Fredrik Härén's Blog, page 3

Live a life without enemies. (Episode 253)

I had the absolute privilege of interviewing Varghese Thambi who had a 48 year long career in banking which started as a teller in India and took him all the way to being a successful CEO for a bank in Uganda.

(Now, at the age of 69, he just took a new job at Pepsi.)
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We had a lovely conversation about creating a mindset of genuinely praying for the success of one’s enemies as that creates a mind that is light and free – something that is great for many reasons, including being great for being creative.
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So lesson of the day: Live a life without enemies.

 

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Surprise. (Episode 252)

Don’t just go for “inspiration”, go for “surprise”.

Things that surprise you rattle our minds in the most delightful way. 

Today, for example, I learned that at Rimi Estonia 46% (!) of their customers have bought pizza in their stores at least once in a year (!). 

(I would have guessed something like 5-10%)

They sell “store made” pizza and it’s a huge success. 

I love to learn things that surprise me. It keeps the mind awake.

 

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LANDED! (Episode 251)

All you need from a conference is ONE insight. 

For me, speaking at The Asia Professional Speakers Convention gave one profound insight around being The Creativity Explorer: LANDED. 

Let me explain: it’s easy to think that ”explore” means to travel. But then you miss the point. 

Instead, you need to fully ‘land’ when you arrive somewhere to be able to explore it. 

To be present. To be there. 

No matter if I am giving a speech, interviewing someone about creativity – or just staying at home with my kids, I need to ‘land’. 

This might not be profound for you, but for me it is. 

So now I have those words ‘LANDED’, that I wrote down during the convention, as my screen message on my phone. 

 

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As a reminder to always land where I am – while I continue to explore. 

Ps; here is a picture of me having landed back on the island after a 16-day Asia speaking tour! 

 

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Embrace YNWA but don’t forget WYOW. (Episode 250)

This is not a post about Liverpool becoming champions, it’s a post about creativity. 

 

I recently watched the magical game that sealed the title (congratulations!) together with 300+ fans in Singapore. 

 

The hotel had drastically underestimated the crowd and the queue to order a drink was 50 people long and slow. 

 

People waited patiently for ever. 

 

So, I walked out of the venue and into the lobby bar just outside the venue that had zero queue and bought a drink that I then could bring back to the venue…

 

The queue for ordering food in the bar was even longer. 

 

I went to the reception and asked for the ”room service menu” and asked for an exception from having to be a hotel guest to order room service and had them deliver the food to the venue. 

 

Everyone else queued for ever to get ”bar bites” – I sat in my chair and had a proper meal delivered to my seat. 

 

”You’ll Never Walk Alone” is wonderful as a concept. To collectively thrive forward together.

 

But don’t forget WYOW – ”Walk Your Own Way.”

 

Creativity is getting ahead of everyone else, without any inconvenience to anyone else.

 

Watch video / post your thoughts on LinkedIn.

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 155: Compliance Innovation.

Interview with Cassandra Moons, Legal Director Privacy, Product and Corporate Compliance and Data Protection Officer at TomTom.

 

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Few would put the two words “compliance” and “innovation” next to each other. At least without putting a “v.s.” in-between.

But compliance doesn’t have to be an enemy of innovation. In fact, it can be a catalyst for it.

But only if you have the right mindset.

One person who has that right mindset is Cassandra Moons, Legal Director Privacy, Product and Corporate Compliance and Data Protection Officer at TomTom, the digital maps and location technology company.

She estimates that 90% of compliance officers are, what she calls, “police officers”. People who think that “compliance” means to “act in accordance with a wish or command.”

And, ok, technically, that is what “compliance” means.

But the job of compliance is very different from the word compliance.

Or at least it can be.

Cassandra is one of the proposers of compliance (the job) as an active, creative role of finding new and exciting business opportunities that could reveal themselves when new regulations are being introduced.

New regulation, per definition, means that something in the market is changing, and when something in a market changes, new opportunities can arise.

Cassandra also empathises the role of compliance (the job) to introduce new rules and regulations in a way that inspires the rest of the company instead of making them see these new rules as “necessary evils” or worse.

Cassandra: “It’s about not presenting (new compliance rules) as “this is what you have to do”, but as “how could this work for our company?” When you look at it that way you get more freedom. You feel that you are in charge.”

Just because most people hear “follow a command” when they hear “compliance” doesn’t mean you have to. You can also look at it as an invitation to innovate around this new legislation.

The etymology of the word “compliance”  is actually more inviting than the current meaning. The Latin word *complire” comes from “complere meaning “to fill up,” as in “fulfill, finish a task”.

Compliance does mean that you have to comply with a new rule or law, but HOW you choose to approach this task to fulfil it is totally up to you.

You can take the lazy and uncreative way out and just implement the changes you need to make.

