Real-Life Warp Pipes
In 2007, a college student and accomplished video gamer named Nathan Parkinson trounced the world record of 33 minutes, 24 seconds by finishing a game of Super Mario Bros. in just under seven minutes. His knowledge of Warp Pipes – secret avenues that let players skip levels – enabled him to finish the game in one-fifth of the record time. Today’s innovators do the same; they mix creative thinking with moxie to bypass levels and succeed. It took American tycoon John D. Rockefeller 46 years to become a billionaire. Microsoft founder Bill Gates did it in 12 years; Andrew Mason of Groupon in only two. Advances in technology and communication decrease the time it takes to achieve your dreams and make a fortune. In spite of this, most companies stick to antiquated innovation and careerbuilding models. People still believe that progress follows a prescribed route over decades or even generations. Some of the world’s greatest innovators and entrepreneurs are “lateral thinkers.” Lateral thinking lets you approach a problem from a different angle to find a creative solution. It shortens the time it takes to succeed by skipping unnecessary stages, uses leverage to replace hard work with brainpower and enables you to soar to the top by building momentum. Learn to buck convention and accelerate every aspect of your life by taking a “smartcut,” which are “shortcuts with integrity.” The nine smartcut principles are:
1. “Hacking the Ladder”
Lyndon B. Johnson worked hard, climbed the ladder until he became vice president of the United States and ultimately attained the oval office when Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated John F. Kennedy. He achieved the presidency through hard work, fate and good timing. Yet, most US presidents took smartcuts, earning that coveted spot at relatively young ages and after an average of only seven years in elected office. Five presidents never served in any prior office Mormon students at Brigham Young University play a game called “Bigger or Better.” They divide into teams and knock on doors, asking for small items, such as a toothpick. At every successive home, they request an item that is “bigger or better.” Eventually, they trade up to the prize, such as a bike, TV or furniture. They compare which team collected the biggest and best items. This game illustrates the human tendency to feel most comfortable with small risks or incremental improvements. The winners of Bigger or Better jump over rungs of the ladder by proactively seeking participants and making big trades. Many successful entrepreneurs, celebrities and young executives hack the system by leaping sideways. They work hard and jump to another ladder, landing several rungs higher. They make up for a lack of experience with leadership ability, agile thinking and selfconfidence. The world’s highest achievers eschew traditional career paths to forge their own trails
2. “Training with Masters”
Louis C.K. and Jimmy Fallon are both well-liked American comedians. While Fallon hit it big and joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) at age 23, C.K. toiled in the comedy trenches for 15 years before succeeding. Fallon failed his first SNL audition, but he practiced his craft in small comedy clubs, emulating his comedic heroes, Adam Sandler and David Spade, and working with manager and mentor Randi Siegel. The right mentor is an effective smartcut. Mentoring needn’t necessarily happen in person. Many successes, including rapper JayZ and Walmart founder Sam Walton, learned by studying the masters in their fields. C.K. focused on comic great George Carlin. He analyzed Carlin’s ability to find the humor in real, no-holds-barred experiences. When C.K. applied this unapologetic approach to his own comedy, his career soared. Many so-called overnight successes relied on talented mentors to help them reach their goals faster. Yet, workplace mentoring programs can show disappointing results. Many protégés of remarkable mentors never make it or fall as quickly as they rise. Psychologist Christina M. Underhill’s in-depth research on mentorship in the early 2000s showed that when students and mentors form personal relationships, both parties benefit. The relationship develops organically, building trust on both sides and leading to learning. Structured mentorships, such as those arranged through corporate programs, rarely have the same positive effect.
3. “Rapid Feedback”
Research doesn’t support the idea that failure leads to eventual success. Entrepreneurs who fail once are just as likely to fail again. Successful innovators are likelier to succeed in their next ventures. Making mistakes is part of learning, but human nature negates some of its positive results. The “attribution theory” says people make excuses for their mistakes but accept success as their due for their efforts and talent. Offering most people feedback, then, is a waste of time. Smartcutters are different; they use feedback constructively. For example, the Second City training ground produced many high-achieving comedians, including Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. However, watching Second City students perform new, live material is a miserable experience. Most of it is not funny. Would-be comedians learn by trying out things on stage, bombing often and trying again. Failure becomes part of the process. Comedians in training learn that the audience directs its feedback – laughter or the lack of it – towards the joke, not the person making the joke. Such depersonalization makes it easier to accept and learn from the harsh silence of no one laughing.
