This question calls for a long answer, but I shall endeavour to remain succinct. The reasons I use the caption “The World’s Most Powerful Learning Systems” are manifold, but in essence, I have tapped on top-class systems from the past, and developed my own in the present, so that in their integrated, synthesized form, they serve the needs of the future. It is no secret that the new frontier is the human brain. We cannot stay stuck in the Industrial Age paradigm of “cogs in the wheel,” in which we were at the mercy of industry, so to speak. The mandate is to transition to the immensely more powerful position of being “nodes in the network,” able to influence as well as to be influenced by events. In order to dance to the rhythm of this emerging Age, my suite of skills are designed to help anyone stay relevant to the present…not relegated to the past.
A GPS cannot orient you or your business in today’s global environment of incessant competitive intelligence. We must find superior ways to help ourselves. The ‘spatially-intelligenced’ person and organisation understands and knows how to:
• Use an array of visual maps and other visual representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information.
• Use mental maps to swiftly organise information about people, places, and environments.
• Recognise global patterns and networks of economic and cultural interdependencies; and,
• Study continually emergent phenomena to interpret the present and plan for the future.
In other words, the spatially intelligent, dynamically-informed person or organisation knows how to see, think about, and interpret connections, relationships, and patterns of interaction, locally and globally. This is the value of ‘mapping’ not just ‘mind mapping’.
The rationale for reading: Research indicates that the average CEO of an organisation does not finish reading one book a year! The average corporate executive needs to read over 5 million words per month, or 60 million words a year. Information anxiety has arrived! How are we to keep pace with the high-velocity world?
The average reading speed of most people is about 240 words per minute (wpm), well below the rate stipulated by the U.N. for functional literacy, 400 wpm. Today, knowledge doubles every year. We have received more information in the last 50 years than in the last 5000. There is a dire need for us to deal with ‘information anxiety’. The answer lies in learning how to read a range of materials, at a range of speeds, and depths, to enhance comprehension, acquire skills in writing and speaking, and boost overall mental literacy ~ all vital components for brain capital creation.
The rationale for memory building: Just possessing a good memory by itself is of not much use; it must be plugged into applications, with purpose, and meaning, for winning outcomes. Then, having a good memory leads to deeper concentration, clearer thinking, enhanced self-confidence, longer-term retention, wider observation, and phenomenal creativity. Impressive gains in business come from decreased input for increased output, savings in time and money, and incomparable levels of brain fitness.
The above skills, by themselves, have a certain impact, but when integrated, they become an exponentially enhanced Cambrian explosion of high intelligence.
What I have researched and discovered is that whilst there are entities that have offerings in each of these skills, none have the range and impact of visual mapping skills that I have developed, and none have integrated and developed the panoramic array of disciplines from across diverse domains, into my integration of ‘brain skills’. These are complemented by deep levels of information processing when it comes to text and image blending for high-impact communication, branding, and dilemma-addressing expertise. My efforts are in no way complete…I remain a work in progress, with much more left to accomplish. Human beings are infinitely upgradable, but unless they choose to see a better way ahead, they are in danger of becoming rapidly irrelevant. I offer the tools for upgrading…that enable us to move ahead, not stay dead.
Besides, severe mental decline is not an inevitable companion to old age….we get smarter as we get older!
My multivariate and multidimensional approach will succeed by multi-pronged initiatives: students, teachers and principals, and policy makers; professionals; heads of companies and government departments or decision makers; senior citizens; mums and their children (kids and teens); … to create initial waves, build critical mass, then massive citizen support.

Self-Efficacy is the belief that one is capable of performing in a manner designed to attain stated goals. It is the key to success in life! Goal-Setting alone is inadequate; it must lead to Goal-Getting. Some examples of famous personalities who have exhibited this sterling quality:

* Michael Jordan was cut from his high-school varsity basketball team.

* Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor who said he “lacked imagination.”

* Winston Churchill had to repeat a grade and twice failed the Royal Military Academy’s entrance exam.

* It took Thomas Edison more than1,000 attempts before he successfully invented the light bulb.

Each of these personalities, and many others, became successful despite many failures and rejections. Why? Self-efficacy.

In the 1970s Stanford psychologist Albert Bandura described the trait he called “self-efficacy.” Self-efficacy can be defined as “the unshakable belief some people have that they have what it takes to succeed.” Unlike self-esteem, which is merely a feeling of self-worth, self-efficacy is a judgment that one has specific capabilities that will lead to success.

