280. Ben Wood: How to Cultivate Serendipity, Against All Odds

A very special guest on the podcast this week.
World famous architect, Ben Wood, who, in short, cultivated serendipity against all odds… not just in how he won business, in how he changed China and architecture globally.
 
Before he had made a name for himself, Ben, from a middle class family in rural Georgia, was winning  business that world renowned architects were competing for.

He won  business nationally and globally from developing growth management strategies for Snowmass, Aspen, Telluride and Park City to authoring the master plans for the Revitalization of New York Times Square to designing developments in major cities across the United States as well as in Japan, England and throughout Europe and in China.
 
Ben is perhaps is most renowned for being the Architect who designed Shanghai's famous Xintiandi (which means “New Heaven and Earth).
Xintiandi is so successful that it has become a verb and not only in China but across the globe. Developers say to architects, ‘Can you Xintiandi this project for me?’
 
Ben says he listens to people and culture and he sees not only the vision and design, he sees opportunity where others didn’t. He's done it, not just once, again and again.
 
We talk about Ben’s life, how against all obvious odds, he cultivates serendipity.

*** Don’t miss Ben’s book releasing soon, ‘Into the Dragon’s Mouth’, stories from an American Architect Who Changed China. ***

Shownotes - 

0:00 - Ben Wood: How to Cultivate Serendipity, Against All Odds5:02 - Ben shares his back story13:01 - Deciding to become an architect22:47 - The story of winning29:12 - Being a visionary (looking to the future, not the past)31:28 - Earning great clients38:10 - People first44:22 - Ideas48:40 - Ben’s ‘BusinessFeeder’, DR Bar (Shanghai)54:51 - Passion and serving people57:00 - The Final 3

People/Resources Mentioned - 

Benjamin C. ThompsonSteven SpielbergJeffrey Katzenberg DreamWorks Animation Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT Harvard University National Art Gallery Time Magazine Ben’s Ted Talk Elon MuskBeryl Markham

Books -

Leonardo da Vinci - by Walter IsaacsonSteve Jobs - by Walter IsaacsonThe Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) - by Seth Godin West with the Night - by Beryl Markham‘Into the Dragon’s Mouth’, stories from an American Architect Who Changed China - by Ben Wood* - Releases in 2023

Quotes-

He who flies highest sees the farthest… just remember, just as you needed a runway to take off, remember to consider your landing.

Find something you do well, and do it almost better than anybody in the world.


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