As an intern I once attended an internal Innovation Symposium hosted by the company I was working for.
Most of the speakers talked in glowing terms about innovation, how good it was, and how welcomed it was.
But one speaker didn't. He said: "You'll know you're being innovative because you'll feel uncomfortable about your idea."
I had never before heard that point of view before, but it clicked.
If all of your peers think what you're doing is a good idea, maybe it's time to re-evaluate how innovative your ideas really are.
The problem with all of this is that immature good ideas look and act exactly like crazy ideas. It's hard to find comfort pushing on an idea with that fact always in the back of your mind. You could find yourself years down the road with nothing to show for all that effort.
Most of the speakers talked in glowing terms about innovation, how good it was, and how welcomed it was.
But one speaker didn't. He said: "You'll know you're being innovative because you'll feel uncomfortable about your idea."
I had never before heard that point of view before, but it clicked.
If all of your peers think what you're doing is a good idea, maybe it's time to re-evaluate how innovative your ideas really are.
The problem with all of this is that immature good ideas look and act exactly like crazy ideas. It's hard to find comfort pushing on an idea with that fact always in the back of your mind. You could find yourself years down the road with nothing to show for all that effort.