How to be Innovative in 3 Easy Ways
Everybody tells us they value innovation…but few people tell us how to be innovative.
Last week, when I wrote Why You Should Reinvent the Wheel, I mentioned the importance of being innovative. Now, I’ll provide some tips on how to hone your inner innovation.
Remember, improbable is not the same as impossible.
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” — Ken Olsen, Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation (1977)
When the first computers came out, many people couldn’t imagine how common they would be in households today, including Ken Olsen, Founder of Digital Equipment Corporation. Until the 1990s, the Digital Equipment Corporation was a major American company in the computer industry. The corporation no longer exists. It was acquired by Compaq, which suffered after the dot-com bubble burst, and was then overtaken by the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). Today, HP has a net worth of approximately $55 billion. HP owes its success to fearless innovation that the Digital Equipment Corporation and Compaq lacked.
There are many benefits to reaching for the “impossible.” Ideas can be altered, teams can turn the impossible into reality, and it can inspire new ideas. You should never settle for one idea that seems sufficient. When you struggle between two difficult options, you develop tunnel vision. When you’re caught in a Catch 22, the best choice is often to add in other options you hadn’t even considered. If you want to be innovative, you have to ignore boundaries and your assumed restrictions.
Remember, to be innovative doesn’t necessarily mean making things more complicated. In fact, simplicity is often the key.
I’m going to risk losing all of you by making this confession: I own a Snuggie. You may laugh at this simple invention, however, inventor Scott Boilen gets the last laugh. “But,” you exclaim, “It’s just a backward bathrobe!” True, the Snuggie isn’t complex. However, the creator of this simple idea now has an estimated net worth of $200 million.
Another invention that people may struggle to define as innovative is Instagram. Users take pictures, filter them, and share the creations with others. People were already doing all of those things. Instagram just made a platform completely focused on it without other distractions. In 2012, creator Kevin Systrom was worth approximately $400 million. Sometimes, people don’t want more features added to things -they want less. They want isolation and focus. Innovation can lie in simplicity.
Remember, an idea in your head is different than an idea executed.
“To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.” — Steve Jobs
To everybody that had been wearing bathrobes backward for as long as they can remember: you did not invent the Snuggie. Whether you choose to be innovative through creating something simple or more complex like household laptops, you have to put in the work. A brilliant idea for a novel won’t get anywhere unless it’s written. You don’t have to develop your idea completely on your own, but you have to put forth the initiative to get it started. If you put nothing out in the world, you will receive nothing in return. Ideas aren’t pieces of artwork meant to stay still in your mind, they are vibrant objects meant to be put into motion.
How will you hone your inner innovation?
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