Innovating - Extreme Sport of the Business World

At times, my clients and students seem to be somewhat taken aback when I draw a parallel between innovation and extreme sports. But let's take a moment to understand why this analogy is relevant.

Extreme sports aren't just about reckless thrill-seekers defying death. They represent the mastery of pushing boundaries and achieving goals by blending extremes. Practitioners of extreme sports like surfing, rock climbing, BMX, whitewater rafting, kitesurfing, sandboarding, long-distance ice skating, bouldering, downhill mountain biking, and freestyle motocross are both risk-takers and meticulous planners. For instance, surfing's coveted achievement of riding the barrel comes after extensive training and dedication. They surpass the abilities of the average person through expertise, focus, stress management, composure, and adventurousness. Despite the hype and excess often associated with "extreme sports," the core attributes of its authentic practitioners are directly applicable to innovators. Let's explore five of these attributes:

Adaptability: Just as extreme athletes in rock climbing, BMX, whitewater rafting, or kitesurfing must make critical decisions in unpredictable conditions, innovators often face uncertain markets. They need to be agile, have quick reflexes, and be resourceful enough to change course when necessary. For instance, the original Burbn app (2010) was overloaded with features until photo sharing emerged as its key component, leading to the birth of Instagram a few months later. As American psychologist Keith Sawyer suggests, the path to creativity can indeed be a zig zag.

Endurance: Endurance is not just for physical activities like sandboarding under the scorching sun or long-distance ice skating; it's also about the stamina needed to navigate the slopes of the business world. Innovators must have the resources and support to stay the course. Weathering vicissitudes was critical for Soichiro Honda. After World War II, there was a shortage of gasoline in Japan, so Honda began attaching small engines to bicycles. Despite facing financial difficulties and technical failures, including a factory being destroyed by an earthquake, Honda survived.

Perseverance: All extreme sports require a blend of tenacity, patience, and resilience. The dedication to perfect a craft, as seen in the development of tow-in surfing by Buzzy Kerbox, Laird Hamilton and others to ride impossible waves in Tahiti or Hawaii, mirrors the tenacity needed in technological innovation. James Dyson's journey began in the 1970s when, frustrated with the poor performance of his conventional vacuum cleaner, he conceptualized a vacuum cleaner that used cyclonic separation to remove dust and dirt from the air without the need for a bag. He built 5,127 prototypes, and when he finally achieved a design that worked, he struggled to find anyone willing to manufacture or sell it. So in 1993, he opened his own manufacturing facility.

Visualization and Accommodative Amplitude: Visualization, the mental process of imagining scenarios, is crucial in sports that require precision and agility, such as bouldering, downhill mountain biking, and freestyle motocross. Similarly, accommodative amplitude, the eye's ability to quickly shift focus from distant to near objects, is key in these sports for anticipating and reacting to changes. Reed Hastings of Netflix demonstrated these principles by visualizing the shift from DVD rentals to streaming services and then adapting the company to produce original content. Innovators need to envision a different future and pragmatically adjust their strategies to the changing business landscape.

Collaborative Ethos: While individual prowess is often highlighted, it's the shared values, knowledge, and communal learning that form the strong community spirit that underpins their very existence. This is especially true in many extreme sports where athletes depend on one another for safety checks, guidance, and support, or when they collaborate with their teams and engage with manufacturers to develop new equipment. Similarly, great innovators are not solitary geniuses; they are integral to and active participants in vibrant ecosystems where ideas can take root and grow.

As I conclude this post, what strikes me the most as a commonality between extreme sports artists and aspiring innovators is their unbreakable contextual intentionality. Both are driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence, constantly pushing boundaries, and never settling for the status quo.