When Your Way of Working Stops Working with Dr Patterson Stark
What happens when the way you’ve learned to succeed is no longer a way you’re willing to live? After a life-threatening illness, Dr Patterson Stark didn’t simply recover and return to his old working life. He stayed away from clinical practice for 16 years. He was afraid that going back would mean returning to the […]
Why Adults Become Sixth Graders with Linda Gidlund
Put a group of successful, educated adults into a training room and something strange can happen: They start behaving like sixth graders. Educator and facilitator Linda Gidlund began noticing this pattern while working with adult learners. Then she noticed something similar happening much closer to home. What is it about certain environments that can bring […]
Why His Professor Told Him to Skip Class with Michael Henderson
Michael Henderson’s anthropology professor gave his students some unusual advice: “If you find an interesting cultural experience, go and do that… and don’t come to my lectures.” Michael took him seriously. Unable to understand reggae music, he forced himself to keep listening. What happened next changed the way he thought about learning, culture and experience […]
Why Information Doesn’t Change People with Dr Patterson Stark
Why is it that we often know exactly what to do… but still don’t do it? Dr Patterson Stark spent years believing that if his patients simply had enough information, they’d make better decisions. Experience taught him otherwise. In this short conversation, he reflects on the shift that changed not only the way he practises medicine, […]
The Surprising Reason an Anthropologist Excels at AI
Michael Henderson describes himself as atrocious with technology. So why has an anthropologist become surprisingly good at using AI? Michael traces the answer back to something his anthropology professor noticed about him decades ago. He was struggling in many of his university subjects, but consistently getting top marks in anthropology. The difference wasn’t how much he […]
Why Experts Notice Things You Don’t with Michael Henderson
Most people think experience is about knowing more. But what if its greatest gift is something else entirely? In this excerpt from On Experience, corporate anthropologist Michael Henderson explains why experts don’t necessarily see more than everyone else. If you’ve ever wondered why experienced people seem to spot opportunities, problems or patterns before everyone else, this […]
How Experience Changes Meaning with Linda Gidlund
You may know what “bring a plate” means. But do you know why? It sounds like a simple question. But in this On Experience conversation with Linda Gidlund, it becomes the starting point for a much bigger discussion about experience, culture and the hidden meanings we take for granted. Sometimes the words don’t change, but […]
Why Gratitude Replaced Ambition with Dr Patterson Stark
There comes a point in many careers where ambition isn’t enough anymore. You’ve achieved things, built a career, learnt your craft and been rewarded along the way. But what keeps you going after that? In this conversation, Dr Patterson Stark, reflects on the life-threatening experience that changed not only how he practised medicine, but what began to […]
A Comic Book and Sustainability with Philippe Guichard
For Industrial Designer Philippe Guichard sustainability started before his career began in the unlikely place of a comic book. Since then, it is been a normal part of his design process and how he sees the world. In this excerpt from On Experience, Philippe tells the simple story of how a man and his son in […]
Failure Changed My Design Philosophy with Philippe Guichard
When Industrial Designer Philippe Guichard started his career as a designer, success was partly about proving himself. Then he lost everything. In this excerpt from On Experience, Philippe reflects on how losing his business, combined with years of meditation practice, fundamentally changed the way he approaches design, work and life. What emerged wasn’t a better design process. It […]