Interestingly, a key part of developing self-efficacy is failure itself. According to Prof. Bandura, “People need to learn how to manage failure so it’s informational and not demoralizing.”  They see failure as part of the process to success, and some of their finest quotes confirm this perspective:

* “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. That’s why I succeeded.” – Michael Jordan

* “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” – Thomas Edison

* “Whether you think that you can or you can’t, you’re usually right.” – Henry Ford

NOTE: I am deeply indebted to Psychologist Professor Albert Bandura who defined self-efficacy as one’s belief in his or her ability to succeed in specific situations. One’s sense of self-efficacy can play a major role in how one approaches goals, tasks, and challenges.

At this juncture, I am also reminded of these profound lines from John Gardner: “There is something I know about you that you may not even know about yourself. You have within you more resources of energy than have ever been tapped, more talent than has ever been exploited, more strength than has ever been tested, and more to give than you have ever given.”

Ergo, every school must address every child’s self-efficacy needs!

Yes, and I do not blame them. Once the fizz is in, everything fizzles out! But this is not because ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ per se are at fault. It is due to a lack of follow-through. This is a crisis of leadership. You cannot expect to establish something durable out of a solitary event that takes place here and there. A culture of creativity and innovation must be established. This takes time and effort, but most importantly, it must be generated and reinforced through vision, discipline, passion, and conscience.

Every person and every organisation is subject to global forces. The hallmark of the 21^st c. company will be its ability to expect the unexpected, to be faster, more flexible, and more responsive than ever before. Strategic agility and competitive robustness are going to determine corporate destinies.  

            If I were involved in such an endeavour, I would ensure that I first craft an Innovation Landscape or Strategic Dashboard, and ensure that from the CEO onwards, the people are kept involved, informed, intrigued, and inspired. This is easier said than done, but without resolute commitment, every vision will suffer from an equal and opposite revision…at huge expense! We need to consider the following points for organisations to make rapid positive strides into the future:

• Look at whole systems, not at just their parts.
• Order and disorder are inter-related, and self-organising change occurs as a result of their interactions.
• A small event in one sector can cause tremendous turbulence in another.
• Well-crafted maps, models, and visual images and symbols, metaphors and analogies, make it easier to see connections, relationships, and patters of interaction.
• Panoramic scanning across disciplines, domains, and industries is the key to seeing emerging conditions, paradigm shifts, and opportunities for innovation.
• Nonlinear thinking is crucial to recognising clues about shifts in the environment.
• Perspective is vital when viewing chaotic events, especially from a metaposition.

I never use vocabulary recklessly and with ignorance on parade. For me to use these, and other such words, I would first ensure I knew their source, their full meaning, and the subsequent behaviour that matches the meaning of each word. What makes me different is that I know the meanings of these terms, but more significant, I am distinct and distinctive in that I live these terms, through my work in the domains of braindancing and brainaissance. Moreover, I care not to be ‘different’ so to speak; I prefer to keep striving to make an impact, precisely because I believe in the infinite capabilities of our species to excel through the highest values of humanity. I am in a state of perpetual inspiration when it comes to the genesis of ideas, within myself, and from the consciousnesses of others.

Technologies are emerging to make education so entertaining that it will be hard to distinguish work from play; brain force will trump brute force. A dominant commercial goal will be to have employees continually learning new skills. Entertaining education could soon emerge as the key economic driver of the economy. I have the suite of tools and techniques to meet these needs.

The timeline for different projects is a variable, but your question is valid. The CEO has to be involved and I would first help him or her with the vision, and intermediate goals, for such a scenario. Desired winning outcomes must clearly be declared at this stage. I would then set a deadline, and ensure that it is adhered to, without ever compromising quality. This calls for attributes of visionary leadership, and I would help leaders at all levels of the enterprise to ensure the success of such a venture. Parallel teams, with varying domains of expertise, would need to be set up to ensure that synergies remain on track. A Strategic Visioning Lifescape would be crafted to ensure that it is being plotted on, in real time, to monitor and measure advances, wherever feasible (allowing for the truth that not everything is measurable). Thus, a preliminary immediate agenda would include:

• doing the metathinking right, by setting the vision, crafting the Lifescape, and assembling the personnel
• instituting plans of action, in parallel, to ensure a blend of analysis and synthesis skills are in force
• lines of reporting must be clear, with an open-door policy…all egos must be parked in the shredder!
• resources such as time, equipment, money, people, skills, are to be mapped, and deployed to suit…
• tangible results will first be observed in a behaviour change of the people involved in the project
• feedback loops must be monitored for any aberrations in performance…

NOTE 1: Strategic thinking has two major components: insight about the present and foresight about the future. Visual thinking is the process that stimulates both of these by helping us link our intuitive sense of events in the world with our intellectual interpretations. Visual thinking is the key to strategic thinking. I would ensure that visual thinking immediately becomes part of the organisational learning culture.

NOTE 2: Open-book accounting, with transparency at all levels, must be available to everyone, so they can stay in sync with the progress of the project. Or else: sync or swim!           

