In a recent conversation with Xavier Sala-i-Martin, Chief Economic Advisor to the World Economic Forum, I was delighted to learn that we share a passion for European football, and of his intimate awareness of the 1950's Hungarian Golden Team's impact on the sport.

Instead of outright invention, you can combine already existing, traditionally separate components in ways that unlock unprecedented customer value. Nintendo is a master at this, just consider the revolutionary combination of passive and active playing the Wii enabled and the mass appeal it ignited. Not surprisingly, Nintendo is at it once again with the introduction of the Labo.

Education is undergoing massive transformation.  New models that nurture individual talents, creativity, and diversity are replacing outdated norms that focused on conformity and rigid structure. One great example of this shift is Mission U in San Francisco, which has successfully introduced a new form of higher education, emulating the concept I proposed in my book ‘Slingshot’. Here is another exciting illustration, this one from India.

In my book ‘Slingshot’, I made mention of the first known casualty of the automobile. The person in question was Bridgett Driscoll, who was struck by a vehicle at Crystal Palace, England in 1986 by a car travelling at 4 mph. At the time, people could not conceive that this would not be the first and last of such accidents.  The story is a vivid illustration of the fast pace of progress and paradigm shifts.

Professor Jamie Anderson, my co-author on a series of articles focusing on the important role of humor in leadership, recently delivered a TEDx presentation on this very topic.