In this episode, we talk about the importance of shared humanity within teams or groups. Bernie explains his original, and often awkward, icebreaker “When was the last time you…” and explains how Stanford's Design Group operated without a traditional leader for over 40 years.
From learning names with gestures to the “I like… I wish…” way of giving feedback, we explore Bernie's version of "radical collaboration" and why something as simple as where you sit can change your experience.
We're joined by Ade Mabogunje, longtime Stanford researcher, who shares arriving at Stanford from Nigeria and experiencing Bernie's "disorientation weekend"—which involved running through ponds and rolling in grass with professors. Plus, the story of the paper boat project that revealed an unexpected truth about persistence versus brilliance.
00:00 "When was the last time you..." icebreaker
04:04 The story behind Bernie's community-minded approach
05:14: Gestures to learn others’ names
06:32 Stanford's Design Group's evolution to become leaderless for 40+ years
09:26 Bill Moggridge has thoughts on Bernie’s PPT slides
13:14 "I like and I wish" for giving feedback
15:21 The physical power demonstration: making colleagues "taller" or "shorter"
16:28 Why where you sit affects your influence
20:12 Introducing Ade Mabogunje
21:41 Disorientation weekend
24:28 The paper boat project and the importance of stick-to-it-ness
27:21 Silicon Valley culture
30:16 Bernie on competition vs. cooperation
30:29 Bernie proves Jim Fadiman (the father of microdosing) wrong
Follow us on Instagram: @yelloweyedcatspodcast to see extras - we have a video of those paper boats!
Co-hosts: Bernie Roth & Krista Donaldson; Producer: Krista Donaldson
