Call Recording: How to Unleash Your Genius with Max Kaizen

One of the big take-aways I got from Max in the call was the idea that genius isn’t something that unfolds in a linear, logical fashion. It’s full of surprises and in fact, adding an element of surprise to your life will help the genius to unfold. And it’s messy, full of mistakes and failure and has stuff you can’t control. And, unlike the structured, neat and tidy, linear learning process we’re given in most educational institutions, exposing yourself to surprises, messiness, risk and experiences that are outside of your comfort zone are all great ways to develop your genius.

And if this is what genius is about, then Max and I ran a seriously genius call last night… after many glitches and much surprise and messiness, the technology gremlins beat us in the form of an electric storm that killed Max’s connection to the call. So we didn’t get through everything Max would have liked to get through on this call.

Listen to the call now

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And here’s some gems Max wanted to add for you:

MAX: It’s often a little trying being a geekgirl in Africa, the interview was cauterized by an electrical storm that shattered the audio to bits. Herewith in more certain manifestation, the continuation of “Unleashing your Genius”…

CATH: Is genius a natural thing or can it be learned?

MAX: Genius is a force of evolution; there are those that embody the growing tip that has poked through into another space.time dimension representing the next possible human level.up. Which doesn’t mean that genius is entirely in the hands of the Fates to bestow upon the prodigies.

I recommended watching Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on creative genius, because I wholeheartedly agree that there is a bizarre “otherness” that geniuses seem to tap into that often looks suspiciously like a mental disease when it takes hold. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizophrenia, Multiple Personality Disorder, Mania ..there’s good reason to the saying that there’s a thin line between genius and madness. Visions and intelligence come pouring in unfiltered and untethered to any logical progression and it’s little wonder the gifted ones go :

Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.
— Arthur Schopenhauer

Genius is indeed natural, but can be nurtured too. *IF* we dare invoke it!

Again, I’d far rather promote the path of creating blazing intelligence (polite and prone to obeying your bidding) than wild stuck-my-finger-in-the-plug-socket-of-life genius, but doing the former often means you invite the latter. A bright healthy mind is more likely to hear the call to adventure and follow their curiosity down the rabbit.hole. Some however, have no choice; the genie has chosen them to bestow gifts upon without preparation or choice and the unrelenting visions and obsession totter the bearer into insanity. Case in point: the rival geniuses of Edison (nurtured and wordly) and Tesla (natural and naiive).

CATH: When we chatted in Jozi a few weeks ago, you talked a lot about the idea of lifelong learning. What is life-long learning and why is life-long learning so important and such a passion of yours when it comes to unleashing genius?

MAX: Now more than ever we humans are moving en masse into a new experience of adulthood, because of technology we’ve accelerated far beyond where our parents, teachers or sages can prepare us for. We don’t have the 4 000 year luxury to acclimatise to the radical changes in our brain physiology, to dealing with living far beyond the bounds of retirement and traditional old age. There’s another quarter of life, at least that seems to have opened up for those in developed countries. What now? What now when you don’t have a job for life, when we’re all racking up 14 career changes by 35. (Keep tracking the head warp on Shift Happens because the numbers have compound craziness).

Lifelong learning (it’s moved mercifully away from just serving the 3rd age community) is an exhilarating, life-enhancing way to LIVE rather than defer life to the 2 weeks out of 52, to when you retire, the kids grow up.. when when when. It’s damn difficult to go back to school after all of that – not just on jump-starting a rusty mind, but on pride. The delights of constant learning break off the callouses that may otherwise calcify our minds, keep us humble, tolerant and creative because when we learn we have to walk through the occasional foolishness and failure. The pruning keeps us young. Enhances our skill-set so we have more work choices. Enriches our social lives – with people who are keen to bend their own brains, the best kind! Offers us the blessing of being in evolution’s good books – a learning mind is an adaptive mind, change and surprise are not met with defense and terror and.. extinction.

Max’s Anti-Aging Hot Tip: [based on the much reviled 2nd Law of Thermodynamics] matter is prone to entropy, intelligence not. If we can harness intelligence and keep curiosity brimming we don’t suffer the curse of gravity and oxidation in the same way. Odd but true.

“People like you and I though mortal of course like everyone else
do not seem to grow old that matter how long we live.
we never cease to stand by curious children
Before the great mystery into which we were born”
- Einstein in a letter to his friend Otto Juliusberger.

CATH: Another thing you talk about with great passion is incorporating fun and play into learning content and contexts. Why is this so important in developing genius?

MAX: The most fundamental elements of accelerated learning are a relaxed and alert mind..and creating a fun experience. games are the most ancient and time-honored way of learning – in any species. Even in us ‘sophisticated’ humans.

Taking ourselves seriously, ups the chances of anger and self-abuse if we fail, of conservative thinking that locks out creativity if we feel we have to be successful from the get-go or lose face. It threatens our ego to show that we don’t have it all together. Taking ourselves seriously is the kryptonite to learning.