4. “Platforms”
Computer programmer Heinemeier Hansson, also known as DHH, is a “selective slacker.” He chooses where to focus his hard work and energy, and he looks for the easiest way to do everything else. In college, he worked on a freelance project using the “Ruby” programming language, which requires programmers to input common codes repeatedly. Hansson built a layer on top of Ruby to automate these functions, calling it “Ruby on Rails.” When he posted it online, it became an immediate hit with programmers. They created add-ons to its preset repetitive functions that reduced programming time even further. The Ruby on Rails platform enables programmers to code revolutionary software, such as Twitter, in less time than ever before. Platforms allow people to reach greater heights with less effort. Today, when most information is available with a click, learning to use platforms can lead to better results more quickly than just absorbing rote data and processes. Finland built one of the world’s best education systems by having its highly trained teachers instruct students in learning rather than memorization.
5. “Catching Waves”
People attribute subconscious pattern recognition born of expertise to great intuition, but it is a learned skill. Business executives make split-second decisions based on past experience the way fencing virtuosos with years of practice accurately anticipate their opponents’ next moves. While experience and practice help hone pattern-recognition skills, entrepreneurs and trailblazers can train themselves to spot patterns so they can foresee opportunities and emerging trends. They’re similar to champion surfers, who seem to always catch the biggest waves. However, the great ones study ocean conditions for hours so they can time their actions perfectly.
6. “Superconnecting”
What enabled a ragtag band of guerrillas to overthrow a powerful government? They connected to the citizenry, demonstrating the power of the ability to “superconnect.” In 1952, Fulgencio Batista created a military dictatorship in Cuba. A small group of revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, set up rebel camps and took potshots at Batista’s military bases. The resisters were too few in number to pose a real threat until the camp obtained a radio transmitter. The rebels broadcast messages in support of their cause, beginning each broadcast, “Aqui Radio Rebedle!” (“Here is Rebel Radio!”). Soon, many Cuban citizens tuned in and joined the ranks of the rebels. On New Year’s Day in 1959, Batista’s government fell. The power of superconnectors mirrors the multiplier impact of that radio. Mass media enable people and businesses to send messages to vast audiences. Many entrepreneurs gain notice by working through media networks or personal connections to affect smaller but crucial circles of influence. For example, movie director J.J. Abrams got his start with the help of a friend’s superconnected father. He parlayed his first break into bigger opportunities, eventually making films with such stars as Harrison Ford. Once Abrams made it to the top, he, too, helped unknown writers, actors and directors. Such generosity is not unusual, according to research by Wharton School professor Dr. Adam Grant. Tapping into superconnectors can be an amazing smartcut.
7. “Momentum”
Paul “Bear” Vasquez’s YouTube video showing him gazing in awe and wonder at a double rainbow garnered millions of views. Michelle Phan’s video tutorial about how to apply makeup in the style of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” made her a YouTube darling. Vasquez turned out to be a one-hit wonder, but Phan parlayed her moment in the sun into long-term success by building on the momentum initiated by her first video hit. While she was still in high school, Phan posted makeup tips on her blog. In college, someone donated a new MacBook to her. Its built-in webcam enabled her to begin making cosmetic tutorial videos, which she posted on YouTube. Phan studied the videos that succeeded on YouTube and learned how to time her posts. She developed a small, loyal fan base. When she uploaded her Lady Gaga makeup video, her site’s home page caught the eye of a BuzzFeed reporter. With the nod from BuzzFeed, Phan’s video took off and enchanted viewers watched her previous tutorials. Now she has millions of subscribers, works as a makeup artist for Lancôme and has launched her own cosmetics company, Ipsy
8. “Simplicity”
Neonatal intensive-care units are standard equipment in Western hospitals. Continued improvements make these units highly effective, though expensive. Yet the infant mortality rate in developing countries remains alarmingly high. Businesswoman Jane Chen and her team decided to tackle the problem. They tried to lower the costs of such units without much success. So they discarded previous assumptions and isolated the one thing babies need to survive – warmth. They developed Embrace, “a sleeping bag for babies.” The bags keep infants’ body temperatures at a steady 98.6 and cost only $25. In just a few years, the Embrace warmer saved more than 39,000 babies’ lives. The Embrace demonstrates that bigger, more technological innovations aren’t always better. Often, just asking, “How could we make this product simpler?” is the best smartcut
9. “10X Thinking”
Astro Teller is the head of Google[x], a secret lab charged with developing mind-blowing inventions by indulging in 10x Thinking. The lab doesn’t reinvent the wheel; it sets out to create completely new modes of transportation. Rather than design incremental improvements to existing models, 10x thinking throws away the mold and begins from entirely new assumptions;10x forces innovators to take smartcuts. Elon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal, is a 10x thinker. After earning $165 million from the sale of PayPal, Musk turned his attention to space. NASA had tabled its program to send a rocket to Mars, and Musk thought he could create a team that could achieve that goal, better and for less money. After he launched SpaceX in 2002, his small team of engineers simplified the rocket-building process. They reduced complexity in all aspects of rocket design and built their own components to avoid the sky-high prices of aerospace contractors such as Lockheed and Boeing. SpaceX’s first three attempts to launch a rocket failed, but on Sept. 28, 2008, its Falcon 1 successfully orbited Earth. SpaceX now employs more than 4,000 people and operates the world’s least-expensive, best-engineered spaceships.
