Instantly Obsolete

I was in Portland last week to speak at DMI’s Design/Management Thinking Conference — Balancing Extremes: Tensions in Design. The two-day event, at the stunning Gerding Theatre, offered focused presentations, discussions, and interactive sessions with leading business and design leaders.

The program kicked off with John Hoke and Angela Snow, Nike’s VP of Global Design and Global Director of Creative Operations, who spoke about how tension in design fuels Nike’s breakthrough innovations. Thier big, bold keynote was peppered with high-energy videos featuring cutting-edge products and triumphal sports moments.

I immediately followed with my own session, Little ‘i’ Innovation, in which I proposed that committing to incremental improvements and pivoting on adjacent innovations are as critical to business success as the big breakthroughs ideas. It was a fitting juxtaposition. I was however compelled to employee the multi-talented Justin Timberlake to help me make my point.

A big thank you to the DMI and the conference organizers with a nod to co-chair Josh Levine of Great Monday.