Or you can take a creative and an innovative approach and use these regulated changes to identify new market opportunities, challenge your old business practices and foresee future changes.

It’s up to you.

I asked Cassandra: “If 90% of compliance officers are just “police officers” making sure that new regulations are being implemented, what should we call the last 10% who use these changes as a catalyst for change?”

She replied in a second: “Compliance Innovators!”

Is your compliance officer a “compliance innovator”?

Is your company using compliance as a way to trigger innovation or as a way of killing it?

 

The post The Creativity Suite. Episode 155: Compliance Innovation. first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.

Are you going slow enough? (Episode 249)

The older I get, the more I take time to rest.

You could look at that as a weakness. Like I am an old “machine” that needs more downtime.

But I look at that as a strength. 

Slowing down makes me more in-tuned with everything.

It can be a nap, an extra day off, or a 15-minute break to garden in the middle of the day before I go back to writing.

So, it was so refreshing and wonderful to see a conference include “resting” on the agenda. 

At a conference I spoke to a few days ago, the organizers had set aside 20 minutes for the delegates to lie on soft mats in a room to just pause and land before the conference started.

 

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It created a group that was calm, attentive and very present when it was my time to speak.

I would go so far to say that every conference would benefit of starting off with some kind of resting exercise to get the audience to “land”.

In a world that is pushing “hustle”, perhaps we need a bit more “grace” where people are not just moving fast, but moving with intention, clarity, and serenity. 

To be able to do that we need to slow down. 

Are you taking enough breaks in your life?

When everyone seems to be asking if you are going fast enough, ask yourself: Are you going slow enough?

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 154: Retrospection

Interview with Andres Bernasconi, SVP, IT and Product Development Fintech at Mercado Libre.

 

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“What do you do?” is perhaps the most common question when we meet someone new. We want to know their profession. But perhaps we should ask “What have you done?” as that might be a much better way of understanding who someone really is. Our acts create who we are. Not our titles.

 

And “What have I done?” is also a great question to ask oneself much more often than we actually do. Retrospection – the action of looking back on or reviewing past events or situations, especially those in one’s own life – is what builds judgment. 

 

Unlike simple reflection or evaluation, retrospection is a deliberate, past-oriented practice aimed at honing our understanding and strengthening our judgment.

 

As creatives, we should engage in retrospection more often about the work we have done. While ‘retrospect’ is not commonly used as a verb, perhaps it should be. As creatives, we need a clear call to action: not only to reflect, but to actively ‘retrospect’ on what we have done to refine our judgment.

 

Too many people put too much emphasis on a person coming up with ideas, but it is the person who has the ability to judge if an idea should actually be tried, that has the real creative skill. And that skill – the skill of understanding if an idea is worthy of being pursued – is a skill that comes from having good judgement. 

 

And good judgment comes not just from having experiences, but from having spent time retrospecting on those experiences.

 

This text was inspired by a conversation with Andres Bernasconi, SVP, IT and Product Development Fintech at Mercado Libre. 

 

With over 80,000 employees – 6,000 of whom report to Andres – Mercado Libre is Latin America’s leading e-commerce and fintech company. Working in such a dynamic, fast-growing fintech environment across multiple, diverse countries, Andres constantly relies on retrospection.

 

What has been working well? What did not work well, and why? What has changed in the market, how does the strategy need to adapt? How is the culture of the organisation changing over time? What does that mean? 

 

In a world so focused on the future, we should actually be more focused on the past. Not to use it as a rear-view mirror, but to use it as a catalyst of insights that we will only find if we make an active and conscious decision to really find the lessons hidden in our previous actions and acts. 

 

In the words of Andres: “Most people are so caught up in what they need to do next that they forget to learn from what they have already done. But if you do take that time, you build judgment. And with judgment comes the ability to make the right decisions.”

 

In summary: Creativity is not about “having ideas”, it is about having the ability to have ideas, develop ideas and making the best ones happen. Having the judgment to know which ideas to develop and how to is arguably the thickest cornerstone in the creative process. And this judgment comes from really learning from previous experiences and from understanding the present so that we can see the future. The people who are the best of doing that are the people who are the best at retrospecting.

 

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 153: R&D stands for Receptive & Deploying

Interview with Daniel Häggmark, CEO at Monitor ERP System Asia.

 

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Be inspired by Monitor ERP to rethink of R&D stands for.

Unless you work in manufacturing you will be forgiven if you have not heard of Monitor, but you really should know about them. And learn from them.

When it comes to ERP companies and their revenue Monitor EPR is not the biggest – actually, far from it. But Monitor has been awarded best ERP system in Sweden 7 years in a row (!) and when it comes to the market of ERP system for small and medium manufacturing companies Monitor has an almost 50% (!) market share in Sweden.Their Net Promotor Score (how happy customers are with a supplier) is off the charts. Monitor has a NPS of 30. SAP is at MINUS 40…

In other words, they are the David in a world of ERP Goliath’s,- and they punch well above their weight.

