Greg Wientjes: How do you cultivate GENIUS in technology?

This week I interviewed Greg Wientjes for Singularity 1 on 1. I met Greg at Singularity University and picked up a copy of his book Creative Genius in Technology: Mentor Principles from Life Stories of Geniuses and Visionaries of the Singularity. The book is very well researched and examines the question: “How do you mentor, educate and cultivate the development of individuals with high potential for technology innovation and advancement?” It is based on Greg’s conversations with some of the most influential people in technology for the past three decades. People such as: Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, Ray Kurzweil, Bob Metcalfe, Doug Osheroff, Bill Joy, Tim Berners-Lee, Hector Cargia-Molina, James Leckie, Ernesto Sanches-Tirana, Rita Colwell, Ann Graybiel, Joanne Stubbe and Mildred Dresselhaus. The result is Greg’s GENIUS theory: G – Give encouragement, validation and self-confidence to the genius. “You can do it!” E – Energize the genius to explore and experiment in engineering and science discovery at an early age. Learn by doing. N – Nurture creative new ideas through ‘play’ and providing the genius with an abundance of educational resources. Love learning. I – Inspire through role modeling and mentoring. Set the example. U – Utilize unexpected events as opportunities for serendipitous benefit, and adapt; encourage the genius to do the same. Ride the wave. S – Stimulate the genius to solve problems of practical importance and create beneficial technology solutions. Invent. *** So, what is my favorite point from Creative Genius in Technology?! “You Can Do It!” Who is Greg Wientjes? Greg Wientjes, Ph.D., was awarded his Stanford doctoral degree (Developmental and Psychological Sciences) in 2010. Wientjes attended Singularity University (2009), which was cofounded by technology genius, Ray Kurzweil, and that experience served as the inspiration for this book. Dr. Wientjes completed his Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering (2006) and his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics (2004), both from Stanford.