Author John Lubbock once said, “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach of us more than we can ever learn from books.” This statement rings true, as proven by the broadening influence of bioinspired design in formulating tangible solutions across various sectors. Bioinspired design provides a sketch that can be adapted or modified across contexts and industries to respond to needs or address problems. It entails assessing issues through different lenses and gaining an interconnected understanding of life and the world to generate innovative solutions.
Scott Cochrane, the founder of Bold Mind X, champions the approach of translating nature’s strategies into design in his work as a growth acceleration adviser. Scott combines psychology, neuroscience, and executive leadership and utilizes advisory, mentoring, coaching, and information-sharing tools to disrupt business leaders’ thinking, helping them transform their bold vision into reality.
The growth acceleration adviser employs a unique approach involving imbuing a sense of well-being beyond the C-Suite and learning from the behaviors of his sheepdog Walter to accelerate businesses’ growth. Firstly, he highlights the power of smiling in the business landscape, an idea he learned from his dog’s hilarious character.
Scott explained, “Walter always smiles and uses it for his benefit. When asking for something unreasonable, he wouldn’t whine or bark. He would look at you smiling. How can you resist? For some reason, I adopted this behavior of always smiling. I remember a bank director approaching me, asking, ‘You smile all the time. What’s your secret?’ I answered that I just decided to be happy. That’s when I realized that smiling can positively influence people and relationships, something business leaders should utilize more when communicating with stakeholders.”
The second approach was inspired by one of the golden rules in canine training involving the owner complimenting the dog at least five times after successfully correcting its misbehavior. According to Survey Monkey and Bonusley’s recent survey, 63 percent of 1,500 employees in the United States who are often recognized at work are unlikely to seek a new job in the next three to six months.
Consequently, research shows that a vital aspect of effective leadership entails reinforcing and motivating others to promote exceptional performance. Business leaders, therefore, must make it a habit to tell their employees what was performed correctly and why their behavior is valued to encourage repeat performance. “I believe that we become what we think about. When leaders recognize people’s efforts when they do outstanding work, they ingrain the recognition in their thoughts, and that’s what they continue to become. The secret is to catch people doing something right,” Scott added.
The sheepdog’s alleged high intelligence quotient (IQ) but limited emotional intelligence framed Scott’s third approach to accelerating businesses’ growth. “Walter learns quickly but can’t contain his excitement when meeting another dog. Eager to play with them, he would bulldoze his way into them, which earns Walter disgruntled reactions. We can draw parallels from this to human behavior,” the growth acceleration adviser stated. The lesson from Walter’s experience emphasizes the value of building genuine connections founded on not only operational tactics but also mutual understanding. With this, Scott urges business leaders to rekindle the dynamic interactions evident before the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the business landscape.
The lessons from Walter the Dog converge with the advocacy toward divergent thinking, which Scott believes is a critical element in disrupting established thinking patterns. He remarked, “Our neuronal paths often dictate our choices, making the ability to explore alternative routes more significant than ever.” The thought leader shared a fascinating story illustrating the importance of divergent thinking. It was not until six years ago when the expert skier moved to Colorado and tried skiing not in vast open spaces but through trees. Inexperienced as he was, nothing stopped Scott from heading off into the woods, which resulted in him hugging a fair amount of trees.
“The first thing my skiing instructor asked me was, ‘As you’re heading to the trees, what are you looking at?’ She said I was so focused on not hitting the trees that I forgot to look at the path through the trees,” he recounted. This analogy vividly illustrates the significance of focusing on the path to success rather than potential obstacles. By looking between the trees, business leaders can navigate challenges efficiently, paving the way for new solutions and possibilities. Ultimately, Scott offers a holistic approach to leadership, combining forward-looking strategies, relationship-building, and divergent thinking. As students of life and business, adopting these principles can pave the way for sustained growth and development.
