What business leaders can learn from athletes about innovation
The sporting world can be a surprising source of inspiration for innovation teachers. Yesterday, I read an article in GQ Sports, “The man who broke bowling”, about Jason Belmonte, “Belmo”, a 39-year-old Australian professional ten-pin bowler who has developed an unbeatable two-handed technique for delivering the ball.
His delivery is based on a special two-finger grip, without using his thumb, which allows him to use a hooking motion that creates a draw, and explodes into the pins. The result is that he wins practically every championship he enters, and although he has to face a lot of criticism, and has been described as a cancer on the sport, there is no arguing with the fact that he has found a superior way to compete.
Why did he start delivering with two hands? It’s a common enough technique for young children who can’t hold the ball with one hand. But when, at the age of seven, he was teased and told to start bowling with one hand, along the lines of, “come on, you’re a big boy now, it’s time to bowl like a grown up”, Belmonte developed his technique and achieved a 600rpm release — most bowlers reach a maximum of 400, achieving a spin that almost always ends in a strike. Now, in addition to winning championships, he has his own brand of clothing, shoes, and even a logo reminiscent of Michael Jordan’s, and is…
