Show Notes
For 14 years, David Imai was a Design Director at Tesla, helping shape every car the company put on the road. Before that, GM and Opel. Today he advises the startups building the future of transport and robotics, and he's obsessed with one question: why do the best ideas keep dying inside big organisations?
His answer will surprise you.
Every team has two types of people. The Mad Hatter, who throws out wild, half-formed, maybe-genius ideas. And the White Rabbit, who gets things done on time. Most workplaces only protect one of them, and it's almost always the wrong one. That's why your best thinking never makes it out of the meeting room.
In this episode, David sits down with Cathal (his old London housemate, small world) to unpack the three things every curious culture needs. Why psychological safety isn't optional. Why Tesla sends its robotics engineers to Disney Imagineering. And the one habit that separates teams that innovate from teams that talk about innovating.
If you've ever walked out of work wondering why nobody listens to your best ideas, press play. This is the episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Better At Work with Cathal Quinlan
How do you get into product management in a bank?
What makes an office worth coming back to?
A team member keeps missing commitments. There is always a reason, the rest of the team is frustrated, and their manager is running out of patience. What should happen next?
A good conversation changes what you say next.
Saying yes to one thing leaves less time for something else. So how do you decide what deserves your attention?