on a journey to being more remarkable
than what we are today and more valuable to the
people we serve. So what would that journey look
like? That journey would look like saying, we
know a lot, but what we know isn't sufficient
to get to where we need to go. And that's okay.
I believe we can figure it out together. Now,
how are we going to do that? We're going to do
two things. We're going to talk with our customers
in more depth. And kind of in better questioning
than we ever have before. We're going to not
only find out what matters to them now, but kind
of help them to begin to think about where they'd
like to get to with us as a partner. So that
helps me to start to have a target. Now I open
up the world to my people and I say. Let's go
out and get some ideas that will spark our best
thinking about how to get to this target. So,
you know, we talk about strategy and purpose.
Purpose is vital. And strategy really is different
today. Strategy isn't you hire a consultant,
they help you develop a strategy. You know, it
tells you where you're going to be five years
from now. Strategy is a living thing. This is
where our customers need to go and we're determined
to help them get there. So I really believe that
that's what leaders need to do is they need to
energize people. Now, what else do leaders need
to do? They need to pay attention to the world
of ideas. They need to be open to ideas. They
need to be kind of. rigidly dogmatic about what
they know as though what they know is the vital
thing to know. We're going to dive in pragmatically
on that right now because visionaries struggle
with one major aspect of this, Alan. And I love
that you talk about thinking fearlessly. Most
leaders box themselves in based on finances.
Most visionaries tell themselves, I don't have
the budget. I won't have it for a year. I don't
know how to get it. That's fearful thinking.
that is not fearless leadership that's not thinking
that's not being open to well wait a second uh
what how would i go about getting a budget how
can i go about in your case distributing your
book to the world um right are there ways that
can be amplified and so the audience of visionaries
that that often come into this their immediate
thought process is i don't have the money to
pull my vision together i don't have the means
i can't i don't i can't get a team i can't afford
a team there's so much mental blockage around
that process that i'd love to i'd love to use
as a pragmatic example how do we help alan leaders
realize that one we're not we're not encouraging
to go jump off of a cliff right that's we're
not saying go spend everything go get a credit
card you know there's but how do we explore that
in a way that empowers visionaries and leaders
to realize that OK, they do have more access
to that vehicle that can take them further, faster,
better, safer, stronger. But if their mind's
blocking it, how do we help them open up? OK,
good. Well, it doesn't cost anything to think,
OK? And it doesn't cost anything unless you buy
a sandwich. to leave the office, okay? And so
what I want people to do is say, let's go out
there and engage the world and see if we can
come up with some ideas for how we can be more
valuable, how we can innovate and grow in the
future. Then we come up with a set of ideas and
then we test those ideas. And again, we can test
most ideas without spending a lot of money on
them. I think what happens is an awful lot of
leaders and organizations, Think about I have
to create the perfect product or the perfect
service before I can launch it. I need a budget
to do that. You actually don't. You know, I think
we mentioned a little while ago or maybe I mentioned
it in the video. I mentioned this idea of paranoia.
OK, so here's the reality is just because you're
awesome at what you do doesn't mean there isn't
somebody better following you. And they're following
you faster. And the people who are following
you are three friends in an apartment, eating
pizza, drinking the cheapest beer they can find,
and planning to overthrow your world. Now, how
are they going to do that? They understand something
about technology. They have a different idea
about the customers. They've created a business
model that maybe is tied to an app. They've thought
of all kinds of things, okay? Have they spent
a fortune? Absolutely not. Do they have a fortune?
