Essay #58 – How to innovate right now

58-1.jpgThe biggest secret of innovation is that anyone can do it. The reason is simple: It’s just not that hard. Look up the word “innovate” in any dictionary and see what it actually means, instead of what you think it means. You’ll find something like this: To innovate is “to introduce something new.” That’s it. It doesn’t say you need to be a creative genius, a workaholic, or even have on clean underwear. It’s just three little words: introduce something new. And I promise that by the end of this essay, you’ll have all the secrets needed to do it yourself.

The key word in the definition is “new.” The common trap about newness is the assumption that new means something the universe has never seen before. This turns out to be the third most ridiculous assumption in the history of mankind (you’ll have to figure out the other two for yourself). Here’s proof: Name any great innovator, and I guarantee they borrowed and reused ideas from the past to make whatever it is they are famous for.

The Wright brothers, the inventors of powered flight in the United States, spent hours watching birds. As boring as it seems, we have bird-watching to thank for the supersonic jet planes we have today. Picasso’s development of cubism, one of the great artistic movements of the last two centuries, was heavily influenced by his exposure to African painting styles, as well as the work of an older French painter, Cezanne. And Thomas Edison did not create the concept of powered light: You’d have to talk to the thousands of people who died before Edison was born who turned wood, wax, oil, and other fuels into controllable and portable light sources (not to mention Joseph Swan, who patented the electric light before Edison).

Even in today’s high-technology world you can find easy connections between what we call “new” and ideas from the past. The World Wide Web and the Internet get their names from things thousands of years old. The first webs were made by spiders, and the first nets were used to catch fish by indigenous people around the world, thousands of years before the first computer. Google, the wonderful search tool, is often called a search engine, in reference to concepts of physical mechanics, not digital bits.

All these examples prove that the trick to innovation is to widen your perspective on what qualifies as new. As long as your idea, or your use of an existing idea, is new to the person you are creating it for, or applies an existing concept in a new way, you qualify as an innovator from their point of view, and that’s all that matters.

Even with these improved definitions, it takes more to make innovation happen. The tool kit of every innovator typically includes three things: questions, experiments, and self-reliance.

Ask Questions.

The easiest place to start is with things you do every day. Simply ask: Who else does this, and how do they do it differently? If you only know one way to do something, you’re making a big assumption. You’re betting that of the infinite ways there are to do it, the single one you know is the best. I’m a gambling man myself, but I wouldn’t make that bet, as those odds, one against infinity, are embarrassingly bad. Even simple things like washing dishes or tying shoelaces have dozens or hundreds of alternative approaches in use by different people around the world. Those methods are all potential innovations for you and everyone you know. The problem is that people have to go out of their way to find those alternatives and bring them back.

Not sure how to start? It’s with more questions. Useful questions for innovators include:

  • Why is it done this way?
  • Who started it and why?
  • What alternatives did they consider, and what idea did their new idea replace?
  • What are my, or my friend’s, biggest complaints with how we do this thing, and what changes might make it better?
  • How is this done in other towns, countries, cultures, or eras of time?
  • What different assumptions did they make or constraints did they have?
  • How can I apply any of the above to what I do?

Many great innovators asked better questions than everyone else, and that’s part of why they were successful. It wasn’t genius, whatever that means, special top-secret brain exercises they did every morning, or even how much money they had. It was through the dedicated pursuit of answers to simple questions that they found ideas already in the world that might be of use.

Isaac Newton asked how could the force of gravity affect apples as well as the moon? And by framing the question that way, he made observations and developed mathematics related to gravity, something no one else had done to his level of satisfaction. Many of Leonardo da Vinci’s inventions started with him asking the question: How does water flow? It was his many studies of rivers, streams, and the way water moved that led to his inventions for water-powered wheels, ways to move water in aqueducts and canals, and pumps for wells. Without asking questions and looking around, even at obvious everyday things like water and gravity, Newton’s and da Vinci’s creative talents would never have had a chance to surface.

Try Things Yourself.

