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An Interview with Michael Gelb, author of “How to think like DaVinci”

Michael J. Gelb is a writer and trainer who specializes in personal development and corporate training seminars with organizations such as BP, Nike, Merck, IBM, and Microsoft. Gelb is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the fields of creative thinking, accelerated learning and innovative leadership.  A fourth degree black belt in the Japanese martial art of Aikido, Gelb’s work has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post and Training Magazine. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, CNN’s Business Unusual and on countless radio programs including live interviews with NPR and the BBC World Service.

Chris describes his experience:

From my earliest days of study, I’ve always had an intense interest in Leonardo DaVinci.  Ideally, I could interview the man himself and discover his secrets to success in developing his mind and impacting the world around him.  The best I could do was read books about him, search through his journals, and copy his art.  Then, I read a book called How to Think Like DaVinci and it took my thinking to a whole new level.  And then, I found a way to interview the author, Michael Gelb.  Here are some of the insights I gathered:

I liked how your book targeted specifics about how DaVinci developed himself in his life. How did you how did you go about writing it?

MG:  I experience success when people read my books or come in my seminars and they are inspired to ask questions and think about how they can enrich the quality of their own life.  Leonardo was a perfect representation of human potential.  He represents an archetype really of human possibilities and was universal. The name in Italian is “Uomo universale” – the universal man.

DaVinci was the true Renaissance man.  When I really decided to immerse myself in the subject of his life, I read and re-read his notebooks.  I read all the scholarly works about him.  I went to the place he was born and the place he died and wherever possible I walked in his footsteps.  I looked at the world from his point of view. I remember being in his room where he lived for the last three years of his life in Amboise, France, looking out his bedroom window and imagining how he saw the world. I went to the Louvre and the National gallery and looked at his works.  And I started dreaming about him and it was out of those dreams and that an intense emergence of the seven principles to thinking like Leonardo emerged.

That’s really fascinating.  How you have been able to translate those principles you put together in the book into a format where you are able to teach them in training and seminars, etc.?

MG: Well it’s a natural expression of living those principles myself and applying exercises that are in the book.  Succeeding as a trainer requires immersing yourself in that process of personal growth. You have to learn enough, study enough, and gain enough insight.  The role of somebody who is going to be a trainer or a teacher in the field of self-development is to bring their own unique, original insight and creativity to the expression of those universal ideas.  So I did it by linking it with Leonardo and coming up with seven DaVinci principles.  I’ve also done it in many other formats in other books, based on original inspirations that I had and metaphors that I thought were useful like juggling, chess, or martial arts or from other geniuses throughout history.  For me, those are useful and inspiring ways for people to make a connection with the timeless universal principals.

Kerry Patterson, NY Times bestselling author

Not too long ago, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Kerry Patterson, co-author of the New York Times bestselling book “Influencer”–not to mention the fact that he’s featured in popular media outlets that include the likes of Forbes.  He happens to be one of the most insightful and intelligent people I’ve ever met.  Some of the take-aways from the interview were: 1) Never eat lunch alone (in other words, always be networking with others), 2) Manage your Manager effectively, 3) Impact and influence. 

The third point is elobarated in a highly-recommended article that Kerry and his colleagues put together found here.

We’d like to hear what you have to say about developing yourself, mentoring, etc. 

You can win a $1000 grant or $50 Amazon gift card by participating in our IMNO/Get in Their Shoes survey.  Click here to get started.

When we recently interviewed NY Times bestselling author Daniel Pink, he had a lot to say about motivation.  In fact, he told us that motivation has little or nothing to do with money, and everything to do with things like Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.  Check out this video that highlights Pink’s interesting perspective. 

From this, you may realize something about yourself– your career and life aspirations are all about purpose, achieving something greater, doing it well, and having the freedom to do it in the way that best fits your style.  This is a powerful lesson.

Thoughts?

