Want to help someone? Shut up and listen!
I watched this passionate TED Talk by Ernesto Sirolli a while ago but it really stuck with me. It even made it into my 'favorites folder' and I watch it again from time to time. Today was one of those times and I would very much like to share my key take-aways from the 17 valuable minutes of his talk with you:
(2) "I do something very difficult: I shut up and listen to them!" (@09:41)
How easy does that sound? And how difficult is it in real life? I think we are being brought up through our cultures and schooling to perform, to show what WE know, what WE can do, how knowledgable WE are. It often becomes a habbit and then even a drive to perform, to prove ourselves. This urge to show our value... When I get to this point in Ernesto's talk, I get this reminder to review and maybe even reset my approach to my clients - from trying to help them by telling them what I know and what I think to listening to them and what they know and think to ONLY THEN help them do the right steps forward. It has proven quite successful!
(P.S.: It also works in all other walks of lives.)
(3) "Planning is the kiss of death of entrepreneurship." (@10:43 - citing Peter Drucker)
I find this a very tricky one to take on board. While I am certain, Peter Drucker meant this sentence as a provocation, I can understand what Ernesto means here. It is externally imposed planning that does it really. Investors, managers, leaders pushing the entrepreneur to "do innovation". I still believe though that self-imposed planning, in whatever shape or form helps the innovator to structure their for sure highly creative minds to deliver tangible results.
(4) "The city of New York would not exist in 100 years." (@12:52 - citing a panel of experts in 1860; watch it, the conclusion is so funny!)
Right there is the crux of innovation - the disability in most humans to see a future world that is not an extrapolation of the present world. I have met only very few people who do have that capacity for 'decoupled future thinking' and the ability to turn their thoughts into images and words we 'normal humans' understand. But again here as well - if we were better at listening before talking, commenting or judging, we might get better at identifying where to look and who to follow.
(5) "We have never met a single person who can 'make it', 'sell it' and look after the money." (@14:44)
The punch line is simple and so true, especially when you continue watching a few seconds when Ernesto talks about the comparison of 100 globally successful companies. The only thing they have in common is that none was started by only one person. This is why 'leadership', 'communication' and 'culture' as three of the essential components to the context of innovation; they manage the way we talk, deal and work with each other.
P.S.: Ernesto refers to quite a few books in his talk as well but I think the one that I will put on my reading list is "Dead Aid" by Dambisa Moyo. Having been to several countries in Africa and catching myself frustrated with the (lack of) drive I thought I observed in many locals, I am guilty of a paternalistic approach myself - I hereby vow to do better.