Absolutely not yet. They'll get a fortune if
they have a good idea. They'll go to a venture
capitalist and say, here, this is a brilliant
idea. Can I have several million dollars? So
I just want people inside corporations to think
the same way. We're going to spend a week. I
want to expand that a little bit further because
that's thinking only inside the box of those
who are qualified. Rather than realizing that
venture capitalists, they're great, they're important,
they have their angle. But my friends, visionaries,
if you go straight to a venture capitalist, there's
a reason they're called shark tanks. You're going
to get eaten alive in the process. And so preparing
yourself for that and also talking to other innovators,
whether it's at the Geekdom in San Antonio or
the, what's it called? capital factory in austin
texas there are places like that that can open
your minds up even further and so tying the two
points together yes definitely consider the value
of the venture capitalist but also consider what
can chat gpt or ai also think teach you about
what's available in terms of finances what if
you learn from somebody who knows about promissory
notes And you looked up promissory notes. You
could end up with the capital that you need right
there, too, without having to give your entire
brand away. There's so many opportunities that
exist around this. To Alan's point, it begins
with being able to think fearlessly, realizing
that there's no price of thinking. But I do think
there's a hard cost. of a closed mind. And when
we say things like, I don't, I can't afford it.
I don't have the money. I'm not able to do it
at this time. That's all closed -minded thinking.
That ends up trapping you in a position where
you can't move your vision forward. Alan, continue.
Well, no, no, no. So when a leader says that,
to me, it means, you know, we're going to ride
what we do as long as we can. We don't care if
the world is changing or whether we become irrelevant.
And so what does a real leader do? A real leader
looks out in the world and says it is changing
and we have to figure out how to be different
in the future. So I want people to think about
that. And then I want people to realize most
of the breakthroughs, which we assume are part
of our life today, have absolutely nothing to
do. with people knowing a lot or having a budget
okay in fact some breakthroughs happen because
people couldn't even pay their rent so think
about airbnb lots of people listening have used
airbnb was that started by two people in the
hospitality industry no it was started by a couple
of design students in san francisco who couldn't
afford to pay their rent and thought maybe when
conferences came to town, we could rent out our
couch for $40 cheaper than a hotel to people
who would couch serve. And that's now the largest
and by some measures, hospitality company in
the world. I love that example. I love that you
mentioned it too, because Chip Conley of Joy
Devoir. He wrote a great book called Peak, How
to Get Your Mojo from Maslow and Build Great
Cultures. And then Chip went on to become one
of the board of directors of Airbnb. So they
did what Alan's talking about. They worked with
this concept of what would matter and how could
this help people. And they worked in general,
if you will. They appreciate innovation and creativity.
Then they also position themselves to be able
to attract some of the best icons in the industry
to pull more perspective into how do we scale
and grow this thing. So it's a phenomenal example,
Alan. Continue. Yeah, no. So, I mean, the world
is filled with those. Everybody listening has
probably taken an Uber now. It's a way to get
around town. It's a way to get around a lot of
places in the world. Uber wasn't started by people
who were in the taxi cab business and said there's
a better way. Uber was started by two friends
who were in Paris in the winter and couldn't
find a taxi. And they said to themselves. Gee,
I bet we're not the only people who have this
problem. Isn't there a technology, GPS technology,
that could bring people who have a car together
with people who need a ride? And suddenly we've
solved that much better than standing on a corner
and hoping it's the right corner to catch a cab.
So the reality is. Get out there, see a challenge
you have. If you ever face a challenge and you
go kind of the world isn't organized to help
me solve this challenge, then say to yourself,
maybe a lot of people have this challenge. Maybe
I should think a little bit differently. But
the reality is that we've got to get out there.
Some of it could be serendipity. Some of it could
be deliberate. I curate explorations in which
I expose people wandering through cities to lots
of ideas. Because I know some of those ideas
are going to spark their best thinking, but sometimes
it's just plain serendipity. You know, I like
to say each day I walk by 100 people who could
change my life, but I never take the time to
connect with them. And so I want people to get
out, connect with people, ask questions, wonder
about things, and then imagine how those ideas
could be used to transform your world. Pretty
simple. Want to serve young people? I've helped
health care companies sell health care policies,
insurance policies and health to young people.
