Why Listen: “Behind every failed initiative is usually one thing: the wrong problem being solved.”
“What if solving problems faster meant slowing down first?” Julie sits down with Nilufer Erdebil, founder of Spring2 Innovation and author of Future-Proofing by Design, to unpack the five core steps of design thinking—and how they evolve when systems thinking, strategic foresight, and alignment are layered in. They discuss the skills generalists naturally bring to the table, the pitfalls of jumping to solutions too fast, and why today’s complexity demands both empathy and structure.
Key Highlights:
- Design Thinking: A five-step process centered on empathy, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing to solve real human challenges.
- Deeper Clarity: An evolved approach that incorporates systems thinking, alignment, strategic foresight, and mindset into design work.
- Systems Thinking: Encourages slowing down to see the full organizational ecosystem, leading to smarter, more sustainable outcomes.
- Generalist Advantage: Generalists excel at zooming out, asking better questions, and managing complexity—key to successful innovation.
- Internal Misalignment: Communication breakdowns and silos are often symptoms of misdiagnosed problems—design thinking helps expose the root cause.
About Nilufer Erdebil
Nilufer Erdebil is a renowned design thinking expert, TEDx and TEC/Vistage speaker, and the author of Future Proofing by Design: Creating Better Services and Teams in the Public Sector. With over 25 years of experience, she has been a catalyst for change across both public and private sectors. As CEO of Spring2 Innovation, Nilufer has led transformative initiatives, helping teams navigate complex challenges and drive strategic growth. Her deep expertise spans telecommunications, application development, program management, and IT, providing her unique insights into complex business challenges. Nilufer continues to inspire organizations to adopt innovation and deliver impactful solutions.
Find Nilufer Here
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erdebil
- Company linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spring2innovation/
- Website: https://spring2innovation.com/