Greetings.  When was the last time you were in school?  And, when was the last time you learned something in school that changed the way you do business? Well, engineers at Nissan Motor Company in Japan think they've learned something in school that could revolutionize the future of automobiles.  But what makes their discovery unique is the fact that its powerful insight comes from a school of fish.  It turns out that fish are remarkable for their ability to swim quickly and in close proximity without running into each other.  According to the Nissan team, "fish recognize their surroundings based on lateral-line sense and sense of sight and form schools based on three behavior rules."  These rules are:

1. Collision Avoidance–Fish are able to change their traveling direction without colliding with each other or other obstacles in their way.
2. Traveling Side-by-Side–Fish are able to travel next to each other while keeping a certain distance between each other and matching each other's speed.
3. Approaching–Fish are able to gain closer proximity to other fish that are at a distance from them.

At the heart of these behaviors is a uncanny ability to communicate continuously, and Nissan has actually recreated these behaviors in its new EPORO robot car–a car they hope will be the forerunner of actual collision-free vehicles that also move more efficiently in traffic. 

It's hard for many of us to think about finding new ideas and inspiration outside of our comfort zones.  As a result we tend to search close to home by studying the best practices of other companies or organizations in our own industries.  But as you and your colleagues keep reading this blog you'll see that the potential for learning and breakthrough thinking is all around us–waiting to be unlocked by our innate sense of curiosity and a commitment to make new and often unlikely connections. That's the real magic of unlocking genius in ourselves and the world around us.  It's also a necessity if we are going to deliver the most compelling value to the customers we serve.  In an earlier post I talked what we can all learn from cheetahs, and in future posts I'm sure that we'll discover other powerful lessons from the world of nature in all its diversity.

It has always made sense to stay in school.  And it also makes sense to stop by a pet store, a lake or the beach when you've got a tough problem to solve.  Who knows, there could be something fishy about your future success.

Cheers!