C.E.O. EXCHANGE : Where Do Breakthroughs Come From? :Contributing Correspondent: Ted Santos

Ted Santos

In a time where global economies continue to consolidate, innovation becomes more essential than ever. More than fifty years ago, the US was by far the dominant force in global trade. The world depended on our innovation. Now, other countries compete with us. While improvements are necessary, going forward, the wealthiest countries will be the creators of breakthroughs, some technology or advancement that hasn’t existed before. Those countries will attract and retain the most brilliant minds and stay one step ahead.
Most experts in science or business give great explanations for how breakthroughs are created. However, like Monday morning quarterbacks, they give explanations after the fact. The biggest problem with an explanation is that it gives people no access to producing breakthroughs. It’s a description of the dish, but not a recipe.

Breakthroughs come from nothing and they change the future and our behavior forever. Before the typewriter there was nothing. Before the computer there was nothing. In hindsight, it is easy to explain the transition from nothing to typewriter to computer. However, no one saw it ahead of time. We had to go through the progression. And not everyone thought of it. Why not?

The business of possibility is messy. Inventing from nothing requires you think through a tremendous amount of uncertainty. At the same time, if you can get your mind to think nothing, everything is possible. While that may sound Pollyanna, I don’t mean it that way.

Every manager needs to do this exercise periodically. Take a step back and consider that coming from nothingness is a more efficient path to a breakthrough than attempting to build on top of what already exists. The goal of the exercise is to be with nothing. For most people, this is nearly impossible. Why? Because you will be stuck with a borage of thoughts like, why do I have to do this? This is boring. What am I getting out of this? What now? What do I want to eat? Etc. You may even have visual pictures in your head.
And maybe the toughest question: Why is this exercise important? Because, when you can be with nothing, you let go of presuppositions. What presuppositions did Sony have about MP3 players? Most people miss the opportunity to invent breakthroughs because they have already predetermined what is possible or impossible. Most importantly, people already know their own limitations without ever experiencing the situation. How many times have you heard someone say: I was not meant to be a manager. Once you make this declaration, you spend the rest of your time looking for evidence to support what you already know. Why? No one wants to be wrong. Everyone believes they are smart, especially when it comes to understanding themselves.

When you can get to nothing, you let go of predetermined beliefs. You let go of the beliefs that you were given to be true. From there, you can start to ask yourself important questions like, what do I stand for? Or, if I were identified as my commitment, who would I be seen as?

In this exercise, you would have to develop a new philosophy: nothing is more valuable than something. Changing that mindset alone can lead you to a new paradigm and the possibility of a breakthrough.
What do you think? I would love to hear what you think. Or if you want to write me on a specific topic, connect through my blog www.turnaroundip.blogspot.com.

Exploring Youth Violence and Mental Health Correspondent: MG Media

Educator Mr Robinson and DeShawn
 has confrontation (Photo: Victor Powell)

An exclusive group of community leaders, educators and media showed up last week to see the premiere of the much talked about theater production, It Shoudda Been Me, an insightful, compelling stage play taking a look at the impact of youth violence on the psyche of its survivors.

“It Shoudda Been Me” was written by Doriane C. Miller, MD, associate professor of medicine and director for the Center for Community Health and Vitality at the University of Chicago Medicine. Miller was inspired to create this story after being struck by the nonchalance of her young patients impacted by violence.

"The play came out of observation with clients at Friend Family Health Center. I had seen a number of clients from 18-25, who had experienced shootings and stabbings. Some of these young people seem to have the same symptoms as victims of war. Many of these young people had started engaging in risky behavior. They lacked focus and seemed to think violence was normal. Some even openly stated that they didn't expect to live very long," candidly expressed Dr. Miller.

Family converges to support DeShawn's
mental troubles (Photo: Victor Powell)

After the play, there was a Q&A discussion with thought leaders and community activists including Tio Hardiman, Vaun Monroe, Ernest Sanders, Phillip Thomas; and facilitator Dr. Eric E. Whitaker. The casts also joined in the discussion: Kona Burks, Ingrid Gaitor, Darren Jones, Osiris Khepera and Matthew Lloyd. There was a warm welcome by executive vice president for medical affairs at The University of Chicago Medicine, Dr. Kenneth S. Polonksy.

