Finding Inspiration Outside The Engineering Field

🌍 Broadening horizons: The key to innovation 🌱 In every profession, there’s a tendency to narrow our focus, to stay within the comfort zone of what we know and the boundaries of our specific field. But true innovation often lies in looking beyond those boundaries—exploring ideas, theories, and philosophies that may seem, at first glance, unrelated or even outdated. Take Malthusian economics as an example. Originally focused on the relationship between population growth and agricultural production, it’s a theory that some might consider obsolete in today’s context. Yet, its mathematical approach—juxtaposing exponential growth with linear or degrading resources—remains profoundly relevant. Imagine applying this lens to modern challenges like lithium availability versus the skyrocketing demand for batteries. Suddenly, a centuries-old theory sparks fresh insights into one of today’s most pressing issues. This is why expanding your intellectual toolkit beyond your immediate field is vital. Philosophy, economics, history, and even seemingly unrelated sciences can offer frameworks for understanding, questioning, and solving problems in innovative ways. The ability to connect dots across disciplines isn’t just a skill—it’s a superpower in a world that demands agility and creativity. So, whether you’re in procurement, technology, or any other field, don’t shy away from exploring ideas outside your domain. Even an “outdated” theory might be the spark that ignites your next breakthrough. #Innovation #InterdisciplinaryThinking #PhilosophyInBusiness #MalthusianEconomics #BroadeningHorizons

At UX Copenhagen, a powerful message was shared: "If you want to be a better designer, don’t study design books. Study sculpture. Study paintings. Study cars, watches, philosophers, movies, fiction, music, people. Study the world." This advice is a reminder that the best design inspiration often comes from outside our immediate field. To truly excel in design, we need to look beyond design textbooks and immerse ourselves in the richness of the world around us. Sculptures and paintings teach us about form, balance, and the interplay of colors and textures. By studying cars and watches, we gain insights into precision, functionality, and elegance. Philosophers and movies open our minds to new ideas and narratives. Fiction and music stir our imagination and evoke deep emotions, while observing people and their interactions enhances our understanding of human behavior and needs. By broadening our horizons and exploring various disciplines, we can infuse our work with fresh perspectives and innovative ideas. The world is a vast source of inspiration waiting to be tapped into. Embrace it, explore it, and let it shape your journey as a designer.

If you're an engineer thinking about starting something in 2026, here's the single biggest piece of advice I'd give you: Do not stay inside your domain bubble. It is an easy trap to fall into. Think about the PhD in chemistry who shows up at the lab at 8am, eats in the chemistry dining hall, does their work, then goes home. Their whole world is one building. There is a big problem with that. The most interesting opportunities in the world don't obey disciplinary boundaries. They live at the seams. At IDEO we called those who did this well “T-shaped people”. Deep expertise in one domain - but genuine curiosity towards adjacent disciplines too. When you throw enough of those people together, with spikes in different places, you can unlock something special. The engineers I've seen build generational companies are the ones who took their idea somewhere new. They asked: "How might this technology be applied to a completely different domain?" They looked for the interdisciplinary seams where no one else had been. One of the best examples is JB Straubel, Tesla’s co-founder and CTO for 15 years. JB wasn’t just a batteries guy. He blended materials science, electrical engineering, and systems design to rethink the entire architecture of the electric vehicle. Here's the other thing: just being deeper in your own domain isn't enough anymore. The agent that can run a million parallel tests per hour, doesn't sleep, and doesn't take a lunch break - it's coming for those narrow trenches. But seeing across disciplines? Taking an idea from biology and applying it to networking? That's still a deeply human gift. So if you're an engineer who's thinking about starting something new, this is my call to action: Don't be held back by disciplinary boundaries. Get outside your own domain. Talk to people in adjacent fields. Find where your strongest technical gift could unlock something in a place most engineers would never think to look. That's where the whitespace is.

Only reading books from your industry puts a glass ceiling on your growth as a founder. It’s easy to get caught up in your space, especially when building a business. But what you read—and where you choose to learn—can shape the way you approach problems and opportunities. My bookshelf? Less than 10% engineering. The rest? A mix of psychology, business, investing, history, and biographies. Why? Because there’s so much to learn from what’s already happened and the mistakes others have made. Take “Influence” by Robert Cialdini—it’s not just a book about persuasion. It’s about understanding how the human mind gets tricked, which can give you a leg up in sales, negotiations, leadership, and more. Reading outside your bubble gives you different perspectives. You get exposed to new problems and new solutions that you can apply directly to your own business. But if you're stuck in your comfort zone? You'll think like everyone else. The most successful founders don't pigeonhole their learning. They’re pulling from everything and learning from what others have done (or failed to do) in the past. So, take a break from the usual. Read something that challenges you. 