Fortunately, laughter is the antidote. It is a powerful medicine and needs to be used liberally especially when leading people out of fearful situations. Like learning a new skill or dealing with an old monster (being clear kills fear – learning about our terrors is sometimes the finest way to shrink a demon down to size.)

CATH: What about geniuses and perfectionism…? I’m a recovering perfectionist and a lot of the people I work with are perfectionists that get themselves stuck because of their perfectionism. What’s your advice for perfectionists who realize that their perfectionism is blocking their genius?

MAX: We discussed perfectionism as one of the critical struggles for geniuses and some of the ways to release the anxiety and get yourself a get-out-of-jail-free card every now and then. I’m repeating 2 things that are important here for emphasis, because more brilliant beings are ensnared by perfectionism any other single obstacle to genius.

Remember, the anxiety of unattainable standards and damning judgments wreak havoc on our biochemistry and make us ugly and stupid (WHAT!? hyperbole surely). Grab a friendly endocrinologist to take you through the horrors mental stress will exact on the body. The anxiety that courses through the blood, thickened by cortisol shrinks the brain, dissolves memories and thickens the middle as it packs on the fat to protect you from danger. Nasty, lethal habit, perfectionism.

• It usually seeds in the developmental stage with gifted children bored out of their wits at school. So my first suggestion is to don’t bore yourself – not as easy if you’re still incarcerated at an average school, but as a grown-up we have more choice. If you’re going to get a day-job to support your genius by night/weekends [don't judge: among others, Einstein did his time as a clerk and tinkered on the side.] You’re only a loser if you plonk in front of the TV or lurk with the beer.nut.brigade every opportunity you get (a little of either isn’t bad mind you, but without the urgency and a hint of obsession/passion it’ll be a slow smothering of the brilliance so get tinkering!)
• Develop good taste in problems. If you have a blazing complex intellect honed in on something that can be handled with simplicity and speed, the misplaced focus will burn like a laser and cause a fire of frustration. Hunt the problems that are commensurate with your capacity. Getting a nuclear physicist to knock out toothpaste ads is a recipe for disaster. Watch out for doing work smaller than your soul (no offense to toothpaste marketers!)

CATH: One of the greatest ways for developing yourself in a way that’s both fun and affirming is by hanging out with like-minded people. What are your tips on places where geniuses hang out (online and offline), for geniuses wanting to connect with like-minded tribe members?

MAX: Oh the joys of the Web! Bless it and Vint Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee too. We can all be global citizens and find our tribe now. Gone are the days of having to eke out the best in your hyper-local community.

One of the best ways to encourage genius is support. Genius begets genius. I’ve mentioned the social contagions that anthropologists have been seeing accelerate with the inception of social networks online.Very very few geniuses have forged their genius alone, the myth of the lonely soul in the basement being visited by the muses is debunked for the general case.

Einstein’s brain; extracted, pickled and prodded yielded something odd for those hunting his genius through physiology. Size was average, same number of rich neural networks as any other bright chap. What was unusual was the density of his network of glial cells, that support brain activity. The support structures around us are what will hold up, and make robust the fragility of genius and make it less prone to attack from the outside world.It works as a metaphor for success in the world beyond the squidgy brain matter too.

Those who’ve changed the face of their field, like nobel laureate Richard Feynman thrived on connecting and conversing with the very best minds of their time. There is something utterly, inexplicably lovely to hang out with people who “get” you, who share the same lexicon and delight in blowing out at the pioneering edge. they needn’t be working in the same discipline, but you KNOW people who are your tribe, those who share our resonant band. those who will give us courage on when we’re facing the hero and heretic’s trials. They’re out there, though they may need a little hunting!

Some resources Max mentioned (or would have mentioned if the technology gremlins hadn’t won!)

THE 10 000 HOUR RULE – anyone can be a genius formula
SOCIAL CONTAGION: Do your friends make you fat?
INTELLECTUALS – Paul Johnson
SHIFT HAPPENS VIDEOS
ELIZABETH GILBERT on TED
SIR KEN ROBINSON on TED

Learn more from Max

www.maxkaizen.com
Twitter: @MaxKaizen

Our Twitter Notes

We use the twitter hashtag #agilelife for my monthly free calls. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Twitter hashtags, you can “tag” a conversation stream by adding a hashtag to the end, and then people can search for that hashtag and they’ll find all the tweets relating to that conversation. It’s a great way to keep “group notes” on an event and see what other people are highlighting/ finding useful.

