Everything Connects, A Book by Faisal Hoque & Drake Baer
The Story
"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas,
objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se." -
Charles Eames
“Everything Connects”, interesting title for a book, I must
say. So when I came to know of this new book by Faisal Hoque & Drake Baer, I thought there must be an interesting story behind it too. And I
requested Faisal for a Skype chat. I saw a mysterious story, and I wanted to
solve the mystery as soon as possible.
“Tell me the story about the book” I asked Faisal. Curiosity
was killing the cat, it seems. “But first tell me, what is the inspiration
behind the book”, I quipped. We both were looking at each other curiously, as if we both seemed to be older and less glamorous than our digital avatars.
Faisal immediately replied, “The inspiration comes from none
else than, Leonardo Di Vinci.” I knew that Faisal is a practitioner of
mindfulness and I sensed a spiritual overtone in the book. So my next question
was, “How do you connect with your deeper self and practice mindfulness? And what
does the book have to say on this?”
Faisal reflected and came with an interesting answer, “Your
own mindfulness should reflect your organizational mindfulness. But I believe, ‘First find
your authentic calling and then only you can connect.’ And mindfulness is being
aware and fully present in any activity that you do.”
My mind seemed to be flooded with questions for him. So I bounced the next one, “How did you connect with your co-author Drake Baer?” Faisal replied, “We had many common interests like Eastern philosophies, global travel and innovation. Yet we had a contrast too and complemented each other well. He is a journalist, and I am an entrepreneur.”
My mind seemed to be flooded with questions for him. So I bounced the next one, “How did you connect with your co-author Drake Baer?” Faisal replied, “We had many common interests like Eastern philosophies, global travel and innovation. Yet we had a contrast too and complemented each other well. He is a journalist, and I am an entrepreneur.”
"And Faisal, your own story and story of the book, how do
they connect with each other?” I said, as more curios cats seem to be jumping out of me.
Faisal kept smiling and replied, “All failures I have had, all successes and resultant learning. In a way, they all have contributed to the book, and my journey of self- transformation.”
I began to chat, "Faisal, I know many people who hate the idea of meditation
and reflection because they fail at it. When I asked a question on Quora recently, “What kind of experiences are felt after meditation?" someone
replied, “Mostly knee pain.” And I began to laugh. Then I began to reflect,
“Had my own journey not been full of knee pain?. Though temporary peace and relaxation was not difficult, yet it took me years before I found lasting peace and
conspicuous benefits.” Thank God I had devilish persistence."
"So what interests you, besides writing books?" I continued. Faisal replied,
“New products, new services and new companies. One of my new products is 'Mind
to Mind exchange'. Human impact is of special interest to me, 19,000 people are using the product and I am observing how their lives are impacted.”
Faisal added, “Success and value must be defined by you, not
by society. Profession is what we do, our story is what we are.”
“Tell me more about the book. What's new to learn?” I
almost interrogated. Faisal said, “This book is about leadership of both self
and organisation. Both are inter-connected and both need to be integrated. People are hungry for inspiration, not just creation of mind
boggling products.”
“But Faisal, do we need more inspiration just because we live in
cynical times? The world is going through a dark phase of Kaliyuga.” I questioned. Faisal
continued to smile brightly, “Need for inspiration is always there, it is
innate. We are so connected with social media, that this need for
inspiration has become more visible and conspicuous.”
“And Faisal, what are your plans about lecturing across the
world and telling us how everything connects?” I am eager to listen to his detailed talk actually. Faisal noted, “I have already lectured
at Yale School and Fast Company and it is continuing. But there is more to my
life than books and lecturing. I am an entrepreneur too. “
"So what is the final lesson and story for our readers Faisal", I kept bouncing. (Faisal almost intuitively knew my next question, he seemed so much at ease. The
mystery about book was getting solved, but it was Faisal who was appearing mysterious now). Faisal
replied, “Look at DOW listing of companies, original companies are not there,
hardly any company except GE. " Then he added a quotable quote, "Every entrepreneur wants to leave behind a legacy, and
legacy does not come without being reflective. History does not talk about
people who have made loads of money, but people who made impact.”
“Oh, Faisal is all about making impact, creating history and
leaving a legacy”, my inner voice began to whisper too with the contagious
soulfulness of Faisal.
(Story & Interview by Dr Amit Nagpal)
(Story & Interview by Dr Amit Nagpal)
-----------------------
Brief Profile
Serial entrepreneur, thought leader, and author, Faisal Hoque is the founder of SHADOKA and other companies. Shadoka’s portfolio of companies (R&D driven products, services, and thought leadership) accelerates individual and organizational sustainable growth. Author of several books, his newest book is Everything Connects – How to Transform and Lead in the Age of Creativity, Innovation and Sustainability (McGraw Hill, Spring 2014). Formerly of GE and other global brands, he regularly contributes to Fast Company andHuffington Post. His work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and Leadership Excellence among other publications.
The editors of Ziff-Davis Enterprise named him as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Technology alongside leading entrepreneurs such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Larry Page, and others. Trust Across America-Trust Around the World (TAA-TWA) named him one of the Top 100 Thought Leaders alongside global leaders such as Bill George, Tony Hsieh, Doug Conant, Howard Schultz, and others.
Follow him @faisal_hoque or visit:-
http://www.everythingconnectsthebook.com/
-------------------------
Dr Amit Nagpal is Chief Inspirational Storyteller at AL Services. He is a Social Media Influencer, Author, Speaker/Trainer and Coach. To know more, visit www.dramitnagpal.com. (His special interest and expertise lies in inspirational storytelling, anecdotes and visual storytelling)
AL Services offers content development/story writing, consulting, training and other services in the area of brand storytelling. To know more, write to amit@dramitnagpal.com
-------------------------
About Dr Amit Nagpal
Dr Amit Nagpal is Chief Inspirational Storyteller at AL Services. He is a Social Media Influencer, Author, Speaker/Trainer and Coach. To know more, visit www.dramitnagpal.com. (His special interest and expertise lies in inspirational storytelling, anecdotes and visual storytelling)AL Services offers content development/story writing, consulting, training and other services in the area of brand storytelling. To know more, write to amit@dramitnagpal.com
Comments
Post a Comment