Excerpts

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Eat, process, sleep. Those are my priorities.
Mike Davis, architect, explaining that his favorite rooms in a house are the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedroom
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Well, what do we have to build with? Ice and snow. Great, let's go!
Mike Davis, architect, considering the appeal of Sweden's "Ice Hotel"
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What if the point of school isn’t cranking out degreed workers that will help us beat China?
Liz Dwyer, GOOD Magazine Education Editor, following February 2012 Lab
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It’s a lot easier to go hunting with a shotgun than a sniper rifle.
Dan Sinker, Knight-Mozilla News Technology Partnership, contrasting approaches to creating new entrepreneurs
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If the goal is not larger than our individual interests, it is not collaboration.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, in February 2012 Lab with TEDActive

“	Lawyers would love to figure out a way to do away with the billable hour ... You would have 100% buy-in if you could deliver on that. Kelvin Chin, H5, on how he would change the legal profession

“	You can think of yourself as utilizing their power the way a martial-arts fighter might utilize the power of their opponent. Roxanne Mankin Cason on how artists can get over their scruples about working with corporations

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Demolition Derby at the Colosseum! Sunday Sunday Sunday!
Andrew Benedict-Nelson commenting on the re-purposing of ancient buildings

“	For people to get kind of grossed out shows you that they are actually realizing something. Lee Stoetzel, contemporary artist and director of the West Collection, commenting on reactions to his work

“	Should she give up a job to follow her boyfriend for a year in France? How are you going to measure that? Kristina Valaitis, head of the Illinois Humanities Council, explaining how some questions cannot be answered with measurement

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You wouldn't be saying to the city, 'Here is my beautiful design.' You'd be saying, 'Here is my answer to your question.'
Mike Davis, imagining an architect who is more than "lone genius"

“	If we knew that left-handed people were more entrepreneurial, then I would say that we should let more left-handed people into the country. Pablo Montagnes, University of Chicago, explaining the connection between entrepreneurship and immigration policy

“	The Web can potentially allow any image to be as well-known as the Mona Lisa. Will Noel, Curator of Manuscripts at The Walters Art Museum, on the potential of the Internet to change the museum experience

“	We federalized the imagination. And like everything that gets federalized, we kind of killed it dead. Nigel M. de S. Cameron on the relationship between NASA and the larger culture of imagination

“	Architecture has to be in some sense vertical – otherwise we would just have a plan drawn in the sand. Mike Davis, reflecting on how horizontal and vertical elements combine to form a place

“	I said to colleagues early on that I was not going to be an ATM machine. Salin G. Geevarghese, Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, on how foundations can leverage their assets more effectively

“	I'm interesting in being involved with kids who create their own learning objectives for the courses they take. John Clarke, executive director of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Illinois, on the type of students he seeks for his program

“	Brainstorming, as it’s generally proselytized, is a solitary activity practiced together. You don’t need collaborators for that. Jeff Leitner to Rahim Kanani in a January 2012 interview in Forbes

“	The less they try to own the data and the tools, the better off they will be. Dan Lurie, National Endowment for the Arts, considering how the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum could develop new technological tools to further its mission

“	If you're really into dinosaurs, you know a lot of vocabulary related to dinosaurs. That allows you to learn vocabulary related to lots of other things. Andie Thomalla, Facing History and Ourselves, on how self-guided inquiry aids the development of literacy

“	Their goal was just to be honest and direct and challenging. I think it’s rare that institutions have those conversations. Sara Bloomfeld, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, on the Insight Labs process

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If they were in Silicon Valley, we'd be worshiping them. But they're NASA, so we're cutting their budget.
Labs Dean Jeff Leitner, remarking on the problems with NASA's public narrative

“	We had to figure out how to transform thinking. Museums don't have that fire under their butt. Paige West, West Collection, on the challenges of displaying contemporary art at financial services company SEI

“	When JFK challenged us to go to the Moon, he was essentially challenging NASA. Now he would be challenging all Americans interested in this work. Adam Frankel, Digital Promise, on the shift in rhetoric that would be required to focus the nation on a big new goal

“	Buildings are some of the most expensive things humans endeavor to produce, aside from weapons of war and space exploration. They should be adaptable. Architect Mike Davis, making the case for structures that last

“	I think it was a function of bringing folks in who were not a bunch of energy policy wonks. Manny Flores, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, on the idea generated by the Lab with the Illinois Commerce Commission

“	Just like I don't think we should have a generic architecture, I don't think we should aim to turn everyone into a single global citizenry that all thinks the same thing. Mike Davis, architect, comparing diversity in Nature to diversity in humanity

