Saku Tuominen is an entrepreneur, innovator, creative director, executive producer, author, keynote speaker and curator. He founded Broadcasters, one of the most successful independent Finnish TV production companies. In 2009-2010 Saku Tuominen was the Chief Creative Officer of Zodiak Entertainment, the world´s 3rd largest TV production company in London. He also founded Idealist Group, a production company of ideas that has various activities ranging from digital media to the future of office work, and education to improving suburbs.
He has been teaching creativity and innovation for more than a hundred companies around the world and has also written 7 books – 3 about innovation, 2 about Italian cuisine, one about the future of office work and one about living a good life.
Here is Saku’s presentation from Biohacker Summit 2014 – Upgrade 9-to-5 – What Actually Works in Organizations:
Biohacker Summit:
Saku, your 925 Design is all about developing and re-designing office work in new ways. Could you tell us what you consider to be the essentials for achieving this?
Saku Tuominen:
I think the biggest problem in the world today is that we are trying to listen too much to other people instead of listening to ourselves. There are two essential things. First of all, have the will to improve your life and secondly, be honest about what works for you and what doesn’t.
Biohacker Summit:
Great points. If you had to pick the five most important things for upgrading the 9-to-5 cycle that so many of us live, what would they be?
Saku:
- Change is easy. It’s not difficult. It’s easy!
- Create your own principles
- Make them few and make them easy.
- Say them out loud to as many people as possible.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously!
Biohacker Summit:
About your new book Luova järkevyys: What motivated you to write that, and what is the one most important thing you would like your readers to take from it?
Saku:
The key thing is to try new things and see if they work. If they do, continue. If they don’t, try something else. The basic idea of the book is having a different approach to what creativity is. The essence of creativity is: build to improve. It has absolutely nothing to do with art or whatever. It’s something each and every one of us can have in our own lives. Creativity is the will to improve. My book discusses how to improve this will in your life. I also analyse the biggest problems in workplaces and how to work around those problems.
Biohacker Summit:
So you think that most of the problems in our workplaces have to do with creativity?
Saku:
Yes, I think creativity is the solution to everything.
Biohacker Summit:
What is the main theme of your speech at the Biohacker Summit?
Saku:
I will be exploring the question of “Why do we think that change is hard and what can we do about it?” I think biohacking is one of the ways to improve your life. There are many others. I’ll be talking about biohacking in general and trying to put it in context with improving any area of your life!
Biohacker Summit:
What are some of the other “tools for change” besides biohacking?
Saku:
Memorize what you would like to change and then create your own way to change it. If it doesn’t work, find something else.
Biohacker Summit:
Do you mean be open and trust your instincts?
Saku:
Not only trust your instincts, but also analyse yourself. Self-reflect. As in, “This app doesn’t work for me”, “This tool doesn’t work for me”, “This rule doesn’t work for me”. “Why? How can I change it & find something that will work?”
Author: Angel Goa
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