Evolve
or Die
Lessons for World-Class
Innovation & Creativity
Tom Triumph
Ex Innovo Press
Evolve or Die
Thomas Triumph
© 2018 Thomas Triumph
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in any form, in whole or in part (beyond the copying permitted by US Copyright Law, Section 107, “fair use” in teaching or research, Section 108, certain library copying, or in published media by reviewers in limited excerpts), without written permission from the author.
Disclaimer
This book is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the author alone, and should not be taken as expert instruction or commands. The reader is responsible for his or her own actions. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, including international, federal, state, and local governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising, and all other aspects of doing business in the United States, Canada, or any other jurisdiction is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or reader. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of the purchaser or reader of these materials.
At times links might be used to illustrate a point, technique, or best practice. The links were accurate at the time of publication, but might change in the future. The information and ideas in this book are knowledge intended to assist the reader.
Typesetting and Cover Design: Kerry Ellis | coveredbykerry.com
ISBN: 978-1-7326866-1-8
Dedicated to
Therese, Alexandra, and Tommy
Praise for Evolve or Die
“Evolve or Die is at once inspiring, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Tom Triumph combines key business insights with his unique narrative style. The result is a must-read for every business executive.”
—Kartik Hosanagar, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
“Tom shares some simple, actionable advice for all of us on cultivating our superpowers. Read through a series of readable (and sometimes hilarious) stories to change your approach to personal and professional growth, innovation, and the future of work.”
—Dave Blakely, Partner, Mach49
“Evolve or Die is filled with valuable lessons from successful leaders. With its focus on innovation and creativity, this book will help those who wish to adapt in this ever-changing world.”
—Dorie Clark, Adjunct Professor, Duke University Fuqua School of Business, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out
“Tom Triumph has artfully captured many of the key lessons in the creative process as he shares real-world stories and experiences across the breadth of science, business, and art and provides simple models to make this all actionable. In a world of increasing complexity, this book is a perfect reminder for anyone looking to push their own limits and explore their untapped potential.”
—Andy Walshe, Performance Manager, Red Bull Stratos, program designer for the US Olympic ski and snowboard teams
“Wisdoms abound. Triumph’s “simple truths” are entertainingly rich with insights that will help us perform at our innovative best in this complex world. And his generous approach to life is a lesson for us all.”
—Carl Nordgren, Entrepreneur, Adjunct Professor, Duke University, Becoming a Creative Genius {Again}
“The energy in Evolve or Die is the energy of someone who’s lived life fully and has not lost that glimmer of ‘what is possible’ in individuals. Tom takes that energy and gives readers tools and insights in the manner of sitting down over a cup of joe and going over ‘the important stuff.” The stuff that matters. Why? Because as you’ll discover, YOU matter, more than you possibly know. And this book will help you dial in on that special thing that’s you.”
—David Brier, Chief Gravity Defyer, DBD International, Brand Intervention
“Tom’s insightful, enthusiastic, positive, and practical outlook on life is reflected in this book, along with his indefatigable message to keep moving forward to become better each day.”
—Livingston L. Holder, Jr., cofounder of Holder Aerospace, former USAF astronaut
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Part One:
Personal Development
The Roadmap of You
This Is Your Secret Superpower
The Most Important Lesson (Never Taught in School)
Ten Ways to Rewire Your Brain
Yes or No?
Thoughts on Life and Happiness
Rules for Creating Your Future (from a Rock Guitarist)
The Biggest Fight of Your Life
Be That One
Love Over Gold
You Won the Lottery!
One, Two, Three, Four (Drum Intro)
How September 11 Broke My Heart and What I Try to Remember
The Multitasking Myth
Lessons to Teach Your Children
What Running (Far) Has Taught Me About Work and Life
Think Like an Immigrant
Part Two:
Invention and Innovation
Uncovering Hidden Solutions; Creating New Value
Ten Myths of Innovation
A Billion Hours of Accidental Love
Disastrous Problem + Resounding Failure = World-Changing Success
Advice for Your Journey
How a Doctor Killed My Idea, and I Stopped the Madness
Frozen Fish Inspired an Innovation Revolution
Twenty of the Greatest Inventions of All Time
Moving the Bullseye
Turnaround Test
The Woman Whose Magic Is Five Times Stronger Than Steel
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Greatest of All Inventors Is …
Thirteen Ways to Innovate (and Avoid Being Eaten by a Giant Bird)
Evolve or Die
From Humble Beginnings: Secrets of World-Class Innovators and Creators
Garbage In, a Billion Dollars Out
Part Three:
Business and Work
Tools of Trade, More Than a Job
Find What You Love and Let It Kill You
Proven Strategies on How to Create a Hit
Ten Things You Need to Know About Work
Thirteen People Who Turned Failure into Success
Counterintuitive Secrets to Grow Your Career
Career Advice from the World’s Most Famous Robots
Career Path or Ninja Warrior Course?