The panelists and cast members had a very heartfelt chat fest and the packed theater delivered meaningful and truthful questions showing their concerns about this epidemic sweeping communities. The diverse audience understood that teen and youth violence happens everywhere and is not secluded to any particular neighborhood.

"It Shoudda Been Me" is an initiative by the University of Chicago Medicine. The play is in full mode at eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. Chicago Ave. (Chicago). Everyone who has a child should take their offspring’s and mentees, or if you're an educator with school aged kids, you should be planning a field trip to see this play immediately.

POLITICS AS USUAL: The Bottom Up Campaign Contributing Correspondent: CDW

Jean - Claude Brizard

The "Bottoms Up Campaign" was created by Commissioner Pat Horton for the single purpose of motivating voters to start at the bottom of the ballot. Because too often people over look the candidates at the bottom of the ballot, who are mainly JUDGES. And to most voters’ surprise, judges are more important than the select political positions that are listed at the very top of ballots.
Judges play a role in everybody’s daily lives, when other positions like State Reps., State Senators, Aldermen or Congress people are crucial, they don't have day-to-day impact on the lives of voters or non voters.

Anyone who gets parking or speeding tickets and attempts to contest those tickets most do so in front of a judge. If you get notices about your taxes, your family issues like divorce or kid support or if your business is faced with a lawsuit, you most dispute those challenges in front of a judge. And if you are dealing with juvenile issues, or facing criminal encounters, a judge will decide your faith.

Think about this! When now Mayor Emanuel was stampeding his will on Chicago trying to succeed former Mayor Daley, he was challenged by some for his residency, and several judges were ultimately responsible in deciding rather he would be eligible or not to compete as a mayoral candidate. And lets not forget the Supreme Court body of judges that gave George W. Bush the 43rd presidency of the United States.
So commissioner Horton was on point in her insight that voters should now pay more attention to the people they elect as judges. And voters need to start at the bottom and proceed up to the top of the ballot, because who sits on the tens of dozens of judge benches throughout Cook County determines your freedom. For more on Horton's observation, see her video link: http://youtu.be/gNvad0cFYKg.

EDUCATION NATION
NOW I know why Mayor Rahm hired an outsider to be CEO of Chicago Public School. Emanuel knew what direction he was taken in terms of trying to destroy the teacher's union and public education. He knew he was going to cause a national uproar and he needed someone who had no connections to Chicago or the state of Illinois.

So he went thousands of miles away to get a foreigner to come to Chicago and be the face or what I'm calling the gofer that does the mayor's bidding while taking the heat without any personal or emotional empathy. Brizard doesn't have family or friends in Chicago or in the public school system. So he doesn’t have to be concerned with affecting his relatives or close friends and associates in making these drastic cuts and displacing teachers, students and strong arming the unions. And guest what? He’s not carrying the mayor's water; he's even pouring the mayor a drink when he needs it. That is the meaning of a gofer or a catty.

I'm all for better schools and more responsible parents playing a bigger role in their children's education. But parents don't install working air conditions in schools. Parents don't supply the schools with toilet paper in the bathrooms. Parents don't make sure each student has text books. And parents don't make sure the school is safe and functioning and not perceived as an abandon building. Most importantly, parents don't hire instructors and oversee the curriculum; that's the job of CPS administration!

The parent's responsibility is to assure that their children are equipped with the right mentality and attitude to understand the purpose of learning institutions. And parents are to make sure their child is motivated to obtain and retain what's being delivered to them by the select schools of their choice.

This is what the parent's jobs are in terms of preparing their offspring’s for the future. So to keep blaming parents, Lord knows they have to carry some of the major burden; but they can't be blamed for non-functioning and inadequate schools that lack basic elements for learning and teaching.