In his new book, LOOK: How to Pay Attention in a Distracted World, Christian Madsbjerg explores the importance of observational skills. Drawing on various fields—science, philosophy, and the arts—as well as his personal experiences, Madsbjerg offers tools and insights to help us better pay attention and extract insights.

Madsbjerg was co-founder and senior partner of consulting firm, ReD Associates and was previously a professor of applied humanities at the New School for Social Research in New York City. He works at the intersection of business and the humanities, guiding firms to develop powerful strategies anchored in human perception.

Together with Martin Reeves, Chairman of BCG Henderson Institute, Madsbjerg discusses how we can learn to observe the world properly—letting go of oversimplifying assumptions and biases—and how this will help firms unlock insights about their customers far beyond the reach of traditional market research.

Key topics discussed: 

[01:25] How to observe properly
[06:57] How “total observation” can unlock new insights
[13:14] Distractions of modern life and how to tackle them
[18:14] Difference between traditional market research and “total observation”
[21:30] How to change how we observe things in the corporate context

Additional inspiration from Christian Madsbjerg:

• Sensemaking: The Power of Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm (Hachette Books, 2017)
• The Moment of Clarity: Using the Human Sciences to Solve Your Toughest Business Problems (Harvard Business Review Press, 2014)