“	Lawyers could nurture people and companies so they walk away from a litigious transaction with a superior viewpoint. Alycia Sutor, Akina, imagining a better legal profession following a September 2011 Lab

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Look, if they use it as a hazard on the golf course, it's not a positive thing!
Mike Davis, architect, discussing his aversion to sand

“	Your nephew might be building a multi-media installation and you support him because you never got to pursue your career in singing. Desiree Vargas Wrigley, GiveForward, commenting on a "mass patronage" system of funding the arts

“	It would be as if, rather than buying an iPad, I gave money to software people and screen people and chipmakers and then hoped I would get an iPad. Jason Saul, Mission Measurement, on the lack of rational design in the non-profit field

“	The river isn't running anymore because about four million people decided they wanted a drink from it. And to put it in our swimming pools. Mike Davis, the "Dean of Phoenix architecture," on Arizona's Salt River

“	The sun creates the shadow, but it is the shadow that gives depth of detail and study to a face or a place or a building or an object or a tree. Mike Davis, the "Dean of Phoenix Architecture," on the elements of climate that come together to from a place

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On paper, designers seem to be about peanut butter and carburetors. But design is really a sort of religious order.
Jeff Leitner, Labs Dean, following the Lab on design and humanity

“	You are getting this aesthetic that is like gruel or oatmeal. There is no beauty given back to the community, no respect for the context in which it fits. Mike Davis, bemoaning architecture without a sense of place

“	I am sure that when I am no longer a managing partner that this will be a much better law firm. Bryan Schwartz, Levenfeld Pearlstein, explaining that he thinks the ideal lawyer will be found in a future generation

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He shows us that law is about humans, not swapping cash back and forth.
Participant in the September 2011 Lab on the legal profession, describing an ethicist and role model

“	His method of mentoring people was throwing them in the deep end of the pool. But he still watched carefully to make sure that you didn't drown. Mike Moynihan, Freeborn Peters, describing his mentor

“	The law still provides an arena where you can make connections with people and be exposed to the world. Participant in the September 2011 Lab on the legal profession, reflecting on the career path of a friend who became a campaign activist

“	Tolerance of uncertainty and the process of working through that uncertainty for the common good is an incredible asset. Scott Curran, Clinton Foundation, discussing the lawyerly virtues of Abraham Lincoln

“	Many lawyers either don't care about the client's business objectives or do not have the competency to understand them. Kelvin Chin, Womble Carlyle, remarking on lawyers' poor understanding of their clients' business needs

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He really became one with the people he represented, those on whose behalf he was struggling.
Tasneem Goodman, Akina, assessing Mohandas Gandhi as a lawyer

“	He explicitly signed up to be a part of our pilot coaching program because he thought it was the dumbest thing his firm could ever invest money in. Deb Knupp, Akina, telling the story of a lawyer who changed his mind about business development

“	It seems like having several wives as long as you don't have them all at the same time. Paula Hudson Holderman, Winston Strawn, reacting to the idea that lawyers could develop the quality of loyalty without staying at one firm for an extended period of time

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I think the profession of law is really about ministering to people through legality.
Alycia Sutor, Akina, reflecting on the character of an attorney who is also a minister

“	If I ever had any catastrophe, anything personal or confidential, I would go to him with it. Deborah McMurray, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aranoff, remarking on the trustworthiness of a colleague

“	There is a myth that there was a time in the past when the great lawyer-statesman strode across the land. Participant in the September 2011 Lab on the legal profession, commenting on lawyers' commitment to public service

“	Asking lawyers what lawyers should do to change the profession is not taking into account what our clients want us to do to change the profession. Participant in the September 2011 Lab on the legal profession, tweaking the exercise of finding a lawyer who embodies his ideals

“	They have the ability to work with clients to become their business partner, not just their lawyer - almost like they are a part of their organization. Tammy Cowser, Marshall Gerstein, describing her ideal lawyer

“	Firms talk about looking for well-balanced kids, but complain when those 20-somethings want a balanced lifestyle. Deborah McMurray, Content Pilot, discussing work-life balance in the legal field

“	It became as if when you acquire a law degree, you acquire instant respectability. But in the seeking of money, the respectability kind of becomes lost. Tim Tosta, Luce Forward, commenting on the role of money in the practice of law

“	It's as if the security guard protecting the Constitution came to believe everyone was there to see him. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, suggesting that the practice of law has eclipsed the law itself

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To love the law is to love the past.
Introduction to "Finding Precedents" interviews ahead of September 2011 Lab on the legal profession

