Crash Thinking.

Small thinking is our greatest obstacle. It is all around us, and part of our individual and collective mindset even though the United States is arguable the most successful and powerful nation on Earth. Ever. Despite our small thinking, we have managed to become a powerhouse of optimism, innovation, and overwhelming technological breakthroughs over the last 100 years. It was only 1899 when Charles Duell - the U.S. Patent Office Commissioner who closed the office for almost a year- said, “Everything that can be invented, has been.” How is small thinking holding us back from realizing our full potential? What is the narrative we tell ourselves about what is possible? What is possible?

Carl Benz developed the world’s first automobile, called the Motorwagen, and drove it around town in his native Germany for the first time on New Year’s Eve, 1879. Henry Ford, an American inventor from Dearborn, Michigan, created an automobile that literally changed the world. His first Model T cars rolled off the assembly line on September 27, 1908. At the time, the powerful President of the Michigan Savings Bank told potential investors in Ford Motor Company that “The horse is here to stay, but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.” Forbes Magazine recently estimated the current net worth of the Henry Ford Estate to be $188 billion in today’s dollars, easily making him the richest man to have ever lived, even eclipsing Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Carlos Slim. Too bad you never see a hearse pulling a U-haul. At one of the early World Fairs just after the turn of the century, an exhibit about the future of transportation got Americans excited about the potential of the automobile, but clearly stated that ”the automobile will never be able to go more than 70 miles per hour - because the human mind couldn’t comprehend driving that fast and would surely crash.”  

We all suffer from “Crash Thinking” - and it severely limits our ability to dream bigger dreams, take more daring risks and step out into new possibilities, and develop the necessary strength, mindset, agility and resiliency to fail-forward-fast. This is when we do our best thinking and create the most brilliant innovations that change the world. We often tell ourselves and our children to think outside the box, but the truth is we are all severely handicapped and struggle to do such a difficult and uncomfortable thing. Crash Thinking is hardwired in our brains by the time we are 9 years old, entrenched in our mindsets by the time we are 18, and rather difficult to overcome.

Just imagine. There are countless examples of how limited and small our thinking really is: In 1878, a Western Union executive wrote an internal memo addressing this new emerging technology called the "telephone". He said “This `telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a practical form of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” In 1850, Dr. Dionysus Lardner, one of the leading scientists in England at the time, said “Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia.” Lord Kelvin, a brilliant English mathematician and physicist wrote in 1895 that “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” It is a good thing the Wright Brothers from Dayton, Ohio didn’t believe that; less than 10 years later they made their famous first flight at Kitty Hawk and transformed the world.

Change was happening more often. As entertainment started to transform the American landscape and movies began integrating both film with sound in 1927, Harry Warner, head of Warner Brothers Studios, famously quipped to a Hollywood reporter, “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” As the television started to make its debut in more and more American homes shortly after World War 2, Daryl Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, wrote to shareholders in 1946, “This new television technology won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” In 1977, Kenneth Olsen, the President and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation wrote to shareholders that, “There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” A leading Futurist, Jerry Kaplan, wrote in The New York Times on August 6, 2004 that "I wouldn't be buying Google stock, and I don't know anyone who would." That small thinking cost far too many people millions of dollars in investment gains over the last 13 years.

Crash Thinking is perhaps our greatest challenge.  Our small thinking continues to hold us back from a more brilliant future. About 3% of our population truly have the vision, talent and skill to think outside the box and believe and shape the future - and take big risks and work very hard to make it happen. The reality is that 97% of people are severely handicapped in this way of thinking. They lack imagination and effort. Tesla's Elon Musk is one of our best recent examples of what we need more of in this country, but there are also many like him at both work and play in Silicon Valley, Denver, Colorado, and Austin, Texas. Just to name a few. The truth is we will crash a few hundred times. It will be painful. But we will learn. And we will break out of our limited thinking. More and more of us will break free from small thinking. It is also true that we can drive much faster than 70 miles an hour and enjoy the thrill of the ride.

Let's Create More Sparks: Robert is a curious Irish-Canadian and well-traveled American who naturally enjoys story telling that includes lots of interesting facts and figures. Stats and data points help tell powerful stories. Interesting quotes and good books bring vivid colors and memorable shapes to a story. Good stories inspire the human spirit. Ideally you found an idea or two in this LinkedIn article that you can now use as a fantastic conversation starter with friends or colleagues over a coffee on a leisurely Saturday afternoon.