Half Your New Goals Will Fail (If You’re a Badass)
Reverse Undercover Boss
The Secret to Great Work
Survival Lessons from the First Fish in Space
Lessons from Working with Leaders
What You Learn from a Difficult (Career) Path
A Hypercompetitive World: Globalization and Technology
No Bad Deals: Essential Negotiation Skills to Increase Effectiveness
The Only Four Ways You Can Ever Fail
Part Four:
Courage and Creativity
Taking Stock and Standing Up; Discovering and Connecting
What It Feels Like to Punch Fear in the Face
Five Daily Practices to Unleash Your Creativity Mojo
A Proven Technique for Producing Ideas
Becoming a Creative Genius (Again)
How to Kill a Good Idea
The Twelve Dimensions of Courage
Why You Should Speak Up
Monkeys Don’t Build Rockets
Karma, and Why My Ex-Boss Might Go to Jail
Your First Exam and the Butterfly Effect
How to Crush Your Fears
, Innovate, and Hug a Snake
How to Die Broke and Not Broken
The Product Roadmap of You
What Your Tomorrow Should Feel Like
Acknowledgments
Thank You
About the Author
Notes
Foreword
As I write this foreword, today is the day that Apple became the first, one-trillion-dollar, market-value company. The Apple I think about most begins with my first impression as I drove up Bandley Drive in Cupertino, California, and saw a pirate flag atop a small, one-story building that could have been any warehouse for any business. It was November 1982 and Steve Jobs had invited me to see his then very secret, insanely great, project he called Macintosh.
I am an insatiably curious person, and I have spent my life wondering why things are the way they are, and why there can’t be a better way. As we grow older, we don’t get smarter, but we can get wiser. Wisdom comes from learning a context or framework in which to understand your own experiences, particularly one’s failings even more than one’s successes. I learned that innovation and creativity aren’t reserved just for geniuses like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos. This is a journey that many of us can aspire to and achieve success.
Tom Triumph and I have been friends for many years. He is successful at things that I have never done. Tom is an ultrarunner, and he has the discipline to train daily to be able to run a 50-mile, sometimes even a 100-mile, event. Entrepreneurs by nature are driven people. The good news is, there are lessons one can learn about how to turn dreams into possibilities, and possibilities into probabilities. That’s what this book, Evolve or Die, is all about.
When most people think of Apple, they think of its great products. I think of the many experiences and resulting stories of amazing people and our trials and errors in the early days of Silicon Valley. Creativity can be learned through a combination of stories, hands-on experience, and hard work. What I love about this book are the many stories and how Tom Triumph has organized these stories into a context that gives the reader a pathway to wisdom.
Many books end up on a bookshelf. Evolve or Die should be very near where you work. After reading it, I keep going back to it. I love to randomly open it up to any page and read a few pages, often several times a week. It’s a fun experience and very stimulating for anyone with a big curiosity.
John Sculley
August 2, 2018
Introduction
This book is intended for you. Even if we haven’t met, it was written with you in mind.
The book contains a culmination of experiences, thoughts, and learning—much of it from world-class innovators and creators. Every single story is true. And every story has relevance to you.
Some common themes will emerge from these stories. Hard work, persistence, courage. Luck is sometimes present. Often, things were learned the hard way. And, as is the case whenever there are innovators and creators involved, there’s also a fair amount of love running rampant through the stories. Evidently, rampant is how love likes to run—especially when it’s heading toward a goal and vision. Perhaps most important, you’ll see that every one of these luminaries are made—not born.
Here’s where you come in.
You’ve got a lot in common with these folks. Regardless of your current situation, there are stories about regular people in more dire situations and who’ve attained loftier positions. There are many stories of good, and a few stories of bad. And there’s a lot to discover. This book can help you avoid some of the stumbling blocks and help guide you on your journey.
There’s something to be learned from—
someone who ate dog food to survive before creating a multibillion-dollar American media and entertainment company that’s known to all of us.
the globally recognized authority on how people get great at something.
the woman who’s responsible for your first two exams.
what James Bond has in common with Halle Berry, Sylvester Stallone, and Ed Sheeran.
the key secret of illusionists Penn and Teller.
