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The Unlearning Path: Advice for Future Innovators
“Sustainability isn’t just about staying in the room.
You have to step out. You have to be on the field and
with the people.”
The landscape of sustainable innovation often demands less grand expertise and
more the humble, persistent act of deconstructing problems individually. Srishti
offers unconventional counsel to aspiring innovators, advising them not to “lit
erally wait to be an expert” but to “go out there. Start with one broken thing you
care about”. This asserts a core philosophical notion: effective problem-solving
begins not with encyclopedic knowledge, but with direct, empathetic engage
ment with a perceived flaw. For Srishti, all aspects of life are “interlinked, it can
not be different. It has to be interlinked”. Identifying a “broken thing” personally
or locally becomes the potent starting point for broader, systemic impact.
Her approach to innovation is iterative and deeply reflective. She champions
“unlearning the problem,” not merely rushing to solutions. Her methodology, a
constant cycle of “Go back again. Do a pilot, come back again. Think about it,
reflect experiment again,” cultivates adaptability. Srishti advises: “Worry less...
there’s no perfect path. We’re all writing our stories.” This mindset builds resil
ience, acknowledging that rich lived experiences “feed our work and our souls.”
Personal integration of life and work fuels sustained purpose.
Srishti’s guidance culminates in an imperative for direct engagement.
“Sustainability isn’t about staying in the room”, she asserts. “You have to step
out. You have to be on the field and with the people”. This isn’t a preference, but
it is a methodological necessity to her. Her work-life balance embodies this, as
she meticulously splits her time between boardrooms and days in the field. This
rhythm, she explains, “refuels” her and “keeps the child in me alive,” embodying a
courage to be childlike even after “very strong-headed practical meetings”. This
fusion of professional rigor and authentic self-expression, driven by children’s
innate “power to do that”, provides an unfiltered, perceptive lens for continuous
innovation and profound impact.