Yes, I do, IF follow-through is maintained. What I mean here is that the human brain has the innate ability to forget 80% of what it has learned, within twenty-four hours…if there is no revision and follow-through. We have to respect neuroscientific truths. Other than that, yes, most definitely, my learning strategies are world-class and guaranteed to galvanise all learning and teaching initiatives.

            My seminars/workshops are designed to create numerous opportunities for people and organisations as well as communities (mums, guardians, senior citizens, ordinary folks) to play, explore and experiment with the latest, state-of-the-art, constantly evolving methodologies and philosophies of being, thinking, doing, under conducive learning environments…

We must carry the torch forward if our species is to march forth into the future. Thus, no candle can lose its light when being used to light another.

People write to persuade, to inform, and to entertain, …and perhaps, hope to make a living out of that! I have serious reservations about pet theories and ideal models. All theories and models are vulnerable and subject to the ‘gale forces of creative destruction’. I also do not claim to have ‘expert’ views, albeit I am equipped with a measure of expertise in the disciplines and domains I address.

My books are specifically designed to help the reader act and interact with a smorgasbord of learning systems, based on rapid-fire, yet deep, insights. They will definitely make the reader, if he or she is an interactor, not only become more creative, but become transformed into an indefatigable learning superorganism.

They could start with any title, but if ‘learning systems’ is a priority, I would suggest ‘Unleashing Genius’; if creativity and innovation are top of the list, I would recommend ‘Brain Symphony’ and ‘Surfing the Intellect’. For schools, I would recommend ‘Unleashing Genius’ and ‘Building Brainpower’, and the forthcoming Learning Skills Trilogy: Brainchildren, Primary Genius, and BrainForce. 

But Knowledge is not Power; it’s only Potential Power, and when it’s applied purposefully, meaningfully and productively, it generates power towards creating/making an impact in humanity’s march towards positive evolution.

Your bewilderment is perfectly understandable. But what is true is that we are all created, born creative, need creativity, and put together, this is the secret of making us recreative! But before launching into creativity and innovation, I would respectfully highlight some prevailing truths for you and your children:

• What you learn will become outdated; HOW you learn will last forever. They need to learn how to learn; only then will they be in a position to learn anything! You must lead the way, so that you all learn together.
• There simply won’t be any work for inadequately educated people. So the priority is learning how to learn, and applying creative learning methods that are fun and formidable to the learning process.
• The wealth of a nation is the sum of the brains of its people — their creativity, their learning skills, and their indomitable vision to save our world from collapse. You and your children must be active players in a rejuvenated world, where you can help to transform hope into fulfillment…for every child and parent.
• Your ability to earn is directly proportional to your ability to learn.

START by learning how to learn yourself, solo, or with a group of similarly concerned people. I have found that a mother-to-mother chain reaction accomplishes huge dividends, with one helping the other, and the children coming together into study-buddy smart superlearning groups.

You could start by interacting with my books, but that must be complemented by attending live seminars to reinforce and expand the learning skills.

Learning must be forged, not forced. Once you learn how to do so, you will fall in love with learning. Children and educators should be ‘skilling’ themselves with smart strategies, not ‘killing’ themselves with obsolete systems.

As a mum, you are your child’s first teacher, and you are building a future leader; today’s mums are in many cases taking their children out of schools to partake in home schooling…. parents and children studying together are staying together…

Your quest here is to become a Leading Learner and a Learning Leader!

A creative question of the highest pedigree! All your examples are personalities of superlative creative brilliance, and I salute them unreservedly. I tend not to define, lest it confine…by its very nature, I believe that creativity should not be defined. But I take your point. What is it? To me it is a sensation, a phenomenon, a truth, about our embedded destiny, a quality that makes us distinctive when matched against all other known species that have come and gone. It is a quality of consciousness that can enslave, and liberate, cause rupture yet lead to rapture, but always have the capacity to successfully address the tears and fears that beset us.

The word create is derived from the Greek kranein, meaning ‘to accomplish’ and the Sanskrit kar, ‘to make’. From the Latin, we have creare, ‘to make out of nothing.’ To create means to originate, to bring into being from nothing, to cause to exist. Creativity is defined as creative ability; artistic or intellectual inventiveness. But most of all, creativity is a reflection of the creative source from which we have all emerged. This theme could be expanded ad infinitum, so for now, I would just add that all children, born as fresh editions of consciousness, are resplendently creative; they store the secret of what it means to be creative by looking at their positive qualities: curiosity, enthusiasm (meaning: ‘to be filled with God’), spontaneity, imagination, innocence, an absence of fear, and an unlimited capacity to change behaviour.

My programmes and strategies will help the kids learn faster; they will drastically slash the learning curve so that they will have time and space to have a childhood! As things stand, you are correct in that they are inundated by an avalanche of items on their daily agendas. Even their holidays are a recipe for concussion!