Asking questions is one thing, but trying to answer them is another. There is no substitute for firsthand experience when creating things. The unique aspects of who you are, including qualities you may not like about yourself, are an asset when it comes to creative thinking. No one can see the world exactly the way that you do.

This means that if you can experience, watch, or make something yourself, you may discover lessons and make observations that other people failed to notice. Those observations are the seeds of innovation: You might see an old idea or tool in a way no one else in your family, business, or city has before, and if you follow it, an innovation might be yours.

Remember that the knowledge we have today about the universe did not come from magic books that have been sitting around waiting for us since the dawn of time. It came from curious people who not only asked questions, but followed them to places others weren’t willing to go.

Francis Crick and James Watson, the discoverers of DNA, followed hunches and made guesses to answer their questions, spending hours in labs doing things their professors thought were not only unscientific, but a giant waste of time. Even Socrates, the greatest philosopher of the Western world, was against the idea of writing things down in books. Had his pupil Plato not picked up on the innovation known as writing, and written down Socrates’s story himself, we wouldn’t know either of their names, much less the Socratic method for learning that many universities base their teachings on today.

Progress depends on people thinking independently and following their curiosity as far as they can, including doing things others around them refuse to try.

Try, Learn, and Try Again.

The last step is not to expect success the first time. If you’re doing something new for yourself or your friends, it’s hard to predict what the outcome will be. And the bigger the innovation, the more risk — and work — there is: Making innovative cookies is one thing, but changing the way people think or work is another.

Since long hours of work might be required to satisfy your curiosity, what’s important is how you respond to failure. Can you find the courage to respond not with embarrassment or regret, but with more questions: Why did this fail? What can I learn now? What will I do differently next time? If you can, like most great inventors and creators throughout history did, you’ll be well on your way.

(Note: this essay was originally published at america.gov)

By Scott Berkun, March 2008

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21 Responses

  • rebekah price - December 29, 2008 at 9:32 pm #

  • hi scott!

    interesting that you access information just as you need it! essay 58 has gifted me with insight and encouragement and so, thanks!

    i especially found your thoughts on filtering other people’s information, asking questions and having the courage to add something uniquely you to the mix – superb.

    bravo sir! salute.

    bek


  • Gordon Graham - November 9, 2009 at 11:22 am #

  • Makes me think about how arrogant it is for people to claim ownership of an idea. All ideas are a function of, what I call, Historical Inputs (standing on the shoulders of giants etc.) and Horizontal Inputs (influences from anybody and anything). I would like to thank my Primary 2 (Grade 2) teacher for helping me understand how this innovation thing works!


  • arkadipta - December 7, 2009 at 11:37 am #

  • thanks very much for such a message


  • EezeeRator - December 13, 2009 at 5:02 am #

  • This post is my favorite. 90% I have personally experienced.
    The 10% missing concerns primary instinct that journalists have (because of lack of research on a subject) to pick a PR and then have readers to think that this innovation is surely going to change their lives ;).


  • Kim - December 20, 2009 at 3:44 pm #

  • Your america.gov link is broken. Leads to nowhere.


  • Scott Berkun - December 20, 2009 at 4:02 pm #

  • Thanks Kim – link is fixed now, it points to the only version of the original essay I could find, which also has the same broken old link at the bottom.


  • Julie Angelos - December 22, 2009 at 12:30 pm #

  • Hey Scott,

    I’m an English teacher living in Italy. I came across your site when I read CNN’s list of top blogs recommended to me by Ma.tt from wordpress. I’m a newbie blogger although I’ve been writing since I was five. Ok, six.

    The reason I’m writing is to say that I think you are an excellent writer and communicator. I’ve really enjoyed the last hour or two I’ve spent on your blog. I’ve even added you to my blog role.

    Since I”m a newbie blogger, I was wondering if you had any advice you could give me on making my blog successful. I’m happy with it. I know it needs better graphics as the one I threw on was thrown together in less than four minutes. I’m a busy person.

    Matt suggested adding a subscribe by email button but I don’t even check my email, so it seemed pointless.

    Have a great holiday season.

