Skip to main content

Design Thinking Courtesy of Curious George

My latest book binge includes the following: 

  • MIndgym- Exercises to improve your mind just as you would improve your body by following a training regimen in the gym. 
  • Contagious - Understanding "what" makes things go viral.
  • The Smartest Kids in the World - An analysis of the dynamics of education in different parts of the world.
  • In Search of Excellence - For all of you management consulting fans, this is where McKinsey's 7s framework is explained. Additionally, it identifies the 8 characteristics of excellent companies and is written in such a way that you don't have to be an academic to understand it. 
  • Thinking Fast and Slow - An explanation of the two systems that drive the way we think. 
Because I can't read two words out of any of these books to my son during bedtime without him completely ignoring me, I'll add Curious George Storybook Collection to the list. 

In the book, it lays out the steps that engineers use for technology design. 
  1. Start with a problem - state what needs to be designed or built.
  2. Develop a design, or make a sketch, for solving the problem. 
  3. Build a model. If it works, great! If it doesn't, make changes to your design and try again. Be patient - it may take several tries.
And there it is. The book that I read to my 4 year old lays out the basic process for design thinking. 

Out of all the books that I'm reading, it's the one that I remember. 

Somewhere, in our perceived wisdom of adulthood and lost among the fun of annual budget planning, the navigation of corporate complexity and bureaucracy, and the mindset of following all the rules-- lessons that we were taught as kids get lost. 

Do me a favor. In 2015, break some rules (within reason of course) and challenge the status quo. Do your best to make a dent in something worthwhile. 

Life's too short to cruise. 

Happy New Year! 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'm Back!

  Probably not an even close comparison to the return of MJ. But the feeling is there.  It's been a few years to say the least.  I blame Covid... and my lack of motivation to put anything out on the inter-web.  That said, it's a different time and I'm a lot older. Things have changed, but they haven't.  I'm still trying to find that next gig.  Breaking through this so-called barrier of being a company leader or executive still alludes me.   And all my friends are more successful than I am.  So cheers to that. I look forward to writing more.  Cheers - PB 
Post a Comment
Read more

The Thing About Cheese

The book, "Who Moved My Cheese?" has been on my bookshelf for more than a few years. Quite honestly, I don't remember if I read it end to end. So I picked it up and the story vaguely started coming back to me which means that I did read it, but didn't really READ it.  My thing about business self-help books like these are that the concepts and ideas being communicated don't really sit with you unless you are in a situation that makes the ideas hit home.  It's like being a sports analyst without having never really played the sport.  Nothing makes it real like having the experience.  A quote that hit home for me was,  "...a change imposed is a change opposed."  And yet this is how many corporations impose  their edicts expect change to happen within a workforce that is more than happy to oppose  the guys in the ivory tower.  Yes I'm talking about the latest safety policy, finance department "guidance", or expense policy ch...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diary of a Job Search

 I am not any stranger to looking for a new job.  When I was in big firm management consulting, I used to say, "The one thing about this job is that you are always looking for the next one."  Whether you are on the bench or on an engagement, you should always be spending time out of your day planting seeds for the next engagement or job opportunity.  Unfortunately, I have not followed my own advice in over a decade.  Now, I'm  trying to resurrect relationships and break through AI job site filters -- and all the job search horror stories that happen on LinkedIn are happening to me. Whether you haven't looked for a job in a few weeks or since before COVID, here's what I've learned:  There are people that genuinely want to help. Cherish those people and reciprocate accordingly.  There are people that you thought you knew, that will disappear on you. (I think the kids call it ghosting). I'll be honest in that I'm no angel. I'm sure I've done it to...
Post a Comment
Read more