Dr. Frederik Pferdt, former Chief Innovation Evangelist at Google and Stanford professor, expertly guides readers through the realm of innovation and creativity in his book, “What’s Next is Now: How to Life Future Ready.” The book is a blueprint for transforming challenges into opportunities using an open, innovative mindset.
Pferdt breaks down his philosophy chapter by chapter, offering practical applications and real-world examples. Highlights include:
Radical Optimism: Pferdt emphasizes the power of positive reframing to unlock opportunities and enhance collaboration. His use of the “yes, and” exercise from improv is particularly insightful for fostering an inclusive and innovative environment.
Unreserved Openness: This chapter teaches the importance of changing perspectives to overcome obstacles, encouraging readers to zoom out and reassess problems to find creative solutions.
Compulsive Curiosity: By embracing uncertainty and constantly experimenting, we can drive innovation. Pferdt’s advice to prototype as if you’re right but test as if you’re wrong is a compelling strategy for challenging assumptions and pushing boundaries.
Expansive Empathy: Understanding and valuing different perspectives is crucial for meaningful innovation. Pferdt introduces concepts like predictive empathy and the futures wheel to navigate and plan for potential outcomes.
Your Dimension X: This final chapter encourages readers to identify their unique superpowers and leverage them to shape their future. By embracing radical optimism, unreserved openness, compulsive curiosity, perpetual experimentation, and expansive empathy, we can become future-ready and seize opportunities.
Overall, “What’s Next is Now” is a treasure trove of concepts, activities, and anecdotes that inspire readers to innovate and create a future by choice, not chance. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to foster a culture of innovation.
