I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with Sir Ken Robinson on a number of occasions. The first time was in Rome when we both addressed a Young President’s Organization University. The last time was when Ken served as the Master of Ceremonies for Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism in Austin, Texas, last Fall. Ken is the Michael Caine of the creativity education world. He is a witty, charming champion of human potential.

In his new book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Ken presents a lively manual for “Following Your Bliss.” He guides readers to understand a simple but profound truth: Achievement and success are the natural result of the marriage of passion and talent. As he notes in the Introduction, his aim in writing the book:

…is to offer a richer vision of human ability and creativity, and of the benefits to us all of connecting properly with our individual talents and passions. This book is about issues that are of fundamental importance in our lives and in the lives of our children, our students, and the people we work with. I use the term The Element to describe the place where the things we love and the things we are good at come together. I believe it is essential that each of us find his or her Element, not simply because it will make us more fulfilled but because, as the world evolves, the very future of our communities and institutions will depend on it.

Ken shows how successful people like Paul McCartney, Ridley Scott, Matt Groening, Vidal Sassoon and Paolo Cohello, as well as lesser known figures, all combine passion and talent to achieve their dreams. And, as inspiring as Ken’s message is for every individual reader, his greatest contribution is helping us all understand how our institutions need to evolve in order to better support this winning combination.

“Must See” TV: Ken at the TED Conference speaking on Do Schools Kill Creativity?