So how can they be so extremely successful with their clients?

One reason is how they approach product development. Monitor work very close to their customers and monitors (sic!) their needs and suggestions.

Instead of traditional R&D, as in “Research and Development”, Monitor applies what can be called R&D as in “Receptive and Deploying.”

Receptive to what the clients wants and needs, and then a quick and responsive way of deploying these requests.

Unlike other ERP providers who work with partners, Monitor deals with their clients directly, making it much easier for them to pick up suggestions from their clients.

And while partners are keen on selling “customisations” of standard ERP systems (because that is how they make money) Monitor is more keen on developing standard solutions that are functional and effective for the clients from the start.

Being “Receptive & Deploying” means to have a laser focus on being efficient on supplying solutions that the clients are asking for, or will be asking for soon.

It is a mindset of relentless focus on the needs of the customer.

Be honest: Do you have a relentless focus on your customers needs?

A surprisingly large number of companies actually seem to have lost that as they focus on things like “research” and “development” and “innovation”.

No, the focus should be on being receptive of the needs of the customer.

The key here is “receptive” as in “being willing to consider or accept new suggestions and ideas” and to then be nimble and quick enough to deploy these ideas.

In short, invest in R&D:  “Receptive & Deploying”. 

This text was written after an interview with Daniel Häggmark, CEO at Monitor ERP Asia ERP System Asia. By applying the mindset of Receptive & Deploying they have grown in Asia from just a few people a few years ago to now accounting for 20% of all of Monitor’s staff.

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The Creativity Suite. Episode 152: Unalienizing

Interview with Ashley Moran, Marketing and Category Director at Pilgrim’s Food Masters in Ireland.

 

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Have you ever faced resistance when introducing a new idea or innovation? Often, this pushback occurs because the novelty is perceived as alien. This is where the concept of ‘unalienizing’ comes in.

The fact is that people trying to introduce new ideas, new innovations or new technology are often met with resistance because the novelty is seen as alien by other people.

 

By that follows that to get people to accept your ideas you need to unalienize it to them.

The art of unalienizing can be defined as:

  “The art of unalienizing involves making something less alien or foreign by fostering familiarity, relatability, and inclusion. It’s about transforming estrangement into a sense of belonging and connection.”

I learned about the skill of unalienizing during a conversation with Ashley Moran, Marketing and Category Director at Pilgrim’s Food Masters in Ireland. Pilgrim’s Food Masters is the UK’s largest producer of delicious meats, chilled & frozen ready meals for every major UK & Ireland supermarket.

Ashley was part of the team that took meat free sausages to the market. She explained to me how the idea of launching a meat free sausage was alien to most people within Pilgrim’s Food Masters before the launch was done. Most people looked meat to be at the center of what Pilgrim’s Food Masters did. Ashley herself was, in the beginning, reluctant to see how successful a sausage with no meat could become.

But then she described the way she unalienized the idea of a plant based sausage to herself. First she went to trade-fairs to try out what was on the market, then she visited their test kitchen where their own products were being developed, and then she attended customer taste test events where she could study the reaction of potential customers.

She told me: “In the beginning I said to myself. ‘I just can’t see this (plant based sausages) taking off.’ but the more I studied it, the more I researched it, and – crucially – the more I tasted it (!) I slowly warmed to the idea.”

Ashley specifically remembers the day she was won over. She had just tried a plant-based sausage where she really could not tell if it had meat or not. Suddenly the idea of Pilgrim’s Food Masters selling sausages with no meat was not alien to her anymore.

She calls this moment “The Moment of Proof”. The Moment of Proof is the other side of the coin of “The moment of truth.” The Moment of Truth is from the perspective of the person trying to get his idea accepted (In this case the person SERVING the meat-free sausage.) The Moment of Proof is from the perspective of the person there to be convinced (In this case Ashley being convinced that the meat-free sausage will work.)

The Moment of Proof is the moment when you feel that you have received enough proof/evidence/affirmation about something new that is presented to you that you are willing to buy into it.

I asked Ashley for three steps that one can take to become better at unalienizing someone. She summed it up as follows:

1) Seeing is believing.

Get people to experience

Ashley: “Having us develop our first own meat-free sausage was so important for us to warm to the idea.”

2) Reassurance is reassuring

To get people open to new ideas they need to feel that things are going in the right direction, so search for situations where that positive momentum can be experienced.

Ashley: “The lovely moment when you see the consumer liking (the meat-free sausage) gave us the confidence to move forward.”

3) Engage to get engagement

Create momentum by engaging the different stakeholders to be involved in making the idea happen.

Ashley: “Engaging the business to get ready was crucial. That included getting our trade partners onboard to put the products on the shelf. We all got onboard.”

