Hire your own Elon Musk

Hey, did you know that today is National Inventors' Day??

Yep, every February 11th, we tip our hats to the masterminds like Edison and modern-day marvels like Elon Musk, who make magic with their minds.

But here’s the kicker: inventiveness shouldn’t just be about the folks in lab coats or those rocketing cars into space. It’s for every Tom, Dick, and Harriet in your company who has the potential to think differently & bring fresh ideas to your table.

Inventiveness isn’t just for Product Developers anymore

Imagine your Finance team automating cash flow forecasts with AI-driven tools they whipped up, or your Accountants using blockchain to zap errors in real-time.?

And let’s not forget the Sales team using virtual reality to give customers tours of your products or services. These aren’t just pipe dreams; they’re real possibilities when you foster a spirit of invention company-wide.

The everyday inventors you hire:

• Finance Gurus: They're developing algorithms that not just predict, but dictate market trends, turning the tables on traditional market analytics.
• Accounting Wizards: Imagine accountants introducing machine learning to detect discrepancies that are not just errors but precursors to financial trends.
• Sales Innovators: Picture a sales rep using augmented reality to demonstrate a product right in the meeting room, bringing the pitch to life beyond slides.

Scout for the next great inventor

When you’re looking to hire, don’t just look for qualifications & skills. At today’s pace of change, they’ll be useless within months.?

Instead, hire those who invent, who run tests & experiments, and never stop searching for a new/better way.

Look for the mad scientists of spreadsheets, the Da Vincis of data, the Edisons of Excel. Here’s how:

Inventive interview methods

• Throw them a curveball problem that your company actually faced. Watch how they tackle it—do they light up like a bulb, à la Edison?
• Ask them to describe a process or product they’ve reinvented, no matter how small. If they can innovate in the mundane, they’re keepers.
• Dive into their history of projects—those passion projects done after hours might just reveal the most about their inventive spirit.

Cultivating a Playground for Inventors

• Get serious about play. Google wasn’t kidding with its 20% time policy; give your team real freedom to explore and invent.
• Throw regular hackathons or innovation boot camps where the wildest ideas get prizes and the chance to be developed.
• Recognize and reward the maddest inventor each quarter. Nothing fuels innovation like a little friendly competition.

As we celebrate National Inventors' Day, I hope you’ll challenge every nook & cranny of your businesses to think bigger, bolder, and wilder.?

Let’s not just celebrate inventors once a year, but make every day a chance to innovate. Why not launch an "Inventor of the Month" club or set up a tinkering lab where ideas can collide and create new sparks?

Remember, a company that plays it safe is a company that stays safe—safe from groundbreaking discoveries & revolutionary innovations.?

As Musk might say, 'When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.'

And -if that’s not enough- remember that half of the Fortune 100 largest companies from 1980 no longer exist. Gone.

Don’t let that be you.

Need help hiring those inventors in every part of your business? Here’s how it’s done.

Never settle,

Jeff