Creativity, innovation and technology in the 21st century.
When we talk about creativity, technology and innovation in the 21st century, what and who comes to your mind?
Maybe you go out looking for companies and people who are millionaires at the top of their field or companies which are just starting up , successful established businesses.
If you google “innovators of the 21st century” or “innovations of the 21st century” the first to show up are:
8 Best Inventions Of The 21st Century
- Artificial Intelligence…
- The Electric Car. …
- The Apple iPod. …
- Facebook. …
- YouTube. …
- Smartphones. …
- Driverless cars.
5 Most Influential Innovators of the 21st Century
- Elon Musk. Elon Musk was born in South Africa in 1971. …
- Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs was born in San Francisco, California in 1955. …
- Sheryl Sandberg. Sheryl Sandberg was born in Washington D.C. in 1969. …
- Mark Zuckerberg. Mark Zuckerberg was born in 1984 in White Plains, New York. …
Today, I would like to invite you to pause and reflect on this “fact” that innovations in the 21st century have primarily come from the tech industry.
“Creativity isn’t just about inventing the next Uber, Facebook or iPad; it isn’t solely relegated to the innovation culture of Silicon Valley, and it doesn’t rely on the investment of ventures capitalists. Creativity is about solving problems, making people’s lives better, and moving our communities forward. As such, it is recognized as a powerful necessity for generating solution to some of the world’s most critical and social problems” — The Toddler Brain by Laura A. Jana, MD.
Keeping that in mind, in case if you have not heard of him already, I would like to introduce you to another innovator in the 21st century: William Kamkwamba. William is a young man who inspired the movie — The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
(2007)
(2009)
According to research, William has important characteristics and skills every child will need to succeed in the 21st-Century.
Some of those characteristics are: curiosity, deep understanding of his environment, empathy, not being afraid of making mistakes, strength to overcome obstacles, concentration, persistence, resilience and, most importantly, being driven by a purpose.
These innovators are already here or they are just being born, for that reason the reflection that I would like to bring here is for you to look around, to look at your side, or even in the mirror.
We have to break out the bias of where an intelligent and innovative person is formed, it doesn’t have to do with economic status or specific places, we have to learn how to identify, support and enhance the reach of their work.
These are the people that can move us to the next level in solving the problems of society and the limitations of business, for that, we need to understand the root of this greatness!
And if you’ve made it this far, I’ll give you a hint: there are many documentaries and studies on the importance of the first years of life and the formation of the brain. Here’s a suggestion to get started:
I hope you enjoyed it, and that somehow I was able to contribute a little to your learning journey.
All the best,
Ale
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Alessandra Fonseca is a People & Change consultant and a Montessori teacher with an authentic passion for the scientific study of humans. Alessandra believes that transformation of society and a best future for the workforce will be achieved through the reform of education and conscious leadership.
Connect with me via LinkedIn or via email vidaforreal@gmail.com
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). To see a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
