There are many moments when the actions of another changes the course of your life forever. Although we are unaware of many, it’s the ones we know about that fascinate me. I can think of a few which one person’s decision led to a radical different trajectory for my life. This week’s episode features one of those people.  

I didn’t know Ed Hess, but I did admire his thinking and books. After reading one, I thought I would be bold and let him know how much I liked it via LinkedIn. Surprisingly he accepted. Fast forward a few years with no communication between us, I had my draft manuscript of “Take Your Shoes Off First” and I was looking for a review from someone who could tell me if I had a hit or a dud. I immediately thought of Ed as I thought the book might resonate with his own thinking. Knowing it was a one in a million chance he would say yes, I sent a message to Ed asking if he would review my manuscript. He said yes.

This is where we start our episode. I’ll let you tune in to find out what happened next. 

Suffice it to say, Ed helped me jump to a new path for my life and I will be forever grateful for this now friend, but then stranger, for saying yes. 

Ed is a Professor Emeritus of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business and a coach, consultant and connector focused on human performance in the digital age.  He is the author of “Humility is the New Smart” – a book in which Ed details his own transformation from ego-centered expert to humble learner, which was an inspiring read that resonated deeply with my own hard lessons. Our conversation touches on lessons we have both learned and the focus of his latest book, “Hyper-learning: How to Adapt at the Speed of Change.”

Listen in as our conversation emerges and we wind our way through: 

• What is the “New Smart”
• The problem with the current “people development systems” in the U.S.
•  How tech is moving faster than we are and why that is a big problem
• Why he is passionate about the idea of “otherness” 
•  What “hyper learning” is and why it is critical we shift our thinking about how we teach and learn if we want to be relevant in the future

Enjoy!

To learn more about Ed, check out:

-          LinkedIn HERE 

-          “Humility is the New Smart: Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age” Book

-           “Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt at the Speed of Change” Book

-          Website