Josh Linkner's Blog, page 8

A Tale Of Two Unusual Words

From juicy gossip to salacious reality TV shows to our combative political landscape, some strangely take pleasure in other people’s misfortune. For some reason, we might feel better when others miss the mark. This childish emotion is known as schadenfreude, a German word that Merriam-Webster defines as “enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.”

The root cause is a sense of scarcity. If others miss out, the theory goes, the chance for your own success increases. Another person’s loss is a...

You’re More Creative Than You Think

In a recent experiment at the University of Sydney in Australia, neuroscientists gave 128 volunteers a puzzle to solve that can only be conquered with creativity. The subjects were asked to connect nine dots, arranged in three rows of three, using just four straight lines and without lifting their pens. This is a classic creativity test, since solving it literally requires a person to think outside the box. (Fun fact: this test is the origin of the phrase “think outside the box.”) The only way t...

Eat Your Popcorn with Chopsticks

We effortlessly perform the same morning ritual – rushing the kids off to school, gulping down the usual coffee, taking the standard route to work. When visiting our favorite restaurants, we gravitate toward the same menu items instead of trying something new. We listen to our favorite musical artists on repeat and then binge-watch our favorite shows.

Following proven (and safe) routines is only natural. In fact, our brains are hard-wired to stick to the tried-and-true. When our ancestors discov...

Spike with Creativity and the Results Will Make You Tipsy

Melissa Tavss grew up in the ice cream business. Her family had been making gelato for years, first in Italy and later in the U.S. It was possible to eke out a living selling traditional ice cream in the old country, but the modern competitive landscape was giving Melissa some major heartburn.

How could she stand out from the pack and create a unique and memorable product? Ben & Jerry’s already had funky flavors, and Haagen-Dazs already captured the demand for decadence. To make her mark, Meliss...

A Lesson That Both Presidential Candidates Should Embrace

In the most polarized and combative election season in modern history, it’s easy to get jaded. As the insults fly, the parties and candidates spend their efforts vilifying each other rather than searching for common ground. Out with decorum, in with a street brawl. Unfortunately, both sides remain focused on the bad in one another. Let’s face it, if either of the candidates were children, we’d hurriedly put them in time out.

Reminiscing about more civil times, I long for the days when we tried t...

Think Outside The Pool

Fiona Fairhurst was facing a challenge. The competitive swimmer was in charge of Speedo’s R&D division and charged with inventing a new swimsuit for Olympic athletes to help them win in their ultra-competitive sport. Prevailing wisdom at that time was to make swimsuits as small and smooth as possible. If you’ve ever seen the cringe-worthy dad at a public beach wearing a suit that is far too small, you know exactly what I mean.

Instead of pursuing an incremental gain based on conventional approac...

Change One Word To Boost Creativity

We’ve all suffered through the misery of a typical brainstorm session. Flat, mediocre ideas tend to carry the day as the breakthroughs remain elusive. An incremental idea here. An obvious cliché idea there. Short on inspiration, the suggestions lack originality and potency.

The culprit of bad brainstorm sessions is the deadly cocktail of fear mixed with historical anchoring. We’re afraid to share our whacky ideas, unwilling to risk the appearance of foolishness or an admonishment from the boss. ...

Exactly What We Need

Last night, I read a wonderful story to my four-year-old twins, Avi and Tallia. The book, Caps for Sale and the Mindful Monkeys by Esphyr Slobodkina, tells the story of a peddler who ends up with 16 unwanted monkeys in his backyard. After complaining that the monkeys won’t go away, the peddler’s friend Essie provides sage advice:

“Sometimes we decide something is no good before we have given it a chance. Sometimes what we don’t want is exactly what we need.”

As the story continues, the peddler f...

The Frogger Principle

Charles married Diana, the Iran hostage crisis ended, and the Post-It note was born. But the thing about 1981 that I’ll remember most: Frogger.

One month before my 11th birthday, the iconic arcade game came to life and I was hooked. Often blowing off homework, friends, food, and semi-regular bathing, Frogger was my compulsion. Despite graphics that today could be designed by my 4-year-old daughter Tallia, the game was addictive to millions just like me.

With my Atari joystick in hand, I was in c...

The Unusual Suspects

London’s Savile Row is a historic street that’s home to many of the world’s finest suit makers. For over 200 years, discerning gentlemen travel from around the world to order handmade suits and clothing from expert tailors on this famous street. It’s been a boys’-only club for generations…until now.

Enter Phoebe Gormley who decided to shake things up a bit. Phoebe opened Gormley & Gamble, the first custom clothier on Savile Row exclusively for women. With the same meticulous details, highest-qua...