074: Design Thinking Changes Everything: Part 2 of Our Conversation with Jason and Hillary DeMeo

Summary:

We re back with part two of our conversation with Jason and Hillary DeMeo, founders of We Are Curio. Missed part 1? Listen and read the summary here. Jason and Hillary are experts in Design Thinking an empathetic framework for solving problems. On today s episode, we re talking about chasing down ideas, finding your identity, and learning from failure without really failing.

Links + Resources:

Executive Minds Podcast Episode 073 (Part 1)

We Are Curio

@thedemeos (Jason and Hillary on Instagram)

Pre-Order Re-Thinking Innovation: 8 Mindsets for the Everyday Innovator

3 Takeaways:

1. Not every idea is for you.

A lot of times, as launchers, the message we hear from business gurus is to go all-in on our ideas and never stop hustling. But Jason has a filter for that mentality: Ask, Does this idea fit in with who I m called to be? Or, is it just a really cool idea that should be a hobby? Jason says that if it doesn t fit in his identity, he can easily move on. Have the courage to figure out who you are before you chase down your ideas and dreams.

2. Prototype who you should be.

Before launching We Are Curio, Jason and Hillary launched the Curio online store. From the store, they started to learn who they wanted to be as a company and how they wanted their culture to operate. From there, they grew little by little with experiment after experiment. Now, as We Are Curio, they have a business and team they absolutely know fit their identity and purpose.

3. Design thinking and leadership.

Design thinking and leadership are complementary. You can t be a good leader without empathy. Get to know your team on a human level, and then you can start to design and collaborate together.