John Kao: Nexialism, Teaching at Harvard Business School, and Apprenticing with Frank Zappa
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Welcome to Episode 28 of the Ben & Tony Podcast, where the world’s most interesting people tell their stories!
John Kao has been called ‘Mr. Creativity’ by The Economist. As a self-styled 'innovation activist,' John’s greatest pleasure is working with people who are on the hot seat to deliver a meaningful innovation agenda, especially in these disrupted times.
Anthony’s Take:
Having grown up in the creative expression of the 1960s, John had the distinct pleasure of being an apprentice to legendary artist Frank Zappa. That formative moment of his youth helped inspire his perspective on the world and fueled his creativity. I love people like John, who are truly interdisciplinary. From working in film to music to medicine to academia to political advisory to business, he’s had a truly interesting life. Listen to this episode for inspiration, life advice, and so much more.
Ben’s Take:
Words like ‘holistic’, ‘synergistic’, and ‘bringing together everything-fistic’ are overused in a big way in business. But John Kao brings all three back to their original, intended meaning. Weaving together his brilliant array of interests and experiences, John makes meaningful conclusions that actually do open the doors to both economic and social progress. We spoke to his becoming a fully qualified doctor, teaching Harvard MBAs as a Professor there, apprenticing in Jazz under none other than Frank Zappa, all the way through to what it is to be a celebrity today and why he believes creativity is a teachable, learnable set of activities. The Economist named him ‘Mr. Creativity’, and I’m in agreement.
What did we talk about?
Discovering the discipline of Nexialism
Becoming a fully qualified Doctor
Apprenticing to Frank Zappa
The role of jazz in the world today
Improvisation as a social good
When is improvisation appropriate?
The balance between structure and freedom
The role of culture in stimulating creativity
Creativity is a teachable, learnable set of activities
The germination of a new idea, and nurturing it
The changing nature of creativity in American society
The nature of celebrity today
Having a cannon of values
The Six Intelligences framework
Advice for young people
Find John Here: https://twitter.com/johnkao
Find Ben Here: https://twitter.com/mrhartben
Find Anthony Here: https://twitter.com/AnthonyMcG2
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We hope you enjoyed this one & look forward to seeing you next time!
Your friends,
Ben & Tony