What if our fixation on avoiding failure is the very thing blocking us from building organizations that maximize human ingenuity? And why is this business critical in the AI age?

In this episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the intersection of leadership, innovation, and human potential with John Danner, renowned business advisor, professor, and bestselling author. Drawing on his extensive experience teaching at UC Berkeley and Princeton while advising leaders across sectors, John challenges conventional wisdom about what drives organizational success in our rapidly evolving AI-everything world.

John takes us on a journey through what he calls the three fundamental organizational pursuits – growth, innovation, and engagement – and reveals why they all depend on the one thing leaders often fear most: failure. He explains why the status quo serves as the greatest obstacle to progress and how our natural human bias toward familiarity creates resistance to change. Through compelling insights and personal anecdotes from decades of personal experience, John illuminates how fear silences organizational creativity while analyzing startling Gallup research showing only 20% of employees globally are truly engaged in their work.

As we navigate the profound transformation brought by AI and other technologies, John presents a critical fork in the road: organizations can pursue "AI to the max" with minimal human input, or they can embrace a more humanistic model built on human ingenuity, imagination, and collaboration. His vision for “invitational leadership” offers a compelling alternative to extractive models that have dominated business thinking for generations.

In this discussion, we explore:

• Why failure is the unavoidable companion to genuine growth and innovation
• How fear serves as the “border patrol” for the status quo in organizations
• The alarming reality that only one in five employees globally is engaged at work
• The third revolutionary period we’re entering: the inclusion challenge
• Why leaders must shift from extraction to resourcefulness in building sustainable organizations
• The power of “invitational leadership” in unleashing human creativity at all levels

This episode is an invitation to reimagine leadership for a more human-centered future, challenging us to develop organizational cultures where everyone – not just an elite few – can contribute their inherent creativity and imagination.

Topics

03:10 - The three fundamentals every organization strives for: growth, innovation, and engagement

04:20 - How growth, innovation, and engagement all depend on failure

06:30 - The status quo as the primary obstacle to change and improvement

08:50 - The interconnection between fear, feedback, and failure in organizational culture

12:00 - Leaders acknowledging their own fallibility to create psychological safety

13:10 - Gallup research on employee engagement: only 20% engaged, 15% actively disengaged

15:10 - The concept of “growth for both” – aligning organizational and individual growth

17:30 - The three revolutionary periods: industrial, information, and now the inclusion challenge

21:00 - Two possible futures: “AI to the max” versus human ingenuity and imagination

26:00 - Challenging extractive business models in favor of resourcefulness

28:10 - Shifting from “l

Send us a text

Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fd

What if the very technology that distracts us could be transformed into a mirror reflecting our deepest human connections? In this fascinating episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the intersection of tradition, technology, and mindfulness with Berlin-based artist and designer Hojin Kang.

Born to Korean parents in Germany, Hojin creates art that brilliantly juxtaposes ancient spiritual practices with our modern digital behaviors, revealing striking parallels that challenge how we engage with the world around us.

Hojin takes us on a journey through his artistic evolution, from his early influences in both Korean Buddhist traditions and cutting-edge technology to his current work exploring human connection through thermal imaging. His provocative installations –from scrolling behaviors reimagined as prayer beads and notification bell sculptures that trigger visceral responses, to thermal imagining cameras in art and border surveillance – expose the tension between our mindless digital habits and the mindful traditions they inadvertently mimic.

Throughout our conversation, Hojin reveals how his dual perspective as both artist and designer shapes his creative process, embracing curiosity and emotion while maintaining craftsmanship and quality. As we navigate an increasingly AI-driven world, his insights on maintaining human connection and embodied experiences offer a compelling vision for how we might engage with technology without losing our essential humanity.

In this thought-provoking discussion, we explore:

• How scrolling behaviors mirror ancient meditation practices while serving opposite purposes
• The physiological conditioning created by notification sounds and their artistic reimagining
• Why maintaining the mind-body connection is crucial in an increasingly digital world
• How thermal imaging can reveal the warmth that transcends physical and cultural differences
• The balance between artistic curiosity and design discipline in creative work

This episode is an invitation to pause and reconsider our relationship with technology, to find spaces for mindfulness in our digital lives, and to recognize the human warmth that binds us despite our superficial differences.

