Author Archives: DieterL

What Zen Taught Silicon Valley (And Steve Jobs) About Innovation

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SEVERAL NEW BOOKS EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SILICON VALLEY INNOVATION AND EASTERN PHILOSOPHY. SO CAN ANCIENT PRINCIPLES HELP SPARK MODERN BREAKTHROUGHS?

Was the revolutionary circular scroll wheel on the Apple iPod inspired bykinhin, the Zen practice of walking in circles while meditating? There’s no hard evidence, but a new book, The Zen of Steve Jobs, suggests a connection. The illustrated and partly fictionalized book, which focuses on the real-life relationship between the late Apple co-founder and a Zen Buddhist priest, juxtaposes the lessons Jobs learned from his Zen master with design breakthroughs in his products. In so doing, the book picks up and expands on a theme also discussed in Walter Isaacson’s recent biography of Jobs: that the great innovator was, himself, greatly influenced by Zen principles and practices.
Which raises a question that may seem crude, aggressively Western, and not at all Zen: Can the rest of us boost our innovation mojo by applying some of these centuries-old principles to modern-day challenges?

18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done

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18 MINUTES was born after a blog post I wrote for the Harvard Business Review became one of the most popular and most commented posts on the site. The post, titled “An 18 Minute Plan for Managing Your Day,” began with a humbling admission:

“Yesterday started with the best of intentions. I walked into my office in the morning with a vague sense of what I wanted to accomplish. Then I sat down, turned on my computer, and checked my email. Two hours later, after fighting several fires, solving other people’s problems, and dealing with whatever happened to be thrown at me through my computer and phone, I could hardly remember what I had set out to accomplish when I first turned on my computer. I’d been ambushed. And I know better.”

Think about your own daily battles with work tasks and obligations. Have you … continue

How To Change Your Mind

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“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” – George Bernard Shaw
Some people would rather hack off a limb than change their mind.
Perhaps a slight exaggeration, but it doesn’t change the fact that changing your mind is one of the hardest things you can ever do.
Once you have a specific idea in your head – whether it’s an idea about who someone is, the way something should work, the way something happened or the way somethingshould happen – it becomes sticky.  Your brain becomes attached to it and expects it to be there, just like you with that limb of yours.
With a stubborn streak a mile-wide, I know this all too well.
But sticking stubbornly to your view of the world is like boarding yourself into your living room, switching the lights off and hiding under the sofa cushions.  It’s kinda limiting.
So here’s how to make changing your mind easy.

PASSIVE AGGRESSION: MEET YOUR NEEDS BY COMMUNICATING CLEARLY

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A couple of weeks ago, while reading a post on a different personal development site, I found a comment from a reader who seemed to question the blogger’s intentions and integrity, as it pertains to how he does business.
This reader was direct. She didn’t beat around the bush; she came right out and communicated how she felt. For this reason, and because the comment was based in assumptions, it read as somewhat harsh and judgmental.
Another reader responded to that comment, starting with something along the lines of, “Wow, now isn’t this a wonderful learning opportunity for both of you!”

HELP PEOPLE FEEL BETTER: THE POWER OF UNDERSTANDING

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“When you judge another, you do not define them. You define yourself.” ~Wayne Dyer
I used to be someone who always gave my opinion, or confronted issues in relationships regardless of whether someone was in the mood for what I had to say.
I always brought up whatever was bothering me or said my opinion, perhaps in not so tactful ways. Needless to say, this led to a lot of emotional confrontations and blowouts with friends and family members, sometimes destroying important relationships.
I justified my actions by thinking that people deserved to hear the truth, no matter what.
Despite my strong opinions, loved ones still came to me for advice or help when they were in need. This might have been because I seemed like a well-grounded person with strong convictions—someone who knew what to do.
When giving my opinion or advice, I would always think to myself, “Well, they are coming to me for the truth, so they deserve to hear it no matter how bad it might sound.”
While I thought my advice came from a place of caring, it would take years before I realized how selfish and thoughtless I was being.