In 1903 the Wright brothers achieved the first heavier than air manned flight in history; but the equipment they were using was a far cry from the modern 747 we might fly in today. And why is this so? I suspect the passage of time and the evolution of technology had a lot to do with it, but this natural progression of technology and evolution begs a question we could easily ask ourselves today in respect to our own process development standards; and that is; what if we could conceive of all shortcomings and opportunities to improve a process prior to launching it? Would that not equate to an amazing increase in the amount of quality achieved on the first run of the process and thereby set the bar higher, and quite possibly lead to a higher level of process evolution?
And how can these considerations be achieved? I really think the modern corporate culture has stressed the standardization of positions and even methods of thought in such a way that corporations have indeed lost much of the potential creative energies of their employees; thereby losing out on setting the bar at the highest possible level when it comes to new process innovation. How can this be changed? The company I work for once prominently used the adage “The license to lead” in describing the innovative responsibilities of its managers, thereby promoting a sense of creativeness and individuality within the ranks. Merit based incentives have much to do with inspiring a company’s employees to innovate but no less importantly; a manager’s own philosophy plays an important part of what they are capable of producing. Philosophy? Yes; a mode of thinking, a set of personal mores, a set of beliefs that calls them to fulfill their greater calling! Does this sound ridiculous? At no other point in history did this ever sound ridiculous… until main stream media propelled by “the powers that be” gained such influence over the populace that they became arrogant enough to assert their own mores onto the society in which they spewed forth their standardized garbage. This brings to mind the Simon and Garfunkel song “The Sound of Silence” because it was written about a people that were incapable of listening to and loving each other, hence “the sound of silence.” This was almost prophetic in that it describes precisely the point we have arrived at today- where Simon and Garfunkel’s well conceived lyrics have become blotted out by the pre-generated trash of Lady Gaga and company.
I digress. To have a philosophy, patience, understanding, and to be able to think in the long term coupled with a well defined sense of individuality and a willingness to be creative and to persevere will result in success and the illumination of innovation among all around you. It took me a long to time understand this and I am still in the beginning stages of manifesting these ideas.
Shrug off the standardized culture of today and become better than that. Be yourself.