• Defy convention and accelerate your career progress by taking “smartcuts, shortcuts with integrity.” Use the nine “smartcut principles”: • First, “hack” the career ladder with sideways moves that skip rungs. Use “lateral thinking” – approaching problems from a different angle – to find solutions. • Second, “train with a master.” A mentor can guide you past obstacles. • Third, seek “rapid feedback” that helps you hone your craft and take necessary risks. • Fourth, use “platforms,” formulas or levers to reach goals with less effort. • Fifth, practice “catching waves” to detect patterns that reveal opportunities. • Sixth, link up with “superconnectors,” people who can open doors for you. • Seventh, generate “momentum.” No win is a one-off if you build forward motion with each success. • Eighth, convert good results into extraordinary outcomes by embracing “simplicity,” an essential element of “breakthrough success.” • Ninth, use the multiplier impact of “10x thinking,” which aims for revolutionary, paradigm-busting, game-changing innovation.
In 2007, a college student and accomplished video gamer named Nathan Parkinson trounced the world record of 33 minutes, 24 seconds by finishing a game of Super Mario Bros. in just under seven minutes. His knowledge of Warp Pipes – secret avenues that let players skip levels – enabled him to finish the game in one-fifth of the record time. Today’s innovators do the same; they mix creative thinking with moxie to bypass levels and succeed. It took American tycoon John D. Rockefeller 46 years to become a billionaire. Microsoft founder Bill Gates did it in 12 years; Andrew Mason of Groupon in only two. Advances in technology and communication decrease the time it takes to achieve your dreams and make a fortune. In spite of this, most companies stick to antiquated innovation and careerbuilding models. People still believe that progress follows a prescribed route over decades or even generations. Some of the world’s greatest innovators and entrepreneurs are “lateral thinkers.” Lateral thinking lets you approach a problem from a different angle to find a creative solution. It shortens the time it takes to succeed by skipping unnecessary stages, uses leverage to replace hard work with brainpower and enables you to soar to the top by building momentum. Learn to buck convention and accelerate every aspect of your life by taking a “smartcut,” which are “shortcuts with integrity.” The nine smartcut principles are:
1. “Hacking the Ladder”
Lyndon B. Johnson worked hard, climbed the ladder until he became vice president of the United States and ultimately attained the oval office when Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated John F. Kennedy. He achieved the presidency through hard work, fate and good timing. Yet, most US presidents took smartcuts, earning that coveted spot at relatively young ages and after an average of only seven years in elected office. Five presidents never served in any prior office Mormon students at Brigham Young University play a game called “Bigger or Better.” They divide into teams and knock on doors, asking for small items, such as a toothpick. At every successive home, they request an item that is “bigger or better.” Eventually, they trade up to the prize, such as a bike, TV or furniture. They compare which team collected the biggest and best items. This game illustrates the human tendency to feel most comfortable with small risks or incremental improvements. The winners of Bigger or Better jump over rungs of the ladder by proactively seeking participants and making big trades. Many successful entrepreneurs, celebrities and young executives hack the system by leaping sideways. They work hard and jump to another ladder, landing several rungs higher. They make up for a lack of experience with leadership ability, agile thinking and selfconfidence. The world’s highest achievers eschew traditional career paths to forge their own trails
2. “Training with Masters”
Louis C.K. and Jimmy Fallon are both well-liked American comedians. While Fallon hit it big and joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) at age 23, C.K. toiled in the comedy trenches for 15 years before succeeding. Fallon failed his first SNL audition, but he practiced his craft in small comedy clubs, emulating his comedic heroes, Adam Sandler and David Spade, and working with manager and mentor Randi Siegel. The right mentor is an effective smartcut. Mentoring needn’t necessarily happen in person. Many successes, including rapper JayZ and Walmart founder Sam Walton, learned by studying the masters in their fields. C.K. focused on comic great George Carlin. He analyzed Carlin’s ability to find the humor in real, no-holds-barred experiences. When C.K. applied this unapologetic approach to his own comedy, his career soared. Many so-called overnight successes relied on talented mentors to help them reach their goals faster. Yet, workplace mentoring programs can show disappointing results. Many protégés of remarkable mentors never make it or fall as quickly as they rise. Psychologist Christina M. Underhill’s in-depth research on mentorship in the early 2000s showed that when students and mentors form personal relationships, both parties benefit. The relationship develops organically, building trust on both sides and leading to learning. Structured mentorships, such as those arranged through corporate programs, rarely have the same positive effect.
