Bloc Thinking

Running a business is not for everyone - but designers face an even steeper uphill battle. So why are some of us so ill-equipped when it comes to transitioning into business leadership roles?  German Leon is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer at GESTOOS, where they enable cameras and sensors to see, understand and respond to human movement and behaviour using Artificial Intelligence.   With roots in interaction and user experience design, German has embraced his new role as a business leader. We will be discussing how he was able to make this transition and get an inside look into his company's history and vision for the future of AI technology.

What if you could stop looking for work and let your next job find you?  Jeff Gothelf is a recognized Lean thinking and design evangelist and a global Lean UX movement founder.   Now, imagine you could repurpose the principles Jeff has been championing and apply them to your career? That’s exactly what he has done in his time in the corporate world and the businesses he established. In his new book, Forever Employable, he demonstrates how to create your content, use it to develop your expertise, and then scale it to build a continuous stream of income, interaction, and community.

Thought leadership is a phrase used to describe any number of activities, but few have been able to master its potential. These pursuits can build bridges between ideas and action, driving business results, according to Bill Sherman.  Bill is the COO at Thought Leadership Leverage and co-host of the podcast "Leveraging Thought Leadership". He and his team develop strategies to rescue innovative business ideas often suffocating beneath layers of ambiguity.  Explore how you can build a bridge between your ideas and action to drive measurable results on this week's Creative Coffee Break with special guest, Bill Sherman.

Curiosity is one of our innate superpowers. It powers the human race and fuels innovation. It's what drives us to create new things and explore the world around us.  More than often, Curiosity can be less present or move to the background.  Anthony Rocco, an Experience Designer & Strategist, joins me this week to talk about Curiosity and how to go about re-igniting it.

A story is a way for people to talk about what they know and what they care about. It's a way to connect with an audience. And it's a way to build trust.  Fei Wu is a content creator and digital marketer who helps small businesses and creative entrepreneurs tell better stories, find more customers and create new revenue streams.   Join the conversation this Thursday the 20th at 1 pm ET to hear her story and ask questions about how you can find your story and share it in a way that connects with your audience.

Shifting the traditional concept of mentorship into reverse to gain forward momentum. Reverse mentorship is a new concept in the workplace that will change the way we do things. According to this week's guest on the Creative Coffee Break, this approach allows senior team members to learn from junior ones and vice versa. How can you leverage the unique strategic and cultural perspective of junior team members to stay relevant? Come drink at the fountain of youthful insights with my guest, social Entrepreneur, Joshua Nuttall.

One of the best ways to improve your business is to research your customers and prospects. Research can be a huge time suck, complicated, and sometimes expensive.  Research is rocket-fuel, not a phase, according to, Kasia Gawlik a seasoned strategist, experience design leader, and guest on this week’s Creative Coffee Break.   Kasia shares her tips on how you can do research with even a small investment, and if you make it wisely it can lead to some really great results.

Are you interested in building a more sustainable business? Join us this week for a discussion with Dennis Geelen, author of the 'The Zero In Formula' and Customer Experience & Innovation Consultant. We discussed what it takes to build a more effective and sustainable business, along with some practical principles from Dennis to guide the discussion.  You will leave this session with a better understanding of how you can apply the Zero In Formula in your own business and create an experience that is truly disruptive!

Can you find fulfilment in your career? What does the word "career" mean to an entrepreneur? Or, if you're getting a little grey like me, how can I go about looking for new challenges after so many years in the market? What's even worse. We only start thinking about these things when we're looking to make a change - leaving us frustrated and overwhelmed.  I know someone with the answers and some guidance! Executive and Career Coach Tammy Gooler Loeb is on a quest to inspire you to engage in fulfilling, meaningful, and satisfying work. Sounds good, right?    Tammy is the host of the weekly podcast Work From The Inside Out. She is also the author of "Work From The Inside Out: Break Through The Obstacles and Define a Career That Fulfills You", due for publication in soon.

Have you booked that meeting recently? Two or more people on the invite? Guess what, you are an event owner. However, event design is more than agendas and aesthetics – they need to drive meaningful change and deliver measurable results.   

Anthony Vade, North America Director of the Event Design Collective, sharing thoughts on how to design events that drive meaningful change.  Design your event: How to make your meetings matter ft. Antony Vade.  

My guest is on a mission to help 1 Million people to innovate. It’s brave. It’s bold. It’s Jens Heitland!  Jens is a former global head of Innovation at IKEA, has taken on this ambitious goal as a consultant, coach and entrepreneur. I’ll be twisting his arm this Friday at 1 PM CET to teach me a few innovation tricks and how he aims to reach the audacious goal by the end of the year.  

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Have you noticed how we have become so used to equating walls of sticky notes with innovation and design-related activities? Tamara and Shawna say it's time to burn those walls of sticky notes and focus on outcomes by unlocking your team's creative potential.   Shawna and Tamara Eberle are Partners at Traction Strategy as well as co-founders of the Traction Toolbox.

This is a shared episode from the Jens Heitland Podcast. The "Innovation breakfast" format, where Jens meets with previous guests to explore specific topics related to entrepreneurship and innovation.  

Today's topic is leading cultural transitions

We're catching up with a quick update as we navigate the pandemic. A lot has changed, but just as many things have changed, some even for the better.

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