Innovating Your Own Thought Process

Following my post this last Tuesday about staying plugged in to what needed plugging into, it was with a fair amount of both irony and sadness that we said goodbye to Steve Jobs this week. I first read the news on my MacBook, texted with friends on my iPhone and popped open iTunes to find something that dealt with my mood.

No matter what your industry, there are Da Vincis. Rare tough they might be, we’re all influenced by their presence. But how rare is it to find individuals who have changed the way we live? While they can’t achieve their visions singlehandedly, the subsequent outcomes are testaments to how these people saw the value in the human spirit – consistently tapping it without fear to reach a goal. And then the next one.

I have no doubt – as I’ve read too many news stories and blogs in the past two days to count – that I’m not the only entrepreneur who’s been deeply affected by Jobs’ da Vinci qualities. For me, though, it’s been a time of reflection and recommitment. While it shouldn’t take anyone’s death to get anyone fired up, I again don’t think I’m alone in acknowledging that it did. Here are some things that have been on my mind and maybe they’ve been on yours, too.

The concept of “good enough.” While you can’t get anywhere in life or business if you’re afraid to do anything, the goal is to do something. Once you do something, you can see what works and what doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean settling. Accepting “good enough” repeatedly is lazy. Using it to get you to the next, better, bigger thing because you let it be a catalyst – that’s what good enough is for.

Your critics. If there’s ever been a lesson in audience appreciation, it’s Apple. Customers talked, they listened. They were the inspiration behind every step of Jobs’ genius. In every negative, there’s a positive. And for anyone who think Apple failed by not announcing the iPhone 5, I’d say to give that another thought. They’re not a good enough company. They new the decision would be met with critical review. And the critics will still be in line to buy the iPhone 4s – because they know Apple is a company that listens. How do we listen to our critics and how can we change our perception of their value?

Family. When we spend X hours each week/month/year (repeat times X) doing what we do, a sense of family is important. Not just the one you get through your personal relationships, but also the one you build with the people who help you bring ideas to life. How can I as a business owner and entrepreneur keep my company a place of innovation while letting those who join me on this path each day know how much I value them? And how can I remind my family – my wife and kids – that their support over day is one of the reasons I can do what I do?

And maybe some of you haven’t been as affected as the rest of us by seeing a business visionary lost too soon. Maybe you’ve made a donation to pancreatic cancer research. Maybe you don’t care. But wherever you rest on the spectrum, I hope you’ll find ways to keep ideas alive and give your thanks to those who help you get the ideas in your head into the ecosystem. We should all be so lucky as to find as much inspiration as Jobs did. I’m going to call this my iDo cycle. I hope you’ll find your own.

Posted by: John Cushman on October 7th, 2011 // View Comments
Posted in: News
Tags: Being Wrong, Business, Business Tips
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