You’ll learn how a frozen fish inspired an innovation revolution, how to overcome a phobia of snakes, and how a world-renowned artist punched fear in the face to strap a paintbrush to his wrist and create works of art. And there are dozens of other stories. This isn’t a textbook. It’s a collection of real-world stories of innovators and creators, and it’s all relevant to you. You can read it by jumping in anywhere and skipping around where it interests you.
Here are a couple of simple truths.
The world is changing rapidly due in part to the ever-increasing advances in technology. Your ability to adapt and learn is more important than ever. The title says it all: Evolve or Die. It’s somewhat blunt, and it is an exaggeration. But my belief is that it’s closer to the truth than many people realize. And it’s my genuine hope that this book and the stories within on innovating and creating are of real interest and benefit to you.
It might seem trite to write this, but (in reference to Henry David Thoreau) you weren’t meant to settle for a life of quiet desperation. That’s said with confidence because—nobody is meant for a life of desperation. You’ll need to innovate and create. It’s better to learn from the champions, practice like your life depended on it (to an extent it does), and come out strong and punching above your weight (because you can).
You’ve got a lot to offer this world. We all do. I’m in your corner, offering guidance and cheering for you. Get in the ring, come out swinging, and fight the good fight.
I invite you to visit www.tomtriumph.com and download the free, 52-page, color manifesto titled The Call to Innovate: Myths, Best Practices and Achieving Your Rightful Place.
Part One
Personal Development
The Roadmap of You
This Is Your Secret Superpower
I have something important to tell you. It’s serious, and you should really be sitting down.
Gosh, where to begin. It’s big news. So big, you’ll have a hard time believing it’s true.
Remember when you were young, and you would occasionally wonder if you had some kind of superpower? Kind of like a Ninja Turtle or like Batman or Wonder Woman. You used to wonder if you could accomplish some really incredible things.
Well … You have a secret superpower.
I know this came out of the blue, and you probably don’t even believe me. It’s a hard thing to even comprehend. You’ve watched superhero movies, even read some superhero comic books. But, you eventually grew to think superpowers weren’t real.
But some superpowers are real. And you have one! The crazy thing is that your superpower has actually been in plain sight your entire life, just waiting to be discovered. Waiting for you to realize its transformative capabilities.
Yet, day after day, you stumbled past its discovery. Hey, don’t feel bad. Most people never discover it. But because you didn’t learn you had a secret superpower, you blended into the world and lived like most everyone else. Doing the best you could as a mere mortal.
It was the same with me. I didn’t know about it either … at least not until this weekend.
This weekend, I found it. I’m not entirely sure how I made the discovery. But once I caught a glimpse, the discovery came quickly. It was kind of like in the movies. Like catching a glimpse of a small, orange glow between the floorboards of the barn, and then finding a spaceship from Krypton hidden below. Kind of like that, but there was no barn and no spaceship.
Once I discovered the superpower, it explained a lot. It shifted my thinking. It was powerful. It explained my past experiences. Why some people do great things. And why often I didn’t.
The first thing I wanted to do was start using it. The second thing I wanted to do was tell you.
Before you put on your cape, let me tell you about your superpower.
First, the good news.
&nbs
p; Easy to Use
Maybe the craziest thing of all … is that using your superpower is really easy. There’s basically zero training involved. Think of those Cirque du Soleil performers who juggle flaming torches while riding a bicycle on a tightrope. Learning how to use your superpower is nothing like that.
No Pain
Remember when the radioactive spider bit Peter Parker, and he became deathly ill for a few days before he transformed into Spider-Man? Acquiring your superpower is more like a butterfly landing on your shoulder.
No Major Transformation
Eliminate that image of a person turning into a werewolf, with all that painful body morphing accompanied by bone crackling. Your superpower requires no massive change. Not even a little howling.
No Costume Required
This is one of my favorite features of this superpower … nobody knows you have it. This is a real benefit, because you’re not tied to a specific costume, so you can dress however you like. Plus nobody can actually see your transformation, so you don’t need to find a place to change costumes. That’s convenient, as there are so few phone booths nowadays.
No Special Instruction or Teacher Required
You’d think they’d teach this superpower in school, but I can tell you … no teacher ever told me about this. The good news is that no teacher is required.
No Permission
You don’t need no stinkin’ authorization to use the superpower. The superpower fits perfectly in the era described by author and entrepreneur James Altucher as “Choose Yourself!” Marketer and business thought leader Seth Godin (who also has this superpower) would tell you to use your superpower to “Make a Ruckus.”
You Don’t Need an Assistant
Batman and Robin. The Green Hornet and Kato. You. You don’t need a sidekick for your superpower.
Not Complicated
No tricky potions to mix. No magic words of wizardry to remember.