3. “Rapid Feedback”
Research doesn’t support the idea that failure leads to eventual success. Entrepreneurs who fail once are just as likely to fail again. Successful innovators are likelier to succeed in their next ventures. Making mistakes is part of learning, but human nature negates some of its positive results. The “attribution theory” says people make excuses for their mistakes but accept success as their due for their efforts and talent. Offering most people feedback, then, is a waste of time. Smartcutters are different; they use feedback constructively. For example, the Second City training ground produced many high-achieving comedians, including Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. However, watching Second City students perform new, live material is a miserable experience. Most of it is not funny. Would-be comedians learn by trying out things on stage, bombing often and trying again. Failure becomes part of the process. Comedians in training learn that the audience directs its feedback – laughter or the lack of it – towards the joke, not the person making the joke. Such depersonalization makes it easier to accept and learn from the harsh silence of no one laughing.
4. “Platforms”
Computer programmer Heinemeier Hansson, also known as DHH, is a “selective slacker.” He chooses where to focus his hard work and energy, and he looks for the easiest way to do everything else. In college, he worked on a freelance project using the “Ruby” programming language, which requires programmers to input common codes repeatedly. Hansson built a layer on top of Ruby to automate these functions, calling it “Ruby on Rails.” When he posted it online, it became an immediate hit with programmers. They created add-ons to its preset repetitive functions that reduced programming time even further. The Ruby on Rails platform enables programmers to code revolutionary software, such as Twitter, in less time than ever before. Platforms allow people to reach greater heights with less effort. Today, when most information is available with a click, learning to use platforms can lead to better results more quickly than just absorbing rote data and processes. Finland built one of the world’s best education systems by having its highly trained teachers instruct students in learning rather than memorization.
5. “Catching Waves”
People attribute subconscious pattern recognition born of expertise to great intuition, but it is a learned skill. Business executives make split-second decisions based on past experience the way fencing virtuosos with years of practice accurately anticipate their opponents’ next moves. While experience and practice help hone pattern-recognition skills, entrepreneurs and trailblazers can train themselves to spot patterns so they can foresee opportunities and emerging trends. They’re similar to champion surfers, who seem to always catch the biggest waves. However, the great ones study ocean conditions for hours so they can time their actions perfectly.
6. “Superconnecting”
What enabled a ragtag band of guerrillas to overthrow a powerful government? They connected to the citizenry, demonstrating the power of the ability to “superconnect.” In 1952, Fulgencio Batista created a military dictatorship in Cuba. A small group of revolutionaries, led by Fidel Castro and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, set up rebel camps and took potshots at Batista’s military bases. The resisters were too few in number to pose a real threat until the camp obtained a radio transmitter. The rebels broadcast messages in support of their cause, beginning each broadcast, “Aqui Radio Rebedle!” (“Here is Rebel Radio!”). Soon, many Cuban citizens tuned in and joined the ranks of the rebels. On New Year’s Day in 1959, Batista’s government fell. The power of superconnectors mirrors the multiplier impact of that radio. Mass media enable people and businesses to send messages to vast audiences. Many entrepreneurs gain notice by working through media networks or personal connections to affect smaller but crucial circles of influence. For example, movie director J.J. Abrams got his start with the help of a friend’s superconnected father. He parlayed his first break into bigger opportunities, eventually making films with such stars as Harrison Ford. Once Abrams made it to the top, he, too, helped unknown writers, actors and directors. Such generosity is not unusual, according to research by Wharton School professor Dr. Adam Grant. Tapping into superconnectors can be an amazing smartcut.