            My Superbrain Learning System will equip them to beat every prevailing killer schedule and not only leave them with recreational time for pursuing their parallel interests, but ensure that they excel in their exams.

            The most conspicuous superlative element in these systems is that the kids are made future-ready, because these skills are relevant to whatever challenges come their way in the years ahead.

            In this context, I would strongly recommend following the ingredients of one of my themes: The Family That Learns Together, Earns Together….via the Unleashing Family Genius programmes. Schools need to know that they are in danger of imminently becoming purveyors of obsolete methodologies. Perhaps they are trapped by their own ‘stability’ but be aware, and beware: this quote shows the way forward:

A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed. — Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Developing self efficacy, building personal agency, and enhancing future readiness give us the power to create, design and lead better lives; and for professionals, businessfolk, and companies, to transform lives and society, in addition to creating prosperity for the long term.

All the books are designed to move one from breakdown to breakthrough. The reading sequence depends upon the readers’ preferences but here are some loose guidelines:

• First address the ‘learning skills’ component of the books
• Then apply this to learning, creativity, innovation, leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategic visioning
• Use the material to first enhance yourself, then help others to move ahead
• Join the movement to create learning neighbourhoods and learning societies
• All the books are replete with strategies to get ideas on ideas, so your progress is guaranteed

NOTE:            Learning – Creativity = Maybe a good outcome

                        Learning + Creativity = Outstanding Outcome

Dr. de Bono is one of my earliest sources of inspiration in the world of creativity. I remain an ardent student of his and every exposure to his works never fails to enlighten me. Whilst you are correct in that his work is “well entrenched and widely accepted in this part of the world” I have not met more than a few people who are conversant with his thinking to the point of reflecting his genius. That is disappointing for me because I remain a passionate advocate of his works.

            My repertoire of material is reflective of how I believe the brain likes to play, not how it is expected to work! In this sense, I have taken the path of visual literacy using a range of image processing strategies that contrast with that used by Dr. de Bono. I love his use of what could be termed ‘symbolic’ or ‘analogic’ imagery, but I feel they would be even more powerful with colour coding. However, this observation in no way diminishes his genius at rendering his thoughts so cogently.

            My range of visual maps are unique in the way they are conceptualised and crafted, and my background as a marine engineer has perhaps influenced me to apply my strategies in real-life situations; on numerous occasions, this has been in the midst of crises, such as during the Iran-Iraq War, traversing pirate-infested waters, and travelling the world where I had to deal with ‘spontaneous emergencies’ on the run. In all of these instances, I had to deploy ways and means of visual thinking that contrast with that used by Dr. de Bono, yet I readily admit, my exposure to his works from decades ago must have also helped me greatly.

I take your point. In the domain of creativity, this is to be expected. Yet, I have a strong conviction that with due guidance, their positive attitude will be complemented by a competent aptitude. Besides, this is a welcome test of my strengths and capabilities, not to mention my creative resourcefulness in getting the best out of everyone in this endeavour. It is thus that I am deeply positive about my strategic alliances with diverse entities.

Good question. The cost of confusion is soaring, so we must appreciate the value of clarity. The list proffered by you has merit. One can never learn less. But we must be clear in determining where we are, where we wish to go, and how to get there. This must be in the face of upheavals in numerous sectors of society … feels like trying to outrun a tsunami!

            An undiminished interest in all phenomena permeates all my learning endeavours – I know that my initiatives in various parts of the world can create a “one-stop marketspace” leading to learning communities and capitals, and ultimately to a learning planet!

My clear conviction is that we have a crucial choice: education, or extinction! We need to redesign the structure of education so that learning takes place instead of swotting, slogging, and sweating…in terror! The vital characteristic of a learning experience must be its evocative quality: it must evoke the experiences or meanings from within the learner, rather than describe what is on the outside. It must have the power to catalyse passions. With its subtly penetrative attributes, smart learning systems are able to extend into the unconscious matrix where perceptions, experiences, concepts, memories, cohabit and commingle with one another in varying degrees of intimacy, sinuously tangling and disentangling, often with languorous aplomb, at other times, with celebratory incandescence. These learning strategies unravel the qualitative relationships that are generally invisible to the naked eye. The process, at full throttle, often unravels an unsuspected kinship between things and elements, culminating in an epiphanic revelation.

            I thus respectfully propose that my material be started with, to catalyse transformations, so that a solid foundation can be laid for further skills to come on board. Without this foundation, we might as well invest in real estate…a house of cards!

They will. This reminds me of a humorous encapsulation of the advance of technology being rejected:

A robot walks into a bar, orders a drink, and lays down some cash.

Bartender says, “Hey, we don’t serve robots.”

And the robot says, “Oh, but someday you will!