Human Innovation, Smart Machines with Ed Hess

OutsideVoices with Mark Bidwell

In this episode, we are joined by author and professor, Ed Hess. Ed has published several notable books on learning and innovation including Learn or Die and his most recent work, Humility is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age. Ed is currently a professor, Batten Executive-in-Residence and Batten Faculty Fellow at the Darden Graduate Business School at the University of Virginia.

What is Covered

• The company of the future in the smart machine age is one where innovation is the strategic differentiator - as operational excellence is going to be primarily technology enabled
• How human learning underpins both operational excellence and innovation
• Why mitigating and overcoming fear and ego is the key to becoming a better learner.

Key Takeaways and Learnings

• ‘Unbossing’ and how to create an idea meritocracy by devaluing the hierarchy of empowerment.
• How the future of technology will humanize business, help people to overcome their own personal limitations and develop as highly creative, intuitive, and innovative human beings.
• How changing our mental models can help us develop listening and engagement skills to connect with others to drive innovation.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode

• Get in touch with Ed Hess via email, LinkedIn or Twitter
• Darden Business School at the University of Virginia
• Learn or Die, a book by Ed Hess
• Humility Is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age, a book by Ed Hess
• Bridgewater Associates
• Sacred Knowledge: Psychedelics and Religious Experiences, a book by William Richards
• Bone Games: Extreme Sports, Shamanism, Zen, and the Search for Transcendence, a book by Rob Schultheis
• Hacking Flow: How to Make Outperformance a Habit with Steven Kotler – OutsideVoice Podcast