Revisiting one of several previous phone interviews with Dr. Marty Cooper, father of the cell phone. From two cellphone conversations (forgive the audio) Dr. Cooper tells us how to innovate any work (see MarkSpencerCook.com).

A young Marty Cooper was once hired to join a small team at, then, tiny Motorola. His team was racing to beat a huge phone company (the old AT&T) to invent a phone that could be used in a car. Marty’s team was way behind and lacked the government support the big company enjoyed. But something different started bothering Marty.

Marty began asking his team very important but disruptive questions: “What difference would phone users really want? Why should they call another place—a car—they already have to call a kitchen or an office desk? Wouldn’t they rather call a person, not another place?” Marty said over and over, “People would rather call a person, not a place!

”When Marty asked the right questions, they ended up changing the world. He stood on a New York street and made the world’s first public cell phone call to his competitor at AT&T. Hear Marty tell about this call. It refocused us on people, not places, and it changed how we relate forever.

What role does creativity and passion play? To lift others, we need both. Mark and Marty talk about how observing real-life situations leads to fresh ideas. They also discuss the importance of finding expert advice and how new tools can bring teams together. Small tests and learning fast help make customers truly happy.

Takeaways • Passion makes it possible to solve tough problems. • Spending time with real people leads to better ideas. • Working with experts can spark innovation. • Testing ideas first helps find solutions faster. • Real success means delighting your customers.

Why does creative thinking require breaking the box?"You can't be creative and efficient at the same time." "To really understand something, you've got to burrow deep in minds." "The ideas themselves are kind of superficial…The right solution sells."

To innovate, there is a way to know what a client is actually experiencing… Mark Cook and Dr. Marty Cooper

MarkSpencerCook.com

Chapters

00:00 The Power of Passion in Innovation

01:27 Marty Cooper: The Father of the Cell Phone

03:40 The Importance of Creative Thinking

06:05 Understanding Customer Needs

10:15 The Role of Observation in Innovation

13:11 Experiencing the Customer's Journey

17:23 Connecting with Experts for Breakthroughs

20:31 The Future of Collaboration and Innovation

24:00 Experimentation in the Innovation Process

28:21 Delivering Customer Delight

Keywords

innovation, cell phone, cellphone, invention, Marty Cooper, Mark Cook, creativity, customer experience, collaboration, passion, problem-solving, breakthroughs, technology, leading, leadership, consulting, podcast, vodcast, YouTube, channel, Apple Podcast, Spotify