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Name: Everything Connects
Rating: 4.1 (29 reviews)
Author: Faisal Hoque and Drake Baer

Faisal Hoque and Drake Baer

How to Transform and Lead in the Age of Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability

4.1 (29 ratings)

17 mins

Topics

Innovation

Table of Contents

Everything Connects
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Find out how to navigate today’s interconnected business world.

What does a CEO and a secretary, a programmer and a creative director have in common? Everything.

In today’s business environment, everything is connected. How successfully your company connects with not only your customers but also your employees and suppliers is the key to managing rapid market change and staying ahead of the competition.

In these blinks, you’ll discover a holistic approach to managing the ever-increasing demands of today’s market by understanding how to strengthen these connection points and build a company comfortable with innovation and inspired by creativity.

After reading these blinks, you’ll know

why book retailer Borders went bankrupt;
why a mindful CEO is better than a bossy one; and
how a poorly designed office space will kill productivity.

In this modern economy, you need to be innovative and deal with change today or you’ll perish.

Much like a surfer rides a wave, a company must ride the waves of economic change or it will go under.

In 1942, economist Joseph Schumpeter dubbed modern capitalism an innovation economy, with ”violent bursts and catastrophes” as well as revolutionary inventions. He described how products and companies are constantly swept away and replaced by new ones, calling it “creative destruction.”

To prevent being swept away, a company must innovate. Schumpeter argued that in an innovation economy, the market isn’t directed just by efficiency but by innovations that can alter entire markets.

The old model of success had companies offering the best product for the lowest price. Today, while one company works to create a cheaper product than the competition, another firm is instead developing an invention that makes that original product obsolete.

For example, Nokia was an efficient producer of mobile phones, yet the company fell behind and lost customers once smartphones were introduced.

A successful company not only needs to invent things to change the market, but also be able to constantly adapt to the changes in the market.

Yet it’s not just technology that is changing; we do things differently now, too. In many industries, a company that cannot recognize and adapt to the latest developments is going to fail.

Borders was once a major player in the retail book market. The company however failed to acknowledge the changes inspired by the internet, and chose not to enter the market for ebooks.

Other book retailers were able to adapt and thus stayed alive, while Borders went bankrupt.

Increased, intricate connections are the norm of our modern business world.

Innovation is a constant process and is happening all around us. Not only with smartphones or the internet but also with data systems and airplanes.

All this innovation has led to increased, intricate connections. Businesses are now interconnected within networks that transcend a single company, and are joined to an international web of suppliers and intermediaries.

Practicing mindfulness opens doors to innovation, and focuses your actions for the better.

Let’s look at some techniques you can employ to ensure your company in an interconnected world continues to thrive.

Do you know about mindfulness, a practice that helps you focus on the present moment? Did you know practicing mindfulness can help you become a better leader?

Employees need to feel safe and secure to be creative and innovate. Don’t encourage “lizard brains.”

Can noisy ventilation shafts in an office affect the creativity and productivity of your employees?

They certainly can!

You can nurture creativity, but not force it. Treat your employees like people, not just resources.

Farmers grow crops; but do they actually make them grow? Not exactly. A farmer ensures the environment is just right for a plant to thrive, preparing fertile ground for a crop’s seeds.

Much like farmers, managers can’t enforce creativity, but they can certainly cultivate it.

Break down departmental walls. Use talent clusters to promote creativity and collaboration.

Even if an organization acknowledges that its teams work well and that employees are responsible for certain tasks, often employees are still not expected to stray from set roles.

The trouble is that this kind of set-up will flounder in an innovation economy, as its structure is too inflexible to adapt quickly to change.

Different is better! Diversity mixes things up, creating opportunities for innovation.

Imagine you’re hiring someone for a new position. You have a lot in common with one applicant and could picture them as a future friend. Another applicant is just as qualified as the first, but they’re wearing unusual clothes and are reserved – a personality type very different from your own.

Whom should you hire?

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What is Everything Connects about?

CEOs practicing meditation, the challenges of corporate politics, social differences between team members and customer satisfaction: it’s all connected. Using a holistic approach, Everything Connects (2014) will help you transform your working environment into one that understands such connections and supports as well as increases creativity and innovation.

Best quote from Everything Connects

We have to assume that everything we think is right today will be wrong tomorrow.

—Faisal Hoque and Drake Baer

Who should read Everything Connects?

Anyone struggling to foster creativity in their company
Anyone wanting to know how a leader’s mindfulness is connected to customer satisfaction
Anyone wanting to strengthen their company in today’s rapidly changing business world

About the Author

Faisal Hoque is an entrepreneur who founded MiND2MiND Exchange and B2B ForeSight. He has written articles for The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, the Huffington Post and Forbes. He was also named one of the “Top 100 Most Influential People in Technology” by Ziff-Davis Enterprise.

Having previously worked as a contributing writer at Fast Company, Drake Baer reports for Business Insider, covering leadership, strategy and organizational psychology.

Categories with Everything Connects

Mindfulness & Happiness Management & Leadership Creativity

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