Safi Bahcall shares how good teams kill great ideas, and what you can do to get out of your own way. Join Laura Gassner Otting as she hosts this episode of LGOtv with special guest, Safi Bachall – Second Generation Physicist, Innovation Nerd, Structure Champion.
*In an unusual twist, Laura’s guest today only agreed to come on the show because she consented to let him ask questions of her, too.*
Timestamps
3:25 – Laura to Safi: “Were you a disappointment to your parents?”
6:13 – “I’ve always been curiosity-driven.”
13:35 – “When I told my parents [that I was leaving academia], they reacted in sort of shock and horror. They went through the five stages of grief.”
15:02 – “I started a biotech company to find drugs for cancer.. so rather than the search for truth, I wanted to help people spend more time on earth with their loved ones. ”
16:32 – “It was more consonant for me to combine business, science, and doing good.”
17:02 – It’s okay to leave some money on the table.
18:32 – What does the idea of phase transition in physics have to do with good teams killing great ideas?
20:00 – Safi to Laura: “How did you go from 20 years in executive search to where you are now? And, what did you learn from Arnie Miller, the man to whom you dedicate your book?”
33:22 – Safi to Laura: “One of the things I learned is that it’s not really interesting asking people about their successes.”
40:45 – “Laura, what do you wish you would have done differently 2-3 years ago?”
45:45 – When did you decide to write Loonshots?
51:32 – “When I’m losing curiosity in what it is that I’m doing, that’s the litmus test. That’s the sign that it’s time to make a transition.”
54:38 – How do you keep making the puzzles harder?
1:00 – Dating, and the crazy story of how Safi met his wife.
1:09:08 – Safi to Laura: “How did you meet your husband?”
Links
Twitter: @SafiBahcall
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/safi-bahcall/
Email: speaking@bahcall.com
Book website: www.loonshots.com
Blog: www.bahcall.com/loonshots-blog/
Washington Post Best Selling Author and Motivational Keynote Speaker, Laura Gassner Otting, inspires people to push past the doubt and indecision that keep great ideas in limbo because her presentations make listeners think bigger and accept greater challenges that reach beyond their limited scope of belief.
She delivers strategic thinking, well-honed wisdom, and perspective generated by decades of navigating change across the start-up, nonprofit, political, as well as philanthropic landscapes. Laura dares listeners to find their voice, and generate the confidence needed to tackle larger-than-life challenges. She leads them to seek new ways of leading, managing, and mentoring others.