7. “Momentum”
Paul “Bear” Vasquez’s YouTube video showing him gazing in awe and wonder at a double rainbow garnered millions of views. Michelle Phan’s video tutorial about how to apply makeup in the style of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” made her a YouTube darling. Vasquez turned out to be a one-hit wonder, but Phan parlayed her moment in the sun into long-term success by building on the momentum initiated by her first video hit. While she was still in high school, Phan posted makeup tips on her blog. In college, someone donated a new MacBook to her. Its built-in webcam enabled her to begin making cosmetic tutorial videos, which she posted on YouTube. Phan studied the videos that succeeded on YouTube and learned how to time her posts. She developed a small, loyal fan base. When she uploaded her Lady Gaga makeup video, her site’s home page caught the eye of a BuzzFeed reporter. With the nod from BuzzFeed, Phan’s video took off and enchanted viewers watched her previous tutorials. Now she has millions of subscribers, works as a makeup artist for Lancôme and has launched her own cosmetics company, Ipsy
8. “Simplicity”
Neonatal intensive-care units are standard equipment in Western hospitals. Continued improvements make these units highly effective, though expensive. Yet the infant mortality rate in developing countries remains alarmingly high. Businesswoman Jane Chen and her team decided to tackle the problem. They tried to lower the costs of such units without much success. So they discarded previous assumptions and isolated the one thing babies need to survive – warmth. They developed Embrace, “a sleeping bag for babies.” The bags keep infants’ body temperatures at a steady 98.6 and cost only $25. In just a few years, the Embrace warmer saved more than 39,000 babies’ lives. The Embrace demonstrates that bigger, more technological innovations aren’t always better. Often, just asking, “How could we make this product simpler?” is the best smartcut
9. “10X Thinking”
Astro Teller is the head of Google[x], a secret lab charged with developing mind-blowing inventions by indulging in 10x Thinking. The lab doesn’t reinvent the wheel; it sets out to create completely new modes of transportation. Rather than design incremental improvements to existing models, 10x thinking throws away the mold and begins from entirely new assumptions;10x forces innovators to take smartcuts. Elon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal, is a 10x thinker. After earning $165 million from the sale of PayPal, Musk turned his attention to space. NASA had tabled its program to send a rocket to Mars, and Musk thought he could create a team that could achieve that goal, better and for less money. After he launched SpaceX in 2002, his small team of engineers simplified the rocket-building process. They reduced complexity in all aspects of rocket design and built their own components to avoid the sky-high prices of aerospace contractors such as Lockheed and Boeing. SpaceX’s first three attempts to launch a rocket failed, but on Sept. 28, 2008, its Falcon 1 successfully orbited Earth. SpaceX now employs more than 4,000 people and operates the world’s least-expensive, best-engineered spaceships.
• Defy convention and accelerate your career progress by taking “smartcuts, shortcuts with integrity.” Use the nine “smartcut principles”: • First, “hack” the career ladder with sideways moves that skip rungs. Use “lateral thinking” – approaching problems from a different angle – to find solutions. • Second, “train with a master.” A mentor can guide you past obstacles. • Third, seek “rapid feedback” that helps you hone your craft and take necessary risks. • Fourth, use “platforms,” formulas or levers to reach goals with less effort. • Fifth, practice “catching waves” to detect patterns that reveal opportunities. • Sixth, link up with “superconnectors,” people who can open doors for you. • Seventh, generate “momentum.” No win is a one-off if you build forward motion with each success. • Eighth, convert good results into extraordinary outcomes by embracing “simplicity,” an essential element of “breakthrough success.” • Ninth, use the multiplier impact of “10x thinking,” which aims for revolutionary, paradigm-busting, game-changing innovation.
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