    My best to you and yours,

    Julie Angelos


  • Paul King - February 6, 2010 at 10:49 am #

  • Great article.

    Like you say, getting out there and just trying things is the best way to start innovating. Don’t be scared ( a good North East saying is shy bairns get nowt ) People who make lots of money are often the ones who break off the beaten track and tackle the world at a million miles an hour. And if your idea turns out to be stupid then there is always the next one! Paul http://1daylater.com – Activity tracking for freelancers


  • Wisepreneur - March 25, 2010 at 2:07 pm #

  • Scott,

    I agree with your assertion that innovating is easy. The more difficult part is making the innovation matter. People come up with ideas all the time, some good, some not. But even the good ones are worthless unless they are put into use. I advocate that we need entrepreneurs to make the innovations available to others.


  • Pk - March 27, 2010 at 7:01 am #

  • Found this blog from ‘top 50 productivity blogs’ link somewhere in google. I believe it has to start with thinking about how to do it and actually doing it before asking questions. Asking questions sometimes pollutes the mind with an idea and the mind draws a circle around the idea. So my idea is to start thinking first, finalize on the idea and then see what others are doing…


  • ABEER - March 28, 2010 at 7:50 pm #

  • What a nice essay I have ever read about innovation. You success to motivate me to start think about creating something new. Really nice. Thanks alot.


  • gregory Martin - May 4, 2010 at 6:33 pm #

  • This piece of work has come to me at the most imperative time in my working career. Innovation, I now firmly believe, is the key to success. Not only can it be used to create something totally new in terms of creating new worlds or having a heavy impact on a civilization, but it can also mean that for those who choose to be innovative in the working place can open one door after another of opportunity.
    Just yesterday I gave my district manager the standard two week notice that I wished to depart the company and begin focusing on my own writing career. The reasons for my resignation are many, but my family and friends frowned on the idea given the “economic crisis” we are currently going through. When my short conversation with my district manger was over, I couldn’t help but feel as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I would now have the time and motivation to begin my journey into the wonderful world of writing, meet new people, and travel to inspiring places. For about a day the idea of it seemed perfect; despite my awkward social skills and fear of venturing out of my safety zone.
    After reading the innovation essay here, I thought heavily about how innovation could be applied in the workplace and be used to my advantage. I could step up to the plate and see to it myself that changes were made, even if others took it as me being a complete jerk. I could take my manager to the side and have a talk with him about his attitude problem instead of him having a talk with me about mine. Just because he is the leader, it doesn’t mean he should overlook how his bad vibes are rubbing off on others.
    Once he and I see eye to eye, I could bring up the lack of disciplinary measures taken by him in the mailroom/copy center where I work. No more lateness that goes without punishment. No more loud, personal, and vulgar phone conversations in the entrance way to the mailroom where the clients can hear. There could be a better distribution of the workload by the manager and not the workers to eliminate any unwanted tension between them. Acknowledgment of how situations are handled whether in a positive or negative way could even help others to be innovative.
    So now I find myself at a crossroad. Do I get rid of my resignation and attempt to bring new ideas and more team commitment to the workplace or do I leave it behind and implement the innovation concept in the pursuit of my writing career while I am unemployed?
    I truly am sorry for the rant here, but this essay is so timely and it spoke to me as a writer and a soon to be former employee of a company. Before the week is over a choice will have to be made, but I am young. I cannot say that I am an experienced writer seeing that I do not currently hold any certificates or awards for my diverse writing talent, but if I stay employed now I may never know what greatness I could have achieved. All I have now is a choice.


  • Manjunath - June 14, 2010 at 4:49 pm #

  • Thought provoking article. To invent something, one should not be afraid of failures. Failures are stepping stone and learning process. Keep trying is the important step in innovation.

    Observation, open mind and curiousness the key. Child like curiosity can show adults a new world. The possibilities are endless and unlimited. All are gifted with creative imagination. However, one should actively and consciously utilize the power within.


  • MarkjOwen - August 10, 2010 at 12:53 am #

  • Again, an interesting an inspiring post. Thanks Scott.


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