What a massive waste spending our time trying to live according to anyone else’s spec but our own. But so many of us do, for the sake of the mortgage, our family/friends/social-standing or because we just haven’t figured out what our own groove is. Despite what seems sexier or better paid or accrues nods of respect, beyond learned capacity for a profession, we each have a special knack for doing something – it may be dumbed down from when we were little, but it’s encoded in the sequence of our being.

Mine is hunting genius. It’s a talent, a fairly peculiar talent to be sure, but has proven itself to be useful.

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.

Genius I look for isn’t solely squeezed into human form, it’s in the forces of nature, technology, culture. Whatever is driving evolution – for good or bad – where there is an epiphany and a marked change in direction. [It happens more often than most of us suspect].

Research and reporting back forms part of my day job, but in the course of my explorations I come across extraordinary people doing crazycool things out where there is no precedent. These bits of reconnaissance aren’t that useful for business – which rarely thrives on investing in true innovation but is better suited to adaptive imitation.
But leaders and curious individuals benefit heartily from tales and tools from the edge; of brave inventions, explorers, creators and heroes that drive social contagion. It inspires courage and craziness needed to keep their own genius aglow (genius is fragile). These geniuses, their dazzling discoveries, astonishing creations and epic adventures are not the stuff of commercial transaction perhaps. But they are no less valuable to us as a species.

Sharing and debating the freshest phenomena from science, social psychology, behavioural economics, globalization, culture particularly through the digital filter isn’t part of the day job, but a delight of my secret life. And one that I can happily indulge in on the blog and realworld learning events.

Yes I do look for human genius too. And help get returns on their intellectual capital where appropriate. I am not a talent agent though. However I do have a trusted group of people who can help you get work that better rewards your brilliance or helps you realise ways to do solo work on your own terms as a specialist. Because interesting people tend to hang out with other interesting people (genius begets genius so the company we keep matters!), if you know someone whose work (day job or secret tinkering has the capacity to reshape the world or us as a species by way of applied genius) please let me know.