Judah Pollack argues that breakthroughs come from looking outside your field and embracing play. When West Bloomfield Hospital hired Gerard Van Grinsven from Ritz-Carlton, his hospitality approach transformed it into a world-leading institution. Studying history, spotting patterns, and playing with kids reveal unexpected connections that drive innovation.
Chapters
So looking into the past to gain a sense of what's going on right now can have a huge effect on what you see as possible, what you see as a breakthrough. One last story I'll tell you about this. Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital needed a new CEO, so they hired Gerard Van Grinsven. He had never worked in a hospital in his life. However, he had a lot of experience creating a very attentive, supportive staff. He had a lot of experience being on call at any hour of the night. He had a lot of experience of getting people into their rooms quickly, and he had a lot of experience of putting the guest first. He'd been an executive with the Ritz-Carlton hotels for 25 years. West Bloomfield has become one of the best hospitals in the world, famous for its breakthroughs and its innovations. All because somebody was able to see the connection between running a hotel and running a hospital and how moving from one to the other could have a positive effect on the hospital. It's being open to these possibilities that is one of the key elements to doing this work. And that's why I'm encouraging you to play. Have fun with these things. Find the patterns where you can. Go far out of field. Carl Jung's entire opus that he's passed on to future generations started when he decided to go into his backyard and start playing like he did as a child. So the next time you're hanging out with a little kid, play with them. Don't watch them play. Actually get down at their level. See what they're doing. Engage with them. It will bring in information you are not expecting and shift things completely for you. It's an incredibly powerful experience.
