Tom Waller

Date: December 6, 2016

Name: TalentsTalk – What is the future of human performance?

Presenter: Tom Waller

Technology enhancement has impacted many industries, especially the athletic apparel industry. It seems innovation has reach to a limit. Entrepreneurs are concerned what is the next stage. TalentsTalk invites Tom Waller, the Senior Vice President of Whitespace, to discuss the future of human performance. In this presentation, entrepreneurs will discover how innovation development change the world. Tom Waller will share his insight on the progress of performance. Furthermore, entrepreneurs will learn the secret of performance and how they can apply them into their businesses.

Tom Waller is the Senior Vice President of Whitespace. Whitespace is Lululemon’s in-house innovation and R&D. Before Lululemon, Tom Waller was the head of Aqualab from Speedo International. He is a keynote speakers in many events, including TEDx. He is also a mentor for many new graduates and professionals who are looking to make a change in the world. Moreover, Tom Waller is an executive board member for ProMotion.

Waller has been working in athletic apparel industry over 17 years, he is still searching for the answer on the future of human performance. Waller is clear that the mission of Lululemon is to elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness. Waller believes his work has put a big dent to the world. It allows people to see different perspectives in human performance. Moreover, Waller shares his purpose is to acquire and share knowledge to make the world a better place.

There is opportunity to change. Waller believes innovation fill that gap. His team and himself work and discipline to impact the world with sports knowledge. Waller creates Whitespace because he wants to involve with the lead of innovation. With the new team and new responsibilities, he needs to step out of the conventional box and fulfill their mission and purpose.

“The purpose of ‘Whitespace’ is to find more whitespace”

Waller has listed what types of projects Whitespace has been working on.

Sports Technology	Polymer Science	Electrical Engineering	Experience Design
Biomechanics	Chemistry	Biomedical Engineering	Innovation Strategy
Physiology	Materials Engineering	Systems Engineering	Architecture
Thermophysiology	Textile Engineering	Anthropology	3D prototyping & development
Aeromechanics	Mechanical Engineering	Ethnography	Fashion & Industrial Design

“Projects own people, not people own projects”

Waller emphasizes instead of thinking like hero or villain, he creates integration. He opens up the space for discovering, learning, and experimenting.

Some entrepreneurs believe performance is like 20 yards further because they think performance come through objects. Based on research, technology can raise and develop new standards on how people measure the object. However, Waller does not agree because he feels something is missing.

New research shows performance is like 0.01 seconds of drag. Instead of looking at it like an object, it is about how object do to human. When entrepreneurs take 1000 things and have one small increment of change on each thing, the combination of those small increment of change become big change. The amount of drag is important for human body to accelerate. However, is it necessary to go for these small matters? Waller starts to lose faith.

Based on Gore-Tex, this innovation shows performance is like 20,000 millimetres of waterproof. In another word, this type of rainproof fabric can sustain 20,000 millimetres of water without soaking. Is it relevant? Waller thinks not. After Michael Phelps’ Olympic performance, many people define performance is like getting 93% of all medals. Michael Phelps has the world record of holding the most Olympic medals. Speedo absolutely nailed it. Many people start to believe if they wear Speedo swimwear, they can also perform as well as Michael Phelps. Is performance a part of extrinsic technology? Waller thinks so. Between 1960 to 2016, the world record breaking starts from new technique, new chemistry, new facility, and lastly new technology. However, Waller believes something else is happening.

Can performance be guaranteed? Performance can only be guaranteed if all factors are met, but it does not mean everyone will get the same performance equally.

New discovery indicates performance is state. Performance is a state of matter and based on the Flow State Graph by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, people can obtain flow state if they match high challenges with high skill level. The brain tells the body what to do. When someone breaks the world record, it tells the brain it is possible, which triggers the body to exceed performance. Waller believes the true performance is accessible to everyone.

“Limits is not physical, it is psychological”

Performance is perceived and there is evidence that yoga can change performance. Yoga sends body and brain in different direction. Waller did some experiment and it shows all yogis can turn down emotion to neutral anytime, and many athletes could not do it. Medication works and it is not just about physically fit, it is about mentally fit.

Waller suggest the future performance is about “feel”. Brain contains beliefs and relationship towards memories, and most of them trigger by sensory experience. It changes the way people feel the world. Waller believes “feel” can take people further. For example, when people put on clothes, it triggers the sensation that drives emotion response.

Lululemon knows how to use “feel” in their products. Their clothes create the feeling to the body that give experience in sensation. Waller believes he is on the right track and it is possible to achieve top performance by how people feel the world.

Question and Answers

Lululemon uses senses rays to measure the pressure on people. To discover how to trigger the rays is one step closer to peak performance. Technology can only reshape the body, but it could not make body float; instead, people should focus on psychology.

Medication can change emotional relationship. To change people’s belief on performance, they need to explore further in psychology. People only willing to test if they are willing to measure or let go.

Based on the NBA trend, Waller comments it is not NBA players got taller; in fact, it is more tall people playing for NBA.

In any sports, outfit and psychological belief work together. There is a connection between those two. Belief helps brain to create the sensation to start, and outfit helps the body to accelerate performance.