A Conversation With Faisal Hoque…
This week I had the opportunity to interview author Faisal Hoque about his new book for innovators and entrepreneurs called, EVERYTHING CONNECTS: How To Transform And Lead In The Age Of Creativity, Innovation, And Sustainability. This fantastic book blends mindfulness, philosophy, business, and history into one inspiring read for those who want to achieve greatness for themselves, their companies, or the world at large.
Read on for Faisal’s answers to my questions…
What inspired you to write Everything Connects?
Given my own personal journey, I wanted to write a book that focuses on the human elements of creativity, innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. So I teamed up with my co-author Drake Baer to weave in stories and experiences of others along with my own story to show the connection between human aspirations; disciplines; process of creating something new; and generating value that’s both prosocial and probusiness.
Please tell us a little bit about your background and what you are currently doing.
An entrepreneur at the age of 14, I left my birth-land Bangladesh at the age of 17. Since then I call America my home. I am an entrepreneur and author. Also worked for GE and other global brands.
I am the founder of SHADOKA, and other companies. Shadoka’s portfolio of companies (R&D driven products, services, and thought leadership) accelerates individual and organizational sustainable growth. I have written several books on innovation, leadership, and management, and regularly contribute to Fast Company and Huffington Post. My work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and Leadership Excellence among other publications.
Delving into your book now, who would benefit most from your book?
The only prerequisite to read this book is curiosity and a “beginner’s mind” that allows us to embrace the highest emotional qualities such as enthusiasm, zeal and optimism to creatively move ourselves and our world forward. Therefore, the book is for anyone who wants to be authentic, lead, and innovate for long lasting value (as they define value).
What makes your book different from other books that cover this same topic?
Perhaps its better to answer this question with a reader’s review on Amazon:
“If you are willing to take a journey that may truly change you and the people you lead, this book is for you. EVERYTHING CONNECTS reminds me of some philosophy and theology textbooks I read for college, except that it didn’t put me to sleep – it is a deep read, but it is very practical, relevant, and exciting in the face of today’s economy of disruptive innovation.
The more we understand the mental and emotional causes of innovation and creativity, the better we can lead ourselves and our team to make progress that matters. EVERYTHING CONNECTS will move you a long way down that road.” – By Jesse Lahey (link)
What are the most important elements, messages, or takeaways of your book that you’d like readers to know they will benefit from?
Part philosophy, part business, and part history, in Everything Connects, you’ll learn from the wisdom of 2500 year old Eastern philosophies and the interconnected insights of Leonardo da Vinci.
Couple that with Fortune 100 corporate cross pollination for creativity and startup thinking for how to adapt with ease, and you have Everything Connects.
This isn’t just a quick fix for your next financial quarter; this is how you succeed in the long run.
What are the major sections of your book?
The book is structured in three main sections:
- Connecting with Who We Are. Learn how understanding leads to authenticity, mindfulness cultivates authenticity, and how devotion is mindfulness, mindfulness is devotion.
- Inspiring and Leading Inside and Outside of our Organizations. How to give people freedom and structure as well as how to curate talent.
- Generating Ideas, Grounded Decisions, and Long-Lasting Value. How to promote ideas through curiosity, improve decisions by mapping them, and creating value over the long term.
What is the best piece of advice for an entrepreneur you’ve ever received?
It’s a few lines from my favorite poet, author Tagore ….
“I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door — or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.” – Nobel Laureate Bangali Poet Rabindranath Tagore
Give us an interesting fun fact about your book or the research you conducted for your book.
We wanted to highlight how our life’s experiences manifest into creativity, innovation, etc. So we did a lot of research and were able to learn how chefs create food, monks meditate, artists make observations, and scientists analyze our brains and psychological impacts.
Each of these experiences was fun and I try to connect what I have learned in my research to my own personal journey.
Where can people find out more about you and/or your book?
You can find the book everywhere – Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. There is a dedicated website for the book: www.everythingconnectsthebook.com
You can also visit my personal website – www.faisalhoque.com
Is there anything else you’d like to mention to our readers?
I hope that learning about my failures and successes will jump-start others and the path they want to follow.
As a supplement to the book you can join me on Skillshare.com to learn more. Here is a quick video on the course:
If you enjoyed this post, sign up for my monthly newsletter in which I give away free copies of my most recent book reviews.