–Chris

"Even Superman Needs a Dad", by Liz Lemon Swindle

My three year old son, Danny, asked me, “Daddy, what do you want to be when you grow up?”  Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, I thought for a minute, then I gave him my standard answer: a businessman/teacher/artist.  It was my go-to response, the one that keeps me going.  It covers everything I enjoy professionally, and represents what I want to do now and in the future.  Then, I flipped the question, asking Danny what he wants to be when he grows up.

“A Firefighter, a Cowboy, a Superhero, and a ‘Hiya’ Guy,” he responded.  Essentially, he was saying, “I want to be someone who is ridiculously tough, has superpowers, knows wicked martial arts moves, and saves people.  When he stated his answer, he said it with pure confidence that it would happen and as if anyone who questioned it would be insane to even think of obstructing the truth.  Suddenly, I found myself wanting Danny’s career path more than my own.

Why was I instantly ready to abandon my own future plans and join my son in putting out massive fires, protecting livestock, kicking the evil out of criminals, and saving the world?  Because it is awesome! So, what do I do?  What do we do when our plans don’t seem to measure up with the world-saving plans of a dewy-eyed, eternally optimistic three year old?  Re-think, re-imagine, and restore.

Re-think your work. Is it really what you want to do for eight hours a day, 50 weeks a year?  Is there something more to it?  Are there hidden strengths and talents you need to share with the world that you may have overlooked or neglected?  The best advice I ever received was to write down on a 3×5 card the top three things you enjoy doing the most.  Then, circle the top one, and go out and find someone who will pay you to do it.

Re-imagine your plan. Consider the castles in the sky you envisioned as a child.  Yes, maybe some of them are still unrealistic, like jumping off a roof and actually flying, but some are still possible.  Think about the plans you had to create amazing works of art, to build the house of your dreams, to start a business, to get an advanced degree, to run for political office, to become the very best in the world at whatever.  Albert Einstein, one of the most knowledgeable people who ever lived, once declared, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Create your career and life plans based on your imagination, and you will soon find yourself achieving the impossible.

Restore your life. Remember the inspiring feelings you had when you wanted to change the world.  Think of the times you saw people suffering or struggling and wanted to take action.  No matter where you are, in whatever you choose to do, you can make a difference in how you serve your fellow beings.  Do it.  Make a difference.  Change the world.

–Chris

We’ve excited to announce an awesome auction of a breakthrough thought leader: Dr. Clotaire Rapaille.  Go to his auction here.  His bio is below.

Dr. G. Clotaire Rapaille is an internationally known expert in Archetype Discoveries and Creativity. His unique approach to marketing combines a psychiatrist’s depth of analysis with a businessman’s attention to practical concerns.  He has written more than ten books on these topics.  One of his books, Creative Communication, has become the standard reference for the French advertising industry.  He is a sought-after lecturer on creativity and communication.

Dr. Rapaille’s technique for market research has grown out of his work in the areas of psychiatry, psychology, and cultural anthropology. His work is an extension of the work done by many of the great scholars of the twentieth century, including Jung, Laing, Levi-Strauss, and Ruth Benedict.

Dr. Rapaille’s psychiatric work and research with autistic children led him to develop a new process for understanding how children are imprinted for the first time by what he calls the Logic of Emotion, which is the code of each Cultural Archetype in the collective unconscious of a given culture.

Dr. Rapaille’s approach has been covered by 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II, Fox News, CNN Financial, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Fortune and Forbes. His newest book, The Culture Code has reached #7 on the Amazon Business Weekly List.

Dr. Rapaille’s world travels, a term in the diplomatic corps, and extensive marketing research on product archetypes for international corporations, have given him a fresh perspective on American business and American society.  He received a Masters of Political Science, a Masters of Psychology, and a Doctorate of Medical Anthropology from the Universite De Paris – Sorbonne.   He is fluent in English, French, and Spanish.

He has been retained by clients such as Citibank, Diner’s Club, GMAC Insurance, Kellogg, Kraft, Proctor & Gamble, Royal Trust, CIBC and Security Pacific Bank and dozens more Fortune 500 firms.