Finally Ashley stresses the need for a safe environment when trying to unalienize someone to a new idea. Ashley: “You need to be in a safe space that takes you in a good head space when trying to warm to a new idea.”

Hearing Ashley talk about the concept of unalienation I get a picture of the movie E.T. in my head. Just like Elliott in the movie E.T., who went from fear to friendship with the alien, unalienizing involves a gradual process of acceptance and understanding.

Assignment:

Now, think about something you currently find alien. How can you apply the steps of unalienizing to become more comfortable and accepting of it?

The post The Creativity Suite. Episode 152: Unalienizing first appeared on The Creativity Explorer.

The Creativity Suite. Episode 151: The art of disassuming

Interview with Leslie Shannon, Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting at Nokia.

 

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As Head of Trend and Innovation Scouting at Nokia, Leslie Shannon’s job is to identify connectivity-related tech disruptions and opportunities, including developments in robotics, drones, visual analytics, cloud gaming, generative AI. In a way she is an in-house futurist.

But when I asked her to describe what she does she said: “I need to constantly be questioning my assumptions.”

To her, the most important part of the job is not to understand all the new technologies emerging, but to have the skill to revise her assumptions around what the future of the world will look like.

She told me that she constantly evaluates her assumptions, and every six months she sits down for a major overhaul of her fundamental assumptions.

The skill of reviewing one’s assumptions is as valuable as it is rare.

To have the guts to re-evaluate one’s world view based on new information, to dare to say out-loud that you were wrong, takes honesty and humility.

Let’s call this skill “The art of disassuming”.

To assume is to think: “This is what I think, based on what I know.”

 

To  disassume is to think: “This might be where I have to change my mind based on what I recently learned”

To disassume is a made up word, but it’s a word we need, because the practice of disassumption is a skill we need.

We especially need this art when we are successful.

In the words of Leslie Shannon: “Success cements assumptions, and assumptions breed blindness.”

It’s so easy to think you know how to do something when you have been successful doing just that.

But the world changes, and what used to be right can now be wrong. (Leslie works for Nokia after all, a company that learnt that the hard way.)

As a futurist in the fast changing world of digital communication, Leslie is a pro at disassuming. I asked her to share with me some techniques we can use to make sure that our wrong assumptions don’t blind us.

She said: “We need to constantly rethink the stories we tell ourselves. We need to stop, pause, take a step back and question your assumptions. An assumption, after all, is a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen – without proof.”

Leslie stresses that disassuming is a deliberate act, something you decide to do.

She also gave us three insights on how to develop an effective disassuming mindset.

1) Open

Leslie: “The trick is to be constantly open, to be consciously open and to be purposely open.”

Open-mindedness is the anti-dote to getting stuck in outdated assumptions.

2) Uncomfortable

Leslie: “When you find something that makes you uncomfortable, lean into it. Follow the uncomfortable – it probably means that the thing that is making you uncomfortable is challenging your assumptions.”

Leslie shared how, when she was studying new Generative AI trends, first assumed that the power of the AI would be in the cloud and that it would be great for network operators like Nokia, so when people started talking about the possibilities of Gen AI being run locally on a phone her first reaction was to dismiss it. But that uncomfortable feeling pushed her to re-assess her views on how Generative AI might be serviced in the future.

3) Memory

Leslie: “Remember what you said. In order to be able to reevaluate your assumptions you need to be able to compare the new assumptions to the old. To just talk about the newest, latest thing is easy. To compare your old thought with your new is harder – but also more valuable. The future is not a point, it’s a vector.”

Leslie is bubbling with positive energy when we talk, and I get a sense that the ability to challenge your own assumptions is not just a recipe for success, but also a recipe for happiness.

Her final words to me are profound: “What makes the practice of disassuming so difficult is that our assumptions often become a key part of our identity.  Whenever you find yourself thinking, “I’m a person who always/never . . .” – what follows isn’t actually who you are, it’s an assumption.  “I’m a person who never eats mangoes,” or “I’m a person who always votes for this political party,” or “I’m a person who will work at this employer for the rest of my career,” are all examples of assumptions that can keep you from seeing new possibilities, both in yourself and in the world around you.  Yet these kinds of identity assumptions and the consequent blindness that they create are the most difficult to conquer because we feel that the very core of who we are is threatened if we question them.

You have to ask yourself, “Will who I truly am vanish in some way if I eat a mango?” or “Will who I truly am vanish in some way if I’m made redundant?”  The answer is almost always no, and you may find that mangoes are delicious and your next job is far better than your last one.  But you won’t know until you disassume even the things that seem most central to who you “are”.”

A disassuming mind is in a conscious state of constantly questioning how one looks at the world in order to change as soon as that is the right thing to do.

We should be disassuming more often.

What assumptions could you get rid of if you actively engage in the act of disassuming?

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