“	Law is one of the few industries where if you take longer to do something, you make more money. Deb Knupp, Akina, framing the problem in advance of the September 2011 Lab with Generation Generosity

“	Collaboration brings out the best in us. It challenges us. It pushes us. If guided by integrity and honesty, collaboration is a spiritual activity. Frank Magueri, Redmoon Theater, explaining why he prefers the notion of collaborative design over the "artist as genius"

“	We get frustrated because we want a different outcome from the same structure. If we want different results, let's design a new system for it. Trung Le, Cannon Design, confronting pessimism in education

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There is something about watching another human being do amazing physical things that makes you feel that more is possible.
Jeff Hancock explaining the significance of choreography

“	If you don't work with function, aesthetics, and consequences in mind, you're really not designing. I would even say you're doing damage to the world. Deb Johnson, Pratt Institute, commenting on an emerging sustainability ethos

“	It's difficult to gain trust when you are dealing with people in some of the most difficult predicaments of their lives. Ryan Spencer Reed explaining the challenges of keeping photojournalism humane

“	Sometimes engineers build a cool toy, but don't understand the clinical problem, so they end up building a tool that is insignificant. Dr. Todd Kuiken, commenting on the challenges of rehabilitative design

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Good communication cannot be based on false information or false marketing or false design.
Jason Kriegler, KRIEGLER26, commenting on the need for honesty in brand strategy

“	A sense of real or perceived belonging becomes easier to achieve with digital experiences. We have the opportunity to design those experiences. Marnie Breen Vosper, Razorfish, explaining the opportunities available to designers online

“	You can't go too far one way or the other. You end up with buildings that no one wants to live in or buildings that are too ugly to live in. Kelly Costello discussing the need for a balance between utility and aspirations in architecture

“	Perhaps there is a role for industrial design in helping us provide the things that we need, as opposed to just the things we want. George Aye proposing that industrial designers do more projects for the common good

“	A system never creates a successful artist. The artist creates him or herself, and then they learn to live in the system or not. Brian Waniewski, Institute of Play, wondering what artists might make of proposals from the Lab with School of the Visual Arts

“	I don't think technology is destroying our industry, but it may be redefining our industry. Deborah Sexton, Professional Convention Management Association, considering the future of face-to-face gatherings

“	What if our best ideas came out of mission-driven, not-for-profit work - ideas that we could then apply to our corporate gigs? -Nancy Cook in Fast Company on the potential impact of the Labs on the private sector

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People could know who you are even before you walk into a room.
- Kristie Fox, Senior Vice President for Corporate Technology at Edelman, on the future of reputation

“	The Medicis had it half right and Kickstarter has it half right. It's a completely new dynamic. -Howell J. Malham, Jr., Insight Labs Co-Founder, introducing the concept of mass patronage in the arts

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We weren’t just going to shed some light on this problem, we were going to solve it.
-Marissa Flaxbart, in her first-person account of a Lab in Gapers Block

“	CEOs don't necessarily have to serve in government. But they should behave as rational actors with a stake in the common good. -Lance Pressl, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce Foundation, on the executives in civic leadership

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The TV heroes today are smart-ass kids. But Hannah Montana wouldn't last a day in the real world.
-H. John Hair, Director at KPMG Advisory, explaining why he fears kids may have changed

“	It's almost like we lost play because we stopped trusting our kids. And what we've learned is that we can't have fun without trust. -Mary Ann Mahon-Huels, Union League Boys and Girls Clubs, on the decline of play in American culture

“	We are on the precipice of a whole new civilization. It’s time we start talking about it and waking up to that fact. -Barry Ptolemy, director of "Transcendent Man," on the coming of the Singularity

“	I want to solve the hairiest problems with the most interesting people. For me, the harder it is, the more exciting it is. Jeff Leitner in a Technori article explaining how his life experiences led him to found Insight Labs

“	I'm looking at music that defines people, the songs they were sung to as children, the lullaby they heard. Wendy Sternberg, Genesis at the Crossroads, explaining how her non-profit seeks to create peace through music

“	The person sitting next to me started talking about our organization as a “we.” That was huge. Hiren Thakar, Avison Young VP and adviser to the North South Foundation, on his Labs experience

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Sympathy doesn’t change the world. It just makes us all feel worse together.
Author Tim Sanders in an interview about his book "Today We Are Rich"

“	When a failure occurs to you, you have to ask yourself, "Is it a failure in the idea or is it a failure in the execution?" Scott Myers, World Sport Chicago, on how his organization grew out of an initial setback

