Character and Value
I have always believed that you don’t have to agree with people just to be agreeable or disagree just to rebel but rather, we should engage in a meaningful conversation.
And that’s what this conference was to me. Sitting on the other side of the room listening to great speakers talk, there were times that I was nodding like a bobble-head and there were times I was so stirred up, when I went back to my hotel room, I was busy googling and researching to find out what was this guy talking about! That’s the best part of this conference, it made me re-think my thought process; what I know now and what I have yet to learn. I felt like an eager grasshopper, prancing around the auditorium, waiting for the sifus to ascend their wisdom to me…
Therefore, instead of my covering every single segment of the conference, I want to share with you one of the conversations I had with myself.
When Bill Buxton and Claudia Kotchka discussed about how to transform large organizations through design thinking I was particularly attentive. Maybe it’s because I’ve personally struggled with this for many years. Claudia gave an enlightening statement; that problem solving can be normal and natural to us designers, but it may be a different process for business people. Bill also asked us to look at history; drawing parallels of this design-business relationship in corporate cultures and look at how women confronted and tackled dynamic issues in the workforce. I really loved that.
I have one more facet to interject, which is a CULTURAL one. Having been born and raised in Malaysia, I used to think that mba holders and ceos are more superior than creatives. You have to understand that, earning a living in the creative field is a PRIVELEGE, in most developing countries. Students who have the ability to obtain tertiary education, commonly opt for a vocational and science track which can then be easily translated to jobs in manufacturing or medical field. (Most of these jobs actually support the big corporations in the West). But this was what families have to do to put food on the table. Why would parents send their kids to college to obtain arts degree only to risk landing low-paying jobs…or none at all? Now you see why most Asians, are good at mathematics?
Nonetheless, the socio-economic situation in developing countries and Asia, is slowly changing in the last 15 years. They now know that in order to produce LEADERS, you have to instill innovative thinking, creativity and arts. They don’t want to be followers or laborers, but be pioneers. Maybe that’s why Toyota is one of the most innovative car companies in the world today??
When my father grew up under the British law, he said he was lucky, because he breathed Shakespeare. And in return, I was reading Charles Dickens and Jane Eyre when I was 9. I had the “luxury” to actually choose painting over chemistry. But he knew the only way for me to flourish as a creative was to go to the West.
My father once tried to analyze what type of a businesswoman I was. He said, when facing a wall (problem) in your business, how do you go about getting past the wall?
I threw out a couple ideas. I said, depending on my resources, if I had very little, I would inspire the people around me to assist, make me a rope or help me tear down the wall. My theory was, if I could get a village behind me, we could knock down that wall and bring all of them with me. I would have increased my network of supporters, included them in the whole strategy/process and ultimately made me a stronger brand.
My father’s solution: He would immediately call upon his military friend to blow up the wall and remove the problem once and for all! My respond to that was, but you just killed all the people in the village!! Funny, who am I to judge his solution as he has survived 3 recessions in Asia and I am the one struggling through this one recession in the U.S.
I guess the real question is how big is the wall, what are my resources, how much time and what is my end goal. Finally, I have to consider, WHERE is this wall. Certainly, if this was in Asia, I would have a completely different approach. But it’s just not in me to harm any villagers!
