One of the underlying themes of this blog is the notion that those who read it want to change the world. They are a relatively small but important number who disrupt for the broader good. If you’re thinking about the upcoming holiday period and are a disruptor or perhaps you’re curious then I’d suggest getting hold of The New Polymath by my friend Vinnie Mirchandani.
I’ve talked about Vinnie’s book before but now is the time to offer a ‘proper’ review and an offer you can’t refuse.
Being fascinated with innovation and disruptive change has nothing to do with age. Despite what people will tell you about Gen Y,Z..M? it is all to do with an attitude of mind. Most of my contemporaries are in their 40′s and 50′s yet all have laser sharp minds and a quickness of wit in which you have to participate to enjoy. Life is too short to be wholly serious even though we are mostly connected to issues that we believe will make a genuine difference. It should come as no surprise then that a number of those same colleagues figure in Vinnie’s book. I am both privileged and humbled to know them. But if The New Polymath was only about people then it would not be telling the whole story by any means. While it is people who bring change, it is business that executes upon their thoughts, ideas and inventions.
In the book, Vinnie initially draws upon the hundreds of innovations he has documented at his New Florence blog. He then extends that deep into the innovation centers of some of the world’s best known companies: BASF, GE, Salesforce.com, BP and others are showcased in detail. Did you know for instance that in regard to General Electric:
Jeff [Immelt, CEO] will likely go down in history as “Proton Jeff” as he encourages positive vibes toward all kinds of technology. GE Global Research is organized into 10 technology competencies: energy and propulsion, chemical technologies and materials characterization, material systems, biosciences, power conversion systems, electronic systems and controls, computing/decision sciences, imaging, micro and nano structures, and ceramics and metallurgy…
Immelt’s tribe is marching to a different tune as the company diversifies from its finance operations after the recent market turmoil and as it sells a majority interest in NBC Universal to the cable operator Comcast. Not that these PhDs just write esoteric papers or wear tweed jackets. They have Immelt’s DNA. They are the company’s ambassadors to the 14,000-plus visitors who annually visit the 550-acre campus: customers, collaborators, chiefs of state, and even curious media folk willing to look beyond the latest mobile device or social network for innovation.
They are a secret weapon of the sales team—they help close deals. A cynical prospect wondering what a health care presentation during his visit had to do with his interest in telematics finally had his “aha” moment: “Jeez, if they can track proteins which attach themselves to cancer cells, I am reasonably sure they can track the trucks in our supply chain.”
He then goes on to document and explain how this comes together. Vinnie does the same for many other companies. What you should be getting by now is that the notion of being skilled across multiple disciplines is not an option in the 21st century but a requirement. If you want to bring change. That’s not for everyone but for those professionals who are staring down the barrel of the commoditization gun – there really is no choice.
While the book lays out the groundwork for what it means to be a polymath, Vinnie stops short of providing the ’12 step program’ for achieving this state of grace. For some that will seem like being short changed. After all, there are a gazillion ‘how to…’ management books out there that will help you solve your problems. Or will they? I’ve never read a book yet that, given a formula, could lead me down a path towards guaranteed results. For that you have to find your own path. Others disagree, believing that Vinnie will encourage you to read between the lines. There is truth in that – for those that seek.
The key message for me doesn’t come in the innovations, fascinating though they are. It comes in the recognition that if we don’t mind living in change, then adapting to the ‘new’ world is something to embrace and not to fear. I particularly liked the pieces around ethics towards the end of the book. It seems to me and has done for a long time that without an ethical compass, we are lost. As Marc Benioff, CEO Salesforce.com says in his generous forward:
“Ethics must not be an after – thought, but woven into the culture of innovation. We live in a time of great change and with that comes great responsibility. In today’s business world, Milton Friedman’s famous mantra “ the business of business is business ” is dated. The business of business is not only business. The business of business is to do good while doing well.”
Putting friendship, camaraderie and all that aside what is there to commend The New Polymath? Vinnie takes a highly complex topic and deconstructs it into bite sized pieces you can easily ingest without losing depth. It’s a book you can start more or less anywhere, dip an and out of and without feeling that you are lost in the narrative. It is a book to which you can return time and again, discovering new insights. Does that appeal? If so then here’s an offer:
Tell me what you’d like to see in innovation over say the next 2-3 years where the notion of a polymath fits. You can email me, drop a comment, send a Twitter direct message, leave a voicemail on my cell phone – whatever works for you. I’ll pick someone out and make sure you get a signed copy of the book from Vinnie. That’s what friends are for. It surely doesn’t get much better than that? Oh but it does. Here’s a second offer. Check out the WOW contest. And no, voting for this doesn’t count! Watch for the closing date.
Bonus – video at the top: Vinnie talking about communities and polymaths to a group centered on innovation I filmed in Boston the other week: 2mins 28 secs
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