I think it’s time for a little history lesson. I recently read a book about Thomas Edison. He was incredible, there is no doubt about it, but just like most people, he still needed investors to back his ideas. Edison was a true innovator. But his success was also due to a great team he called “muckers”. His muckers worked like crazy to turn his ideas into reality. Also, let’s not forget that Edison wasn’t trying to get rich quick. He said, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Here’s some more to think about: the Wright brothers did not invent the airplane; Henry Ford didn’t invent the car; Robert Fulton didn't invent the steam ship; and neither Bill Gates nor Steve Jobs invented computers. So what do these historically great people all have in common? They all took a good idea and made it better. Where would we be if they hadn’t? The truth is, someone else would have done it too.
If being the originator of an idea was the only measure of success, we would never have made it to the moon. Today’s greatest innovations are most often improvements on existing ideas or processes. Keep this in mind when thinking about how to move your business forward.
It may be worth taking a step back to look seriously at what has been done. You may be surprised that the greatest leaps forward can be made when you improve on an old process. They call it progress.
There is an old marketing adage that says, “It’s better to be first than best.” I think they are wrong. After all, how many people still buy Zenith televisions?
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THE BOTTOM LINE:
Principal 1: To succeed you need to move forward despite what other people say.
Principal 2: Innovation is not a synonym for invention, nor is it a synonym for creativity. Innovation is about improving process, re-thinking ideas, and executing a plan.
Principal 3: History can teach us if we are willing to learn. Many great businesses have failed because they stopped moving forward.