Life Hack 22 | Stealing Genius: Innovate by Borrowing from the Unrelated I’ve always struggled to understand innovation. Does it happen through a structured process, or is it intuitive? Can you train yourself to be innovative, or is it an inherent trait? Is it a habit, an art, a science, or a combination of all these? My journey over the last 40 years has been an exploration of these questions, often leading me into the dark corners of the maze of innovation. I'm still trying to figure it out. My first brush with innovation was far from a success. I launched a nail polish remover box where you put in your finger, rub it, and—voila!—the polish is gone. But it wasn’t just the polish that disappeared; mechanical engineers like me should not meddle with chemistry. That failure taught me that copycat innovation fails faster than you think. It is fascinating to believe that innovation doesn’t grow on trees or hide under bushes waiting to be discovered. The best ideas often come from the most unexpected places. Take Velcro, for example. It was inspired by burrs sticking to a hiker's clothes. Barbed wire was developed by mimicking the thorny Osage orange tree. Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming when he noticed that a contaminated petri dish had killed the bacteria around it. These examples show innovation doesn't happen in isolation; it requires inspiration from diverse and unrelated fields. My own journey has witnessed three big attempts at disruptive innovation, each a decade apart. The first in 1995 was a product innovation through the creation of Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM), which later grew into a multi-billion-dollar industry. The second in 2005 was cultural innovation with the birth of the "Employees First, Customer Second" approach, a philosophy influenced by observing the cultural transformation of Japanese car manufacturers, who revolutionized their industry by empowering their workers and focusing on continuous improvement. The third in 2015 was the biggest, a mega-scale social transformation through Sampark Smart Shala where we created rechargeable audio devices with Sampark Didi's enchanting voice teaching through songs, stories, and music, bringing pure joy back into the classroom! Innovation thrives on inspiration from the most unexpected places. Other than diverse sources of inspiration, embracing serendipity is crucial; being open to unexpected connections can spark brilliant insights. Diverse teams with varied backgrounds can create solutions that homogeneous groups might miss. Experimentation and iteration are essential; innovation is a continuous process of testing, learning from failures, and refining ideas. Innovation isn’t about following a specific formula. It’s about drawing inspiration from diverse fields and being open to new ideas. So, look beyond your domain, embrace serendipity, and let unrelated ideas inspire your next breakthrough. #LifeHack #ThinkOutsideTheBox

Most leaders look for answers in their own industry. The best ones look beyond it. Aviation engineers solved turbulence issues by studying bird flight. Automakers improved safety by learning from football helmet designs. Doctors are collaborating with AI experts to detect diseases earlier. These breakthroughs didn’t happen by thinking inside the box. They happened when leaders connected the dots across disciplines. This is transdisciplinary thinking: The ability to pull insights from unexpected places to solve complex problems. Transdisciplinary thinking is no longer optional. AI isn’t just for tech ➡ It’s transforming finance, healthcare, and leadership. Supply chain strategies from aerospace are revolutionizing retail logistics. Marketing isn’t just about creativity ➡ It’s about behavioral science. Leaders who embrace cross-industry thinking don’t just adapt. They innovate where others struggle. The question is: Are you learning beyond your field? Where have you borrowed ideas from unexpected places? P.S. I coach leaders to sharpen their ability to think beyond the obvious.

Education is one of my key social causes. As a licensed engineer, I took the traditional academic route and am grateful for those years of learning. But let's be honest - Sometimes the typical academic path just doesn't cut it, especially if you want to stand out. I’m a big fan of analogous learning, as an alternative to textbook instruction. This learning process encourages you to divert your focus from the page, and find inspiration in people and situations different, albeit relevant to your own. Consider Japanese Shinkansen bullet trains… an engineering marvel, right? Of course, but it was also an incredibly challenging undertaking. At one point, the train’s engineers struggled to solve for a sonic boom created by the vehicle’s high speed. Rather than going back to the drawing board, or referencing academic resources, they found another source for inspiration: kingfisher birds! The long, narrow beak and ability of these birds to transition from air to water inspired the design of the trains, saving the team billions of dollars in re-design, iteration, and failed experiments. Analogous learning isn't about trashing the rulebook, it's about keeping curiosity alive, thinking big, and embracing learning in unexpected ways.

