LIVE/LOVE INNOVATION
a simple update from ILN Coaching & Consulting
Vol. 12, Issue 5

We launched a new community collaborative on the teen mental health crisis. In our first session [a few weeks ago] we intentionally did not explore the crisis. Instead, we spent a half-day with this newly assembled stakeholder group to explore who they are and what values/principles they as a stakeholder group need in place for outsized impact.

We took our time learning about each person (Slow Intros) and what brought them to this room at this moment. We then shifted into a modified TRIZ to better ensure we avoided not just failure but mediocrity.

Laying down this foundation is a type of hygiene that many often breeze through, wanting to shift immediately into solving the problem. But this is what it means to “go slow to go fast.” These more strongly bonded interconnected relationships are the energizers of real system change

Chris McCarthy, Founder
Strategy or innovation advising? Book time here.

🐥Dignified Futures, June 3-4 in Atlanta, GA
By now, you know that there is an incredible lineup of speakers, workshops, open space, and artists. May 15th is an important date if you are considering joining this powerful group of social impact and healthcare innovators. It is the last day to select the budget-friendly “Housing at Emory” option. It’s a bargain at $79 per night!

It is also the last day to register for regular, regular-priced tickets. On May 16, we shift to “last-minute” pricing. (Yes, we are trying to get you to register earlier enough so that we can better plan catering and avoid last-minute surges.) So please do register now.

🏥Slow Intros & TRIZ
Curious about the techniques mentioned in the intro? They are simple and effective, and anyone can facilitate them. Here are the basics:

• Slow Intros: Use when launching a new group. Instead of the rapid intros, which are great for folks who know each other, the slow intro lets each person share for up to two minutes. Usually, it is guided by three questions: 1) Who are you? 2) Why are you here? 3) A question to learn about them as a person. And yes, this takes a long time. We use this technique sparingly, but it’s a powerful way to build trust and connection.

• TRIZ Mediocre-Style: TRIZ is a Russian engineering technique that prevents failure in systems and products. Over time, I’ve shifted from failure to mediocrity, which is more insidious and pervasive than absolute failure. Here’s how it works: 1) Brainstorm all the elements that cause mediocrity in the thing you're working on (e.g., a stakeholder group, a product team, a product). Then, flip each mediocrity into an element of success (something I’ll use “wildly successful”). They will be used as the guardrails for the work.

🛜 Awesome Sessions to Amp Up Your Knowledge
June 3 - 4
Digified Futures with the ILN & Beneficent @ Emory University
Register here.

June 23 - 27
Design for Exponential Impact at Camp Earnest. I spent a few powerful days at Camp Earnest recently, and am so impressed with their programming. This one in particular might be of interest.
Learn more and register here.

⚡️Sparks: (Sometimes) Cool Stuff
⚛️ First Picture of Atom: Mind-blowing images of stuff I never thought I’d see. 🤯

💡Pap Smear at Home: This FDA-approved, “at-home version could help women who have trouble finding, traveling to or making time for an in-person appointment.”