Today's episode with Rob Wolcott jumps in to his book, Proximity, which describes how every industry will change the rest of our careers, as well as his founding of the Kellogg Innovation Network, TWIN Global and his years as a professor across several leading universities.
As we discuss from his book, digital technologies of all sorts push the production of provision of value (products, services, experiences) ever closer to the MOMENT of demand in time and space. Few have noticed this trend, but when you see it, you see it everywhere. PROXIMITY offers unprecedented foresight for business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers... and for each of us as citizens.
We also discuss the power of serendipity and the joy of unexpected connections. Having been happily married for almost 25 years to my late wife, for whom Team Powdered Donut is dedicated, I love to ask couples how they met. Why? Because love stories are typically ones that come from wonderful unexpected connections. The ultimate serendipity engine.
And, that is the point of the podcast and my upcoming road trip via Airstream to all of the major cancer centers around the country. To find unexpected connections. Unexpected connections in one person’s story, and unexpected connections between stories. Because like Rob and I talk about, everything is getting closer. And, “One Story. One Moment. One Donut at a time.” I hope to bring us all closer to each other. To our one thing. And to love… and you’re going to love this episode!!
Who Is Rob Wolcott?
Adjunct Professor of Innovation, Booth, University of Chicago, and Kellogg, Northwestern University. 2007 – 2019, Clinical Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Kellogg. Four-time Teacher of the Year in Kellogg’s EMBA program. Visiting Fellow, Imperial College London.
Venture investor in nearly 50 companies and venture funds. Founder & Chair, TWIN Global (www.twinglobal.org), a global community of innovation leaders. Board member, Abroad.io and global non-profit CureBlindness Project.
Author: PROXIMITY, (Columbia University Press, 2024), shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Breakthrough Idea of 2025 award. His work has appeared in MIT Sloan Management Review, Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications worldwide. Contributor for Forbes on the impact of technology on business and humanity. BA, History; Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, Northwestern University.
Show Notes:
Proximity - How Coming Breakthroughs in Just-in-Time Transform Business, Society, and Daily Life
The fight with cancer - can a new internet change the terms of battle? | TEDxTallaght - The Atelier of Ideas | Gary Thompson | October 17, 2013