I had the chance to catch the final days of the New-York Historical Society’s recent exhibition, “Lost New York." The exhibition showcased forgotten landmarks from the City's past, like the 22 river bathhouses that stayed open into the night for swimming by gaslight. Seeing all the changes to my adopted home city got me thinking about another topic I love: What do we really mean by innovation? I like to define innovation as "Something New + Something Useful." But people often get tripped up by "new," which doesn't mean starting from scratch. It’s also about breathing new life into what already exists. Case in point: Chelsea Market. It used to be the Nabisco factory (where the Oreo was invented!) and is now a busy food hall that keeps the building’s industrial vibe with a modern twist. In fact almost all "new" ideas are simply taking existing concepts and mixing them up to create something novel. For example, the High Line, once an elevated freight rail line, is now a park that draws millions of visitors. But it wasn’t about building a new park; it was about reimagining infrastructure that was already there. If you're working on your next big innovation don’t just think forward, think around and behind. So how do you do this? 🏗 Start with the familiar: One of the most iconic buildings from the exhibition was Penn Station, a marvel of 20th-century architecture. Though the original station was demolished for the current monstrosity (proving that new is not always better!), its sense of awe inspired the design of modern spaces like the impressive Moynihan Train Hall. 🚂 ✨ Combine the old with the new: Consider how existing elements might be repurposed or recombined to solve a problem. Innovation isn’t about inventing something out of thin air; it’s about creatively connecting the dots to build something useful. When thinking about your own problems, ask yourself: What existing processes, products, or concepts can be recombined to create something fresh? 🌎 Find inspiration in history: I was a proud history major at college, a choice that is in steep decline among today's university students who want degrees that are "useful." Perhaps a new approach is to show how the "new" and "useful" innovations we seek are already here in our history, just waiting to be seen from a different angle.  As William Faulkner famously said, "The past is never dead. It's not even past." For further reading on this theme, check out some suggestions in the comments below...

Find inspiration OUTSIDE your space. Why? Your best creative ideas come from Unexpected sources. The B2B echo chamber is a dangerous place to be. That’s why I made a commitment this year. To look outside my circle for inspiration. I recently went to a dinner for the fastest-growing UK D2C brands. Despite our different markets, we shared many of the same challenges: 💪 Hiring A-players Everyone’s fighting for talent - whether you’re selling software or shoes. 🎯Streamlining operations Tech or retail - we’re all trying to do more with less. 🤖 Adapting to AI The pace of technological change affects us all, regardless of industry. 🤝Building customer relationships Different products, same goal: keeping customers happy The biggest lesson for me? Although our problems are shared, the way we solve is refreshingly different. For example... hiring non-exec directors as acting CEO’s, leaving space for the founders to work on the product. It’s not a solution I would have considered - given B2B’s fascination with founder-led growth. But it’s working brilliantly for several D2C companies - who are able to focus on really future-proofing their brand, without anchoring it to a founder. So, next time you get the chance - look outside your circle. You never know who you might meet, or what problems you’ll start to solve…

𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐄𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥! After around five years of studying computer science with a focus on engineering, I’ve come to realize I’m drawn to the research side more than purely applied engineering. Engineering is powerful because it's where real-world impact happens and where theoretical concepts become tangible projects. However, I believe the true breakthroughs in computer science, especially in fields like AI, emerge from a blend of research and cross-disciplinary insights. Without research, engineering would lack the foundational theories and experimental discoveries that enable its advancements. Take 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 for instance, many of its core algorithms and ideas stem from fields like neuroscience, biology, and even physics. To innovate in machine learning, inspiration often comes from outside the field! Historically, transformative ideas like 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒏'𝒔 information theory or 𝒗𝒐𝒏 𝑵𝒆𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏’𝒔 contributions didn’t come from isolated thinking; they were grounded in broad, 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞. To achieve milestones like AGI, we need more than incremental improvements to existing models. Instead, we must draw from various fields to develop intuitive insights and new frameworks. Imagine integrating Jungian archetypes into LLMs to give them a deeper sense of human personality dynamics! even with this, we might still fall short of true consciousness in these models. Whether contributing to technology that makes an immediate impact or pushing the boundaries of theory for future breakthroughs, 𝒂 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒍𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒘𝒏. For those of us in computer science, this kind of holistic knowledge is essential if we’re to discern, assimilate, and advance our field. #Ai #science #philosophy #llm