P.I. Podcast: Interview with Matthew May
July 28th, 2009
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with author Matthew May about his new book, In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing. Matt has written a very compelling book that begins with a unusual contribution from author, blogger and all-around web guru Guy Kawasaki. As promised near the start of the podcast, here is Guy’s unique “tweet-length” foreword:
“Less is the new more.” Easy to learn: symmetry, seduction, subtraction, and sustainability. Very valuable to do. Step 1: Read Matt’s book!!
Pretty cool, huh? Following Guy’s advice, Matt and I explore all four of these intriguing “s” concepts, but the topic we discuss that resonated with me most deeply is the notion that perhaps “less is best.” As Matt points out, we have a bias for action in Western organizations that often leads us to pursue “more” as the holy grail of our success. It’s worth considering whether in a time of economic downturn we can bring greater focus to our fewer resources, embrace the idea of doing less and identify the kinds of simple and elegant solutions Matt writes about in the book. I still wonder if leaders and organizations have sufficient patience to embrace this mindset, especially right now when we’re all rather impatient to have the recession, and all the pain it is causing, to reach its end.
If you’re willing to consider a different way of thinking about innovation, I urge you to pick up In Pursuit of Elegance and to listen to my very rich conversation with Matt May. (And when you do listen, let me apologize for the sound imperfections, including the vocal imperfections of the host. Need to get rid of that guy. ;>)
The podcast is 55 minutes in length. If you’re viewing this post on the P.I. Blog, you will see an embedded podcast player below. You can download the podcast here.
If you’re receiving this post by e-mail or RSS, you will see a second download link below. (50 MB download)
As always, I welcome your comments, feedback and suggestions for future guests on the podcast. There are more podcasts on the horizon for August, including one with a big-name business author in the first ten days of the month, so stay tuned…
Please follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/pinnovation.
Entry Filed under: Principled Innovation Blog, What's New?, Social Media, PI Interviews, Audioblogs & Podcasts, Innovation, Associations, Extreme Makeover, The Association Innovator, Simplicity, We Have Always Done It That Way, Garage Memes
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