In this episode, we talk about the importance of shared humanity within teams or groups. Bernie explains his original, and often awkward, icebreaker “When was the last time you…” and explains how Stanford's Design Group operated without a traditional leader for over 40 years.

From learning names with gestures to the “I like… I  wish…” way of giving feedback, we explore Bernie's version of "radical collaboration" and why something as simple as where you sit can change your experience.

We're joined by Ade Mabogunje, longtime Stanford researcher, who shares arriving at Stanford from Nigeria and experiencing Bernie's "disorientation weekend"—which involved running through ponds and rolling in grass with professors. Plus, the story of the paper boat project that revealed an unexpected truth about persistence versus brilliance.

00:00 "When was the last time you..." icebreaker

04:04 The story behind Bernie's community-minded approach

05:14: Gestures to learn others’ names

06:32 Stanford's Design Group's evolution to become leaderless for 40+ years

09:26 Bill Moggridge has thoughts on Bernie’s PPT slides

13:14 "I like and I wish" for giving feedback

15:21 The physical power demonstration: making colleagues "taller" or "shorter"

16:28 Why where you sit affects your influence

20:12 Introducing Ade Mabogunje

21:41 Disorientation weekend

24:28 The paper boat project and the importance of stick-to-it-ness

27:21 Silicon Valley culture

30:16 Bernie on competition vs. cooperation

30:29 Bernie proves Jim Fadiman (the father of microdosing) wrong

Follow us on Instagram: @yelloweyedcatspodcast to see extras - we have a video of those paper boats!

Co-hosts: Bernie Roth & Krista Donaldson; Producer: Krista Donaldson