C'EST WHAT?

Artist, Brainstormer, Business mentor, Explorer, Foodie, Global soul, Idea generator, Jewish, Life mentor, Parent

Michael Perman Orchestrates Innovation. He is the CEO of C'EST WHAT? LLC, purveyors of mindfully crafted innovation futures, and author of CRAVING THE FUTURE. Michael speaks on the subjects of future trends and creative culture. His career has been devoted to creation of new ideas, experiences and products. He's evolved through culinary arts, sustainability, apparel and digital communities. Michael's expertise includes imagination management, creative direction, consumer insights and innovation leadership. He's crossed paths with a wide variety of products and brands including Levi's, Adidas, Hyatt, Nike, Starbucks and Del Monte, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Michael was previously "Dean of Global Innovation" at GAP, Inc, where led innovation strategy and capacity-building. He previously devoted ten years at Levi Strauss & Co, Michael where he leveraged innovative insights methods and communication tools to build the company's capabilities and empathy for consumers. At Levi's, Michael was responsible for deriving global insights that guide development of advertising, new products and shopping experiences. Michael also collaborated with Levi® organizational training team to create an insights-to-innovation curriculum that has been implemented among the company top leaders and more than 7,000 employees around the world. Story-telling has always been a crucial color in Michaels palette of insights tools and methods. His philosophy is that great stories inspire imagination, innovation, positive change and growth.

Innovation, Story Telling, Bergamot, Neursocience, Seafood, Pelargoniums, Community, Mindfulness

CRAVING THE FUTURE, transforming our deepest desires into new realities. Craving the Future provides radically new perspectives and useful tools for anyone seeking to create a better future. Author and Innovation Executive Michael Perman provides insights from extensive research on how to transform our deepest desires into new, bold, innovative realities. His research reveals fascinating new dimensions to the way culture shapes the concept of craving. Specifically, he has discovered that what people crave in their lives is changing from urgent demands for things like cigarettes, coffee, or even tacos, to more meaningful quests for new sensations and purpose. Craving the Future offers imaginative ideas, methodical tools, and inspiring profiles of innovation luminaries—all mindfully crafted to help you shape what is coming next. The book also features a unique design that makes it delightful to experience, easy to digest, and fun to share.

creative culture, disruptive innovation, future trends, innovation, mindfulness, organizational effectiveness

Much of my life has been devoted to understanding how our minds work, and how to inspire creativity in others - to help them create a better future. This started early in my life, maybe age 11 when I was part of launching the first Earth Day, seeing the emerging trend of global warming that was peeking in the late 60's. As time moved on, I found myself with the super-power of pattern recognition, being able to see what is coming over the horizon based on facts that are not yet evenly distributed. In the late 1990's, my wife gave birth to a beautiful boy who was soon to be diagnosed with Autism, which was a crushing moment. But, I devoted my life to understanding his mind, and applying the skills of empathy that were also required for my profession as an innovation and insights executive. When I was leading insights at Levi's, we created a global mentorship community for Millennial women, who could learn from each other in a peer-to-peer fashion. We launched this community at TED Women and eventually sponsored other TED events in Edinburgh. TED is a place to expand your imagination and recognize patterns. I learned a lot that has helped my life, and actually has helped me guide my son into a capable, bright, energetic, creative and independent young man. That's my TED story - and I am still a TED fan, having attended in Vancouver and other TEDX cities.

Writing, Gardening, Psychology