5 Insightful Quotes to Improve Innovation

5 Insightful Quotes to Improve Innovation

Don't you love a good quote? My favorites are those that are both insightful and memorable, and over my career many useful quotes have lodged in my mind. Over the past twenty-five years, I've had the privilege of working with a wide variety of innovative individuals at organizations such as IDEO, Herman Miller, WeWork and beyond. Throughout those years, there have been a handful of quotes that have proven themselves to be exceptionally useful when pursuing new opportunities to innovate. Here are my top five - I hope you also find them to be valuable as we seek to change the world together.

#1 "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” — Max De Pree

Max DePree, famed author on servant leadership and past CEO of Herman Miller, recognized the need for gracious truth-tellers. Most of us see the issues in our industries, in our organizations, and among our teams, but until someone breaks the inertia with a gracious but honest willingness to speak truth about what's wrong, it's impossible to pursue new and better ways of doing things.

#2 “Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one yet has seen, but to think what nobody yet has thought about that which everybody sees.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

I know - it takes a few times reading this to comprehend what 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer is getting at. What Schopenhauer is illustrating is that it's difficult and rare to see something in this world that no one else has already observed, but that's not actually the challenge. The real challenge is to "think what no one has yet thought" about these things that we're all staring at together. We need to meditate upon those things that are right in front of our faces - thinking creatively, systemically, and in an interdisciplinary manner about problems that we all take for granted - in order to land on new and inventive solutions. From there, that's where the seedlings of great innovation can sprout.

#3 “Never mistake a clear view for a short distance.” — Paul Saffo

As renown tech futurist Paul Saffo reminds us, overnight successes don't happen overnight. In the early and ambiguous stages of innovation, we seek a vision, Then, once we land on a vision, we (and the organizations who employ us) often lack the patience and fortitude to see that vision through. While the vision may be clear, a variety of conditions must exist for new ideas to fully mature to the point of completion - just ask anyone who has been through a home remodel! We shouldn't be surprised when we realize how long the journey to success actually is.

#4 “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.” — Walter Elliot

As we seek to make that "clear view" a reality, the difference between good ideas that gain traction and good ideas that don't often boils down to perseverance. As Scottish politician Walter Elliot illustrates, the challenge to persevere often lies in the exhausting, iterative nature of it. Just when you think you've overcome a critical challenge to make your vision a reality - BOOM! - there is another problem. It's best just to gear up at the outset for a marathon that actually is comprised of one sprint after another. And sometimes it's best to decide not to begin the journey at all if you know that perseverance will be lacking (Seth Godin's book The Dip is an excellent resource here!). And finally...

#5 . “If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?” — TS Elliot

This is probably the quote I lean on more than any other. Poet TS Elliot nails it on the head - if you want to innovate, you better get used to being uncomfortable. Innovators swim in ambiguity, and often in insecurity, but choose to take risks anyhow. And among the many failures that are inevitable, they grow comfortable with discomfort until they get it right.




Bill Coble, EDAC

Transforming Spaces | Driving Strategic Growth In Healthcare, Corporate and Education Sectors | Director, U.S. Business Development at Renson. Evidence- Based Design Advocate

5 年

Ryan Anderson brings into focus that we all can make a difference, starting with taking the first step towards your version of “how might we”. #innovation #humility #leadership #vision

Michael Shear

Strategic Office Networks, LLC and Advisor to the Autonomy Institute

5 年

Ryan, thank you for sharing. In return, my top three. 1) "The future is already here - it's just not evenly distributed." - William Gibson, Economist 2003 2) "There is no such thing as a hole in 'your side' of the boat" - Rick Henderson - 1989 and my favorite from the 16th century - 3) There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order, this lukewarmness arising partly from fear of their adversaries … and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it. — Niccolo Machiavelli - 1513

Sean Jackson

Head of Plans and Consumer Offerings @ Audible | Product Management

5 年

I enjoy "all you can choose is your reaction"

Charlene Happel, PMP, NCIDQ

Project/Program leadership with a proactive, energetic style and a thirst for challenging convention.

6 年

Fantastic quotes....each one offers the opportunity to shift perspectives.

Susan Bible

Business Owner at Five Hills Design, LLC

6 年

Love #5.. push your limits

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Ryan Anderson的更多文章

  • Advancing your hybrid strategy by leveling the playing field.

    Advancing your hybrid strategy by leveling the playing field.

    Hey everyone, the results of the Future Forum survey for this quarter are in and they are very informative. If you…

    5 条评论
  • 2022 - The "H Year" for the Office

    2022 - The "H Year" for the Office

    What can we expect for the office in 2022? I'd say that it's something akin to the Hybrid H?gertrafikoml?ggningen (say…

    23 条评论
  • Common Ground

    Common Ground

    Does it sometimes feel like your offices have become a battleground in a return-to-office standoff? Perhaps they have…

    2 条评论
  • What Does "Hybrid" Actually Mean?

    What Does "Hybrid" Actually Mean?

    I'm seeing a lot of pieces in the media that are confusing the topic of hybrid working and my conversations with…

    27 条评论
  • Exploring the Concept of Nomadic Work

    Exploring the Concept of Nomadic Work

    Beyond the concept of remote working lies a bold idea that pushes the boundaries of mobility even farther - nomadic…

    99 条评论
  • Home Office Hacker: experimenting with WFH wellness

    Home Office Hacker: experimenting with WFH wellness

    Michigan winters can be rough, particularly for someone who loves to work outside as much as I do. The days are short…

    29 条评论
  • How Teams Can Brainstorm Virtually

    How Teams Can Brainstorm Virtually

    One of the questions that I’m most often asked is, “how do we brainstorm virtually?” The good news is that it’s not…

    9 条评论
  • Practical Considerations for Working Outdoors

    Practical Considerations for Working Outdoors

    Feeling a little cooped-up? Then consider spending some time working outdoors, as the fresh air, vitamin D, and ambient…

    7 条评论
  • Five Helpful Tips for Being Your Best On Video

    Five Helpful Tips for Being Your Best On Video

    How do you feel about meeting on video? For some, it’s an enjoyable and natural experience. But for many (perhaps…

    8 条评论
  • Five Important Tips for Managing Remote Teams

    Five Important Tips for Managing Remote Teams

    Are you new to managing a remote team? I’ve had the chance over the last decade to manage several and to study remote…

    15 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了