Topics

00:30 - Introduction to Hojin Kang and his background

03:30 - Drawing inspiration from tradition and technology

06:50 - The parallel between prayer beads and social media scrolling

10:00 - The notification bell sculpture and our conditioned responses

15:00 - Technology's impact on our emotional and physiological states

18:40 - Art as observation rather than providing solutions

22:50 - Using technology as a tool while maintaining emancipation from it

28:00 - Cultivating curiosity about humanity above technology

33:00 - The importance of embodied experiences and physical creation

35:00 - "The Warmth That Binds Us" thermal imaging art project

41:20 - How thermal imagery removes visual markers of difference

44:00 - Balancing artistic expression with design discipline

49:20 - The importance of intrinsic motivation in creating meaningful work

Resources Mentioned

Please Wait (Digital Installation): https://www.hojinkang.com/please_wait/

Scrolling Prayer Beads (Sculpture):

Send us a text

Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fd

What if our approach to AI and technology development is overlooking the most fundamental human value – dignity? In this thought-provoking episode of Poets & Thinkers, we explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, global policy, and human-centered technology with Manail Anis Ahmed.

As a global citizen who has shaped educational institutions in the Middle East and led AI policy research, Manail brings a unique cross-cultural perspective that challenges Western-dominated tech narratives.

Manail is adjunct faculty in Biotech Entrepreneurship at Johns Hopkins University, expert on education, technology & society, and contributes to the AI Governance Alliance at the World Economic Forum.

Manail takes us on a journey across continents, revealing how different societies are navigating the AI revolution through their unique cultural lenses. She unpacks how Saudi Arabia’s rapid transformation of women’s workforce participation offers surprising lessons for the West, and how technology workers in Africa are demanding dignity in the digital economy. Throughout our conversation, Manail makes a compelling case for placing human dignity at the center of our technological future.

In this enlightening discussion, we explore:

• Why technology development needs to prioritize dignity over innovation
• How the Global South is being exploited in AI development while being excluded from its benefits
• What Saudi Arabia's approach to women in the workforce teaches us about structural change
• The natural connection between women and entrepreneurship that venture capital overlooks
• Why "people, planet, and profit" must expand to include resilience and prosperity

Throughout our discussion, Manail articulates a powerful critique of hyper-capitalism and technological determinism. The United States, once the model for prosperity, now shows concerning signs of social fragmentation as its middle class splinters. “We are so insistent on protecting the right to innovation that we forget to protect the right to dignity,” she observes, providing a cautionary tale for developing nations tempted to adopt Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” mentality.

As we navigate the future of humanistic business leadership, Manail suggests moving beyond profit-first thinking toward resilience and context-specific prosperity. The fundamental question becomes: how can we build systems where people and societies don’t just function but truly thrive, while preserving our planet? The answer may determine whether our technological future enhances or diminishes our humanity.

Topics

00:30 - Introduction to Manail and her background as a global citizen

02:50 - Teaching responsible AI at Princeton and how it connects to entrepreneurship

10:40 - Manail's work with the Center for AI and Digital Policy

13:50 - The World Economic Forum AI Governance Alliance and "Inclusive AI"

16:00 - How workers in the Global South are exploited in AI development

18:40 - The emergence of an African technology workers alliance

21:00 - Balancing rapid AI deployment with thoughtful regulation

23:00 - How the U.S. model of unbridled entrepreneurialism led to social fragmentation

28:00 - Saudi Arabia's structural approach to enabling women in the workforce

33:20 - Manail's experience creating liberal arts and business education in Sa

Send us a text

Get in touch: ben@poetsandthinkers.co

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poetsandthinkerspodcast/

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/poets-thinkers/id1799627484

Subscribe to Poets & Thinkers on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4N4jnNEJraemvlHIyUZdww?si=2195345fa6d249fd