“	Artists need to learn to talk to non-artists about their art, as frustrating as that might sound. Malik Gillani, Silk Road Theater Company, discussing the lessons of that group's Lab for other arts organizations

“	I don't want to meet your gold-chain John Barleycorn gyrating personality. I want to meet that person who is sharing their skills and knowledge and passion. Saya Hillman, Mac 'n Cheese Productions, on why service is a better way to meet people than the dating scene

“	The "public" part of public media can't just exist when you think it should exist. It has to permeate everything that we do. Daniel Ash, Chicago Public Media, on the way he thinks of branding at his organization

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When learning is the goal and learning is the reward, there's no point in cheating.
Skateboarding physicist Dr. Tae on how 360-flips could save our schools

“	People who are not like me can be part of the fabric of the community, making a difference for people who are like me. Dean Carter, Sears Holdings, on why preserving a religious identity is essential for Labs partner Jewish Child and Family Services

“	There's a core Jewish value, tikkun olam, which means repairing the world. It's not repairing the Jewish world. It's repairing the whole world. Howard Sitron, Jewish Child and Family Services, on the basis of Jewish social values

“	Be kind to strangers because you have been a stranger in a strange land. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, on the basis for Jewish social values following the Lab with Jewish Child and Family Services

“	Especially if one of the founders is a digital person, I don't see any reason why a business shouldn't be bootstrapped. Seth Kravitz, Technori, giving his advice to startups and non-profits pursuing new ideas

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The answer lies in our users, not in ourselves.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, on why non-profits need to focus on where donors already are rather than where they want them to be

“	Without the Dog and Pony Theater Company there is no Steppenwolf, and without Steppenwolf there is no Dog and Pony Theater Company. Deb Clapp, League of Chicago Theaters, on the city's artistic "ecology"

“	Evolution is disruption. No offense, but we obliterated somebody to become the people who are sitting here today. Tanarra Schneider on The New Architect, weighing in on whether creative destruction is a sin.

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Businesses don't succeed or fail because of intention, and neither do non-profits.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, rejecting special terminology for non-profits

“	It's not about volunteering. It's not about donating a few dollars here and there. It's about how can we make meaning out of our careers? Sami Nerenberg on The New Architect, on the future of making a difference

“	Maybe there shouldn't be a bridge there. Has anybody ever turned it around and said, maybe we shouldn't bridge these two cultures? Howell Malham Jr. on the whether the US is playing a useful role in promoting Middle East peace

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You need the kind of imagination to raise the money as you needed to envision the art.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, advising arts organizations to "look past the usual suspects"

“	Find a way to solve your problems and companies' market challenges at the same time. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, explaining how non-profits can engage corporations following the Lab with One D

“	The new corporate titans are just as interested in serving, but organizations need to be updated to take advantage of their worldview. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, on how to engage the next generation of civic leaders

“	Just because today’s tools allow us to go global, that doesn't mean it's the only move. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, explaining the ideas to change consumer behavior that came out of the Illinois Commerce Commission Lab

“	Someone out there has probably tried something like your new idea in their industry or for their market. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, advising non-profits and government on how to try out bold, new ideas

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Trust begets trust, as sure as dog begets dog.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, summarizing a strategy to win over wary audiences that emerged form the Lab with North South Foundation

“	It may not have been invented in Chicago, but it was commercialized, packaged, advertised and sold out of Chicago. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, contemplating a new niche for Chicago within the tech startup economy

“	The key is not making live experiences more digital; it’s using digital to make live experiences more live. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, considering the future of conventions and trade shows following the Lab with PCMA

“	The key is getting back to your original convictions, the same ones that captured the imagination of the supporters who made you successful. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, reflecting on how non-profits' missions can become diluted following the Chicago Sinfonietta Lab

“	You gather resources, enhance them and deliver them to someone who needs them. So does Starbucks. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, remarking on the fact that non-profits are still part of the same value chain as businesses

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More for girls doesn't mean less for boys.
Christine Bork, YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, on the dangers of a scarcity mentality when advocating for women

“	Don’t try to be better than the name brands. Try to be different than the name brands. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, on how smaller non-profits can differentiate themselves from well-known brands

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With apologies to Marshall McLuhan, the message is the medium.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, considering how non-profits should transition into new media markets

“	From you, a message is not credible. But if one of your true believers says it to a prospective believer, he or she is more apt to concur. Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, considering ways to non-profits to "spread the love" after the Lab with Children's Memorial Hospital

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We can’t possibly help everybody. But the principles of an Insight Lab can help anybody.
Jeff Leitner, Insight Labs, following the session with the Executives Breakfast Club

Excerpts

One-liners