How did I do that? I took them to nightclubs
where young people hung out. I got them to see
the environment in which young people were happy.
got them to actually talk to young people and
say, you know, we sell healthcare. Tell me what
you think about healthcare. We're in an environment
where you like to be. Tell me about it. And that's
where we got the idea that maybe. Healthcare
was important, but having a portal that showed
me how I could live a healthy life in the community
I'm in was more important to young people. So
part of it is just get out there, engage with
people, think about stuff, see how the world
is changing. I mean, in my mind, maybe because
I do this every day, it's kind of simple, but
I believe anyone listening can get out there
and start to build their muscle memory. about
what it's like to be curious again, and that
some of that curiosity will lead to something.
And if they'd like ideas, connect with me. I'm
not hard to find. Yeah, absolutely. Well, and
that really, to me, it reminds me of the law
of the harvest. And I'm really big on principles
that stand the test of time. You talked about
there's 100 people that we pass on a daily basis.
And with the internet, it tends to be even more
than that. But I think sometimes we forget the
opportunity to, like you said, pay attention
to what people are up to and what's going on,
take interest in where they're at. But if I have
100 people per day that I can connect with, then
I also have the opportunity to think, just like
if I'm in an orchard, law of the harvest style,
with a bunch of apples hanging from trees, I
don't have to desperately pull every apple off
the tree. And I don't have to walk past and forget
and be hungry. I can realize that, wait a second,
I can slow down, appreciate the world that I'm
in. Pick and choose which apple makes the most
sense for me and my circumstance, and then move
forward freely and enjoy this journey. And the
same is true with 100 people that you talk about.
Our lives can be blessed so much. We can unlock
such a rich level of success by leaning into
the people who are around us. And I'm going to
end on Theodore Roosevelt's quote, people don't
care how much we know. until they know how much
we care. And so if we take interest in others
and we care about them in that process, it is
amazing how fast our visions can come to life
and how we can find people who also want to contribute
to building our vision. So Alan, I'll give you
the final word. This was your last chance to
talk about vision to visionaries out there. What
would your, what would your final wisdom and
thoughts be for them? Oh yeah, no, I just, I'm
actually keen on people, you know, so I appreciate,
and I use AI, but I, I believe that positive
things are going to happen when people decide
to ask questions and make a difference. People
can use AI, and now everybody talks about AI,
to help them be smarter. But ultimately, people
have to see kind of real challenges out there.
in which they can make a difference, either as
a business or a nonprofit or whatever the case
is. And they need to seize us. And the way they're
going to do it is to bring together other people
with other ideas who are open to thinking in
new ways. I think the other thing I want people
to think about is just. We need to reset. And
I posted on LinkedIn a few days ago about the
powerful idea that is periodically in a world
changing fast. We always need a reset. We need
to say to ourselves, the things I think about
the world and the way I look at the world. Absolutely
right for now. And I would guess with most companies,
they're not. And so or they're not as good as
they could be. And so I want everybody to say
five years from now, we need to be different.
Let's figure out how to make it happen now. That's
awesome. My friends, I hope you lean into the
people that are around you. Of course, you can
lean into Alan Gregerman. You can go to alangregerman
.com. You can also connect with them on social
media. We're connected on LinkedIn, I believe.
And if you want to be a visionary on the show,
you don't have to have worked with 300 plus businesses.
You don't have to have several books published.
You don't have to have worked with companies
like Google and Marriott and gotten doors from
some Mel Robbins. We're looking for visionaries
who are also just getting started. In the top
right corner, you'll see a button. It says, be
our guest. visionproslive .com. Go there, click
the button, book your appointment, come on in.
Let's talk about the vision. Let's talk about
how you're going out there and helping the world.
Let's make this world a better place. Alan, thank
you so much for being here today. This has been
absolutely my pleasure. And I wish you the best
as you continue to change the world with us.
Well, thanks for having me on. I've loved the
conversation. Absolutely. Vision Pros. We'll
see you guys in the next episode. Take care,
everybody. Thank you for being here today. I'm
really happy that you tuned in to Vision Pros
Live. I'm looking forward to seeing your reactions
as these episodes continue to move forward. This
is going to get more and more fun. We'll have
more and more engagement as well. We'll invite
people to participate in the show. And thank
you for giving us your time and attention. Have
an excellent time building out your vision and
becoming a vision pro yourself.