Stepping Back, but with New Eyes
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
So wrote Marcel Proust in one of his most important masterpieces, ‘The Search for Lost Time’. This sentence, although it may seem decontextualised, effectively expresses one of the most important lessons that the course “Design Thinking for Social Innovation” was able to convey to me. The panorama of Design Thinking, which I had never explored before, was able to transmit to me the ability, but above all the will, to approach challenges, but more generally what surrounds me, with new eyes, more attentive and creative eyes. In fact, Design Thinking is not only a methodology that allows us to address problems and challenges with a different approach, but it is the creation of a real attitude that allows you to grasp within yourself the conviction that you can make a difference, to have an impact regardless of the limits imposed by the problem, simply by looking with new eyes and using the resources available.
The course was able to convey the vital importance of proactive and involved participation which, supported by a learning by doing process, enables one to strengthen one’s creative, analytical and communication skills. In particular, the group project carried out throughout the course not only provided us with the opportunity to learn how to adopt the lessons of this subject for any challenge we are faced with, but was able to look inside each of us and highlight our strengths and weaknesses. During the realisation of our idea, I was able to interface with my own stubbornness and strength to believe in my ideas, transmitting my enthusiasm and passion to the members of the group. At the same time, I realised how much I still have to learn and how much I still have to improve my mindset, not perceiving the challenges as a problem with only one solution to be found, but giving importance to observation, listening and the natural unfolding of events and the unexpected.
I have also understood the importance of communication within a team, the importance of knowing how to listen, how to give and receive feedback: I have realised that even the most brilliant idea in one’s head, without the support of those close to us and a suitable methodology to structure it, will end up becoming the stupidest and most inconsequential idea. I have realised that there are days when everything seems to go right, while other days everything seems wrong. And that is when I realised how much it does not have to be all black and white: sometimes it is just a matter of trusting the process.
My professional goal is to be able to work in strategy consulting. Never before have I realised how much the tools provided by Deisgn Thinking, from primary and secondary research to brainstorming sessions and prototyping, are also crucial in the strategic and consulting field. I am convinced that what I have learnt in the course will prove to be an added value in my professional future and I hope one day to be able to combine the two worlds and become a guy who can play his part in creating social and sustainable impact.