Here’s our Twitter stream from yesterday’s call with Max:
cathduncan: @maxkaizen says this is the perfect time to be a renaissance soul
cathduncan: the woman with the highest recorded IQ says you determine what success means for u
cathduncan: success might mean specializing or it might mean having multiple contributions
cathduncan: sometimes it takes time to find your real genius. Be patient!
cathduncan: some sense of calm and structure is important to support genius
cathduncan: it’s okay to get a boring cubicle job to support yourself financially while you cultivate your genius
cathduncan: the greeks and romans had creative and leisure time and that was part of cultivating genius
cathduncan: anything that takes you out of your comfort zone will cultivate your genius
@motivcoach: Cath’s wisdom, a gentle reminder; > RT @cathduncan: some sense of calm and structure is important to support genius
cathduncan: give yourself space to fail so you don’t have to be conservative… that’s the secret of genius
cathduncan: check out elizabeth gilbert on TED.com talking about genius
cathduncan: you have to work your talent but with genius there’s also a sense of receiving from another space-time dimension
@LisaSteadman: RT @cathduncan: anything that takes you out of your comfort zone will cultivate your genius
cathduncan: genius has an element of surprise and a quantum leap
cathduncan: it’s the time for the heretics (Seth Godin) Something you have to have as a genius is courage
cathduncan: 3 phases: people will laugh at you, then they’ll be angry at you, only then they’ll accept what you’re leading
cathduncan: genius isn’t about just the beautiful. It’s hard
@desireeadaway: RT @cathduncan: genius isn’t about just the beautiful. It’s hard
cathduncan: nobody else can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone
cathduncan: genius is fragile and you’ll be subjected to all sorts of pressure. Surround yourself with other brave people
cathduncan: travel aids genius by exposing you to people who get you out of your comfort zone
cathduncan: being clear kills fear
cathduncan: fun kills fear, especially with other people
cathduncan: genius is contagious. Surround yourself with other people who are developing their genius
cathduncan: most of us are salad people tomorrow and ice-cream people today
@mindmapdrawer: RT @cathduncan: the greeks and romans had creative and leisure time and that was part of cultivating genius
cathduncan: developing your genius is all about the little incremental steps and viscious cycles
cathduncan: perfectionism squashes genius. It creates stress that reduces the quality of your thinking & shrinks brain cells
@positivepresent: haha, that’s so true! RT @cathduncan most of us are salad people tomorrow and ice-cream people today
@david_n_wilson: @cathduncan Well…yeah, but…it makes things more PERFECT you see…
@bigbrightbulb: RT @cathduncan: most of us are salad people tomorrow and ice-cream people today
@flogramr: ” no one can do it for you, but you can’t do it alone ” // via @maxkaizen && @cathduncan //
@flowceo: “developing genius is a messy process that you can’t entirely control” // via @catchduncan && @maxkaizen //
cathduncan: oh dear, gremlins have won. Electric storm in Jozi and our call technology has broken down. decided to pull plug on rest of call
cathduncan: @maxkaizen I guess if genius is a messy, surprising process then that was a seriously genius call we just did

Big thanks to everyone who joined the call and tweeted along, including @flowceo @flogramr @bigbrightbulb @david_n_wilson @positivepresent @mindmapdrawer @desireeadaway @motivcoach @lisasteadman @flowologist @drup @randibuckley @carrynreddick. And a big thanks to @MaxKaizen. Sorry about the gremlins!

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If you’d like to discover more about developing your genius, then check out the Bottom-line on Dan Pink’s A Whole New Mind

In short, A Whole New Mind is about the changes that are taking place in the world of work, and how it’s no longer enough to approach life and work with left-brain-directed thinking: we need to take a whole mind approach if we want to thrive in what Dan calls the “Conceptual Era.”

Some industries are already experiencing this shift to giving more attention to empathy, relationships, aesthetics, story, play and meaning, while others are still catching up to these changes. Either way, if you’re in a job role or industry where you’re realizing that you need (or want) to get better at these “softer skills,” then this would be a great Bottom-line for you:

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Get the Bottom-line on A Whole New Mind

There are two ways you can get the Bottom-line on Dan Pink’s “A Whole New Mind:”

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About Dan Pink

Daniel H. Pink is the author of a trio of provocative, bestselling books on the changing world of work:

• A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, a long-running New York Times and Business Week bestseller that has been translated into 20 languages.
• The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need, the first American business book in the Japanese comic format known as manga. The Adventures of Johnny Bunko was one of the bestselling graphic novels of 2008 and the only graphic novel ever to become a Business Week bestseller. The book is now being translated into 14 languages.
• Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, was a Washington Post bestseller that Publishers Weekly says “has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations.”

Dan’s articles on business and technology appear in many publications, including the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wired, where he is a contributing editor. He has provided analysis of business trends on CNN, CNBC, ABC, NPR, and other networks in the U.S. and abroad. He also lectures to corporations, associations, and universities around the world on economic transformation and the new workplace.

Dan’s next book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, will be released in late December (and I’m excited that he’s agreed to a Bottom-line interview on Drive! Look out for it with the Bottom-line on Drive, due out 1 Jan 2010)

Find out more about Dan, his website is: www.danpink.com
Follow Dan on Twitter: @DanielPink

Buy the book to read alongside your Bottom-line Learning Program