Tim Smit - Inspiring the self-belief of others

In this episode, I talk to Sir Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project and executive chairman of Eden Project International. The Eden Project transformed a sterile pit into a fabulous enclosed garden with rainforest and Mediterranean environments.

Tim is also known for having, along with John Nelson, restored the Lost Gardens of Heligan where he remains a director. In 2002 he was awarded a CBE and in 2012 a KBE.

In this interview, we talk about how he got to where he is, and some of the lessons he learned along the way. Tim is a thoughtful commentator on the current state of our society, and we touch on some real solid gold insights. I think you’ll get a huge amount from this interview, so let’s jump straight in.

Show Notes

What did the world look like to the young Tim Smit when he left school and looked ahead to adult life? (1:44)

How Tim got into the music industry, and learned about business in the process (3:45)

The factors that lead to success that don’t depend on talent (7:15)

The unromantic version of why the music business wasn’t all Tim had imagined it to be (8:50)

How Tim ended up moving to Cornwall and how this reflected a settled decision to embrace the accidental (12:14)

Why a lot of the advice you get is rubbish, and what is some of the better advice that Tim has received (13:40)

How Tim ended up taking on the Lost Gardens of Heligan (16:57)

Where the Eden Project came from, and why we shouldn’t let people get away with mediocrity (24:05)

How have we ended up with the era of mediocre leadership? And what role did the media play in this process? (29:03)

Do we spend too much time blaming the nameless other rather than taking responsibility? (35:00)

What lessons has Tim learned by running a business where he was aiming to find ways to run businesses better? (39:20)

Now Eden is focused on multiple projects across the world – what’s driving that? (43:06)

The often-missed opportunity to mobilise the most powerful people on the planet (46:17)

What book or books have inspired Tim and changed his life? (47:48)

Links

The Eden Project https://www.edenproject.com

Books

If this is a man, Primo Levi – https://www.amazon.co.uk/If-This-Man-Primo-Levi/dp/B001126VL8/

Pandaemonium, Humphrey Jennings https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandaemonium-1660-1886-Contemporary-Observers-Oct-04-2012/dp/B00BOOZ5A6/

The Songs of Trees, David George Haskell https://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Trees-George-David-Haskell/dp/0143111302/

Sum, David Eagleman https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sum-Tales-Afterlives-David-Eagleman/dp/1847674275/

Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Cities-Vintage-Classics-Calvino/dp/0099429837/

Ishmael, Daniel Quinn https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Daniel-Quinn/dp/0553375407/