Good reasons not to innovate
Seth Godin asks for surprises. Or more correct, people who can surprise him and the rest of us.
"..if you want the word to spread, if you expect me to take action I've never taken before, it seems to me that you need to do something that hasn't been done before. It might not feel safe, but if you do the safe thing, I guarantee you won't surprise anyone. And if you don't surprise anyone, the word isn't going to spread".
Why aren't people doing more surprising things. Why do they stick to the ordinary?
Well one (ordinary) answer is that some people are more innovative than others. Fine. But here's another explanation, or perhaps an explanation to the ordinary explanation:
Innnovators have to succeed. Otherwhise they are doomed to mediocracy, or even worse, being seen as complete idiots. Let us put this way:
But how many almost-Bills or just-like-Edisons aren't out there? But they did just not make it. In many cases they lost all of their money and went bankrupt. But more important they lost their respect.
If you go for a more ordinary career the gains don't come close those for an innovator. Jack Welch, Lou Gerstner, Carly Fiorina, Percy Barnevik and Lee Iacocca. They all have been celebrated. But are they heroes? Well, perhaps Mr Welch is, but the others, hardly. But still they are paid enough to buy what ever they need.
On the other hand. When Fiorina failed to deliver at HP, was she seen as an idiot? No way. The circumstances just weren't nice to her. If you fail when doing what you are supposed to, you aren’t anything wrong, are you?
How do you verify the quality of somebody’s career? If you look at the employer brands you’re among friends. “He’s been working at Microsoft, Nokia, HP and Intel. This guy will bring the experience we need…”. In large organizations key achievements are almost impossible to verify.
And that’s my point. The gains for ordinary people are high enough. They don’t become heroes, but they can be rich. And if they fail, they will still land softly.
Then, why take the risk to look like a complete idiot!
A very good and inspiring post!
Initially I thought that it was about making a stand for something or aiming for Your goal whatever it may be..
I wonder if You have seen this one.. I have it with me all the time!
'It's not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.'
Theodore Roosevelt 1910
Posted by: Richard Richthoff | February 27, 2007 at 11:28 PM
Maybe you are right, but I am not sure. I am far from convinced that lack of 'upside' makes people don't wanna 'pay the price'. Sounds lika a pretty lame excuse for not being smart, hard-working or aggressive enough, to me.
As a side comment, I think one should appreciate that anybody can be innovative, thus an innovator in a sense. Not only entreprenuers but any individual who successfully digs outside the box, right?
Now, I would argue that financial or any other 'external' reward typically comes as a spin-off effect of these efforts (i.e. to successfully innovate) rather than it is the major reason behind the crazy idea. Remember, if you are out of the box - before you succeed, you're by definition a weirdo, right? My take is you're a weirdo because you're addicted, obsessed, haunted whatever you like to call it but you live for your idea, not that you wan't to outsmart Wall Street, OK? Of course we all want to be Trump vulgar rich but that little wish is almost certainly never the driver when your really excel. Wouldn't you agree?
On the contrary, can anybody give me one real life example of someone who have said: "well, I have this idea, 'the wheel' kinda thing, but I don't care to realize it beacause taxes are too high"? Or, "I know how to make the core processes at my office 100% quicker but I don't bother to open my mouth because I'm on a fixed salary plan"?
Maybe you can, I cannot.
People try, for what ever it is worth - or, unfortunately most often, not it is worth - nevertheless, we try, and try to impress and surprise...how hard isn't it?
/SS
Posted by: Saltissnackarn | March 18, 2007 at 08:54 PM
Thanks Richard, great quote.
Saltissnackarn, I don't think lack of upside is a constraint for innovation. It's the risk of failure. Soft landing is better then flying sky high.
But, actually, my aim wasn't to emphasize neither the financial risk nor financial success. People don't care to innovate because their peers don't appreciate their ideas until after they've succeed. As the risk to fail when using new technology or implementing new ideas is pretty high, it's rather unattractive. Operate your office tasks 100 per cent quicker isn't worth thriving for if the there is a risk you will fail. If there is safe way reducing them by 30 per cent that's a much more attractive option.
You say haven't met that kind of guy, that have missed the opportunity to innovate if he or she had a great idea. Then, why haven't i.e. collaborative software a much higher penetration rate than it has today. Because companies can't afford it?
Posted by: Hans Eric Melin | March 20, 2007 at 09:00 AM
I admit, you are correct and I was using words a bit sloppy: upside opportunity isn't exactly the same thing as downside risk, I agree. But then, could we say it is two sides of the same coin? I am sure many talented people are afraid of letting go of their job to be able to spend their time taking their idea to a sellable product or to a thriving business. Risk/reward calculations sometimes have a negative outcome. I couldn't agree more. But that should not be a false excuse for this little issue:
Some innovations sometimes sucks.
No matter the risk/reward profile attached to launching or not launching them. Lots of software sucks, be it free, cheap or expensive. Is there great software locked in somewhere because of risk associated with taking it to market? Maybe. But, luckily for the software geeks, with the internet barriers to entry market have come down. Internet has brought an instant visability to pretty much any market segment and it becomes increasingly tough to hide good innovations from curious users. The second piece of good news is that the software start-up can add your advice and services on how to cross the chasm from an early adopters market to mass penetration - then world domination is pretty much a done deal!
I think 'collaborative software' or any product has the audience that thinks its benefits are larger than the cost for it. And even from a customer perspective (just as from the innovator perspective) I think the cost is the smaller problem. Thus, 'collaborative software' may have problems to show its splendidness to some/many users.
Finally, isn't this blog and lots of internet software in essence 'collaboration software'? Anyway, let us hope it hasn't costed its creators too much money, family or friends...
(...hey, remove this if you wish, I feel I am kind of all over the place...)
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