148. How to Have Good Ideas

People I (Mostly) Admire

Sarah Stein Greenberg runs Stanford’s d.school, which teaches design as a mode of problem solving. She and Steve talk about what makes her field different from other academic disciplines, how to approach hard problems, and why brainstorms are so annoying.

• SOURCE:
  • Sarah Stein Greenberg, executive director of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Creative Acts for Curious People: How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways, by Sarah Stein Greenberg (2021).
  • Noora Health.
  • Civilla.
  • Substantial.
  • Rare.
  • Sarah Stein Greenberg wildlife photography.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Feeling Sound and Hearing Color," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Why Are Boys and Men in Trouble?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "What’s Impacting American Workers?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Richard Dawkins on God, Genes, and Murderous Baby Cuckoos," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "The World’s Most Controversial Ornithologist," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "How PETA Made Radical Ideas Mainstream," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Pay Attention! (Your Body Will Thank You)," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "How to Have Great Conversations," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Suleika Jaouad’s Survival Mechanisms," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Daron Acemoglu on Economics, Politics, and Power," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Nobel Laureate Claudia Goldin on 'Greedy Work' and the Wage Gap," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).
  • "A Rockstar Chemist and Her Cancer-Attacking 'Lawn Mower,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "Daniel Kahneman on Why Our Judgment is Flawed — and What to Do About It," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Why Is Richard Thaler Such a ****ing Optimist?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).