Key Moments
Busier, but less ... efficient? | Dương Đỗ | TEDxFTU
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Key Moments
Stop chasing standard success metrics; genuine emotional value and instinct are more powerful. Embrace 'empty space' to innovate, as demonstrated by a disruptive co-working space and a unique airline branding strategy.
Key Insights
The founder of Toong, Vietnam's first co-working space, identified a gap in the market by observing people in cafes, realizing the demand for enhanced urban professional quality of life, not just tech startups.
The airline industry branding example shifted focus from a controllable but weak 'safety' claim to an intangible, emotional differentiation, resulting in significant market growth within a year.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the co-working space company organized a large-scale contemporary art exhibition across 11 locations in two cities, adapting to social distancing by rotating artworks, turning their spaces into 'calm eyes of the storm'.
The speaker's personal journey involved overcoming a recurring childhood dream of falling by accepting the 'void,' which he argues is analogous to how society fears and tries to fill emptiness, when it's actually a space for new growth.
The three levels of mastering 'empty space' are: 1) stepping back from past data to find opportunities, 2) dismantling personal defenses to see the essence of a problem, and 3) becoming the 'empty space' yourself to create entirely new ideas.
The childhood fear of the void and its societal parallel
The speaker opens with a vivid childhood memory of a recurring dream where he repeatedly fell into an empty void, desperately seeking something to cling to. Over time, he learned to accept the freefall, and the dream ceased. This early experience evolved into a central metaphor for his adult life and professional philosophy. He posits that modern society mirrors his childhood fear, constantly striving to fill every 'empty space' with data, schedules, and tangible achievements. This relentless pursuit of filling the void, he argues, prevents us from recognizing that these spaces are not useless but are, in fact, essential for breathing, growth, and the emergence of new ideas. True innovation and well-being, like biological breathing, require both inhalation and exhalation—the filling and the emptying.
Level one: Finding opportunity in data gaps
The first level of mastering empty space involves stepping back from existing data to identify areas it doesn't cover. The speaker illustrates this with the founding of Toong, Vietnam's first co-working space, in 2015. Market data and global trends indicated co-working spaces were a failing business model, primarily catering to tech startups. Instead of relying solely on this data, he observed people in cafes, noticing a broader need for enhanced quality of life among urban intellectuals within their workspaces. This led him to create a co-working space that appealed to a much wider demographic beyond tech startups. Toong quickly became a successful and dynamic co-working chain in Southeast Asia, proving profitable within two years. This story emphasizes that past data is like a rearview mirror—it reflects the past but not necessarily the future, and true opportunities lie in the unreflected gaps.
Level two: Dismantling defenses to see the problem's essence
The second, more complex level requires dismantling personal defensive structures to perceive problems in their raw form. This was demonstrated when the speaker, then a young branding consultant, was tasked with designing a logo for a new airline for a major conglomerate in 2011. Feeling immense pressure and inadequacy compared to the experienced leadership and a previously consulted world-class firm that had failed to satisfy them, he initially prepared extensively with data and theoretical solutions. However, the day before the meeting, he realized he was trying to solve a problem without truly understanding it, his preparations serving as a shield for his ego. He decided to attend the meeting empty-handed, with an open and sincere mindset, ready to listen. When the conglomerate highlighted 'safety' due to new aircraft as their core strength, he questioned if this was truly controllable or unique. This led the leadership to re-evaluate their core strategy, realizing the need to differentiate based on intangible, emotional factors rather than solely on controllable, rational ones. This shift resulted in the creation of a vibrant, energetic airline brand that achieved significant market success within a year.
The core issue in problem-solving
The key takeaway from the second level is that true problem-solving begins with accurately identifying the problem itself. Often, our efforts are misdirected because we haven't defined what we're actually trying to solve. By removing ego and defensive mechanisms, one can listen and understand the root issue, which then allows for the selection of an appropriate and effective solution, rather than applying a pre-existing one that might not fit.
Level three: Becoming the 'empty space' for radical innovation
The third and most complex level involves shedding all prior knowledge and personal identity to become a 'blank slate' or 'empty space' from which entirely new, unprecedented ideas can emerge. This is crucial during times of profound crisis or unprecedented change. The speaker recounts how, during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, his co-working company, Toong, faced an existential threat as the world economy froze. While most businesses focused on cost-cutting and defense, Toong decided to become the 'calm eye of the storm.' They organized a large-scale contemporary art exhibition themed around COVID-19, featuring 70 works from 40 artists. To circumvent social distancing restrictions, they decentralized the exhibition, displaying different themed groups of artworks across 11 locations in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, rotating them weekly and then swapping entire collections between cities. This innovative approach allowed clients to experience the exhibition without leaving their workspaces, providing inspiration and calm amidst the upheaval. This strategy not only helped clients but also led to Toong's spaces being fully booked post-lockdown, and the company even opened four new locations during the pandemic, becoming the only co-working chain in Southeast Asia to do so.
The paradox of stability in chaos
This strategy redefined 'the calm eye of the storm' not as a physical location but as a state of mind and a feeling of assurance cultivated in the customer's perception. By offering a sense of peace and stability during a period of immense global volatility, Toong reinforced client trust and demonstrated resilience, leading to remarkable post-crisis growth and differentiation.
Volatility as life's inherent state
The speaker concludes by reiterating that life is inherently volatile and unpredictable, much like his childhood dream of falling. This volatility, whether external or internal (arising from personal setbacks), is not something to be feared or filled but to be embraced. The three levels of mastering empty space—finding opportunities in data gaps, dismantling defenses to see essences, and becoming a source of new creation—provide a framework for navigating this constant flux. Ultimately, embracing these principles allows individuals and organizations to create new ideas and values, leading to a more meaningful and resilient existence.
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Common Questions
The speaker redefines 'empty space' not as laziness or absence of value, but as a crucial element for growth, opportunity, and innovation. It's presented as essential for breathing, finding new ideas, and navigating life's challenges.
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