The Obstacle of Progress (Part 1 of 2)

George Bernard Shaw wrote that "the reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

The movers and shakers of any industry (including ours) are a rare breed and therefore have a unique set of problems. They are visionaries, pioneers and consequently always pioneering their way in some certain and unwavering direction. Being such, they are difficult for the "reasonable" person to accept, understand or follow. They think and act differently. They seem unreasonable, because they are – not in the sense that they are intent on being difficult for difficulty's sake, but rather because the path they choose is difficult and they fully understand one simple fact: It's extremely hard to make things easy.

However, it is critical to take the hard road in the present in order to make things easier and better in the future. They are willing to pay the price for progress both monetarily and sacrificially. They do so in order to effect the change they intend and achieve whatever particular vision they are fixated on at any given time. They are rarely satisfied, and in a certain sense never finished. They are always aiming at something, headed somewhere and focused on being focused on that destination. They are convinced that those who aim at nothing hit it. Their work ethic and relentless intent is target certain and quite simply, they just can't help themselves.

To say they are persistent is an understatement. They are persistent to the point that it becomes bothersome to those who aren't, and it bothers those "reasonable" folks a lot. Plagued by naysayers, they must constantly fend off hoards of those with all of the reasons the "reasonable" can muster as they are told repeatedly why they are wasting their time attempting to achieve the unachievable.

WHEN "FINE" ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH

Nevertheless, the "unreasonable one persists," according to Shaw's quote, and consequently that unreasonable persistence is responsible for all progress. Meanwhile, the "reasonable man" (or woman, of course) accepts things as they are. Such folks are fine with things being fine. Forgive the wordplay, and give me another paragraph or two to explain why fine simply isn't fine.

A line from the recent movie "Jobs" depicts this all too well. The movie is more or less the Hollywood version of the life of Steve Jobs, the master innovator and marketer behind Apple, among other things. Steve was no doubt controversial and either loved or hated for his "unreasonable" approach. Like him or not, the progress he made in the digital age is undeniable.

A particular scene illustrates why fine isn't really fine in the minds of such individuals: Someone on the product development team of a particular product made the mistake of telling Steve Jobs that the product was "fine" as it was. He made it quite clear to Steve and the rest of the team that it didn't need the last-minute changes that Jobs was insisting on. Most of the group agreed with the self-appointed spokesman who decided to take Steve on. Steve exploded in anger and snapped back at them in his typical unreasonable fashion: "We don't do fine!" I don't have to tell you who won.

CHAOS LEADS TO PROGRESS

Yes, these game-changers create a lot of chaos. They are intent on progress and because of that they are always stirring things up and forcing things forward. It's a lot easier on everyone, including themselves, if they would just leave well enough alone. But to them such thinking is appalling. The whole notion of just doing things the way they have always been done is a huge disappointment.

If you happen to be one of those pioneering souls, I suspect you'll find this series interesting. If not, perhaps it will help you support those in your organization who are that type, when they seem and in fact are "unreasonable" in their insistence on progress as they define it and insist on it occurring. Providing, of course, that you and your organization are fortunate enough to have one such individual in it – and hopefully leading it.

You may wonder why I've selected the title "The Obstacle of Progress." Aren't there lots of obstacles to progress? Yes, but that's not my subject. My point is that progress itself is an obstacle. I believe that the dynamic of progress and or continual improvement has a way of getting in the way. The fact that you undertake a determined effort to improve, change, modernize or make whatever progress means for you and your organization will inevitably create its own unique set of problems that become the obstacle of progress. It interferes with people doing their "jobs" and is oftentimes sadly mistaken for mere interference and nothing more. I hope to debunk that kind of thinking, and I believe I can. You'll have to be the judge of that.

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. . . . They push the human race forward. . . . While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do! – Apple Computers

We begin with the text from the famous Apple commercial first aired in the 1997 Super Bowl, which ends with the admonition of innovation, "Think Different." And though I'm not going to spend a lot of time reviewing part 1, revisiting the comments I've made about Steve Jobs, I can't help but reemphasize the man and the fact that the organization he led was built on the concepts outlined in the statement above. This mantra turned out to be a summary of how he himself and many others at Apple put a dent in the universe.

Those featured in the commercial achieved greatness and demonstrated genius in their own unique and innovative way, changing the sphere of the world over which they had influence, forever. Google it and watch the commercial; it's nothing short of amazing!

Let's take a look at one of those featured in the commercial, Thomas Edison. Have you seen the recent Mazda commercial featuring Edison? According to Forbes, "the brand (Mazda) seeks to rise above its constant 2 percent share of the U.S. market with a new advertising campaign called 'Game Changer.'"

I used the phrase "game changers" in part of this article. I like that phrase a lot. Let me slip this in now: Wouldn't you like to be part of an organization known in the construction world (or at least your region) as a game changer? Isn't just doing drywall the way drywall has always been done a bit boring? After nearly a half century of "doing drywall," I'll be the first to answer that. Yes!

But then again, how innovative are you? How determined are you to achieve your goals? How open to new ideas and change are you? Are you leading, pioneering, keeping pace with technology, or are you falling behind? Are you crazy and unreasonable enough to be a game changer? Do you believe that you can change the game, or are you much more "reasonable" than that? Are you finding new ways to do old things and constantly reinventing yourself and your organization, or are you just "doing drywall?"

Edison, with his 1,093 U.S. patents (a record for one man that still stands today), was no doubt a game changer. (Did you know that today's General Electric was once called Edison General Electric Company?) Mazda says he "defied the naysayers" mentioning the "formula" by which all such game changers change the game. It emphasizes "conviction, creativity and courage" and closes by saying that using that "formula. . . can change the game, and sometimes it can even change the world!"

Sound familiar? It kind of sounds like something Steve Jobs would say. I'm not even going to try to unpack the obvious truth behind the necessity of conviction, though it does fit well with persistence, that kind of stick-to-it-iveness that George Bernard Shaw referred to when defining the path to all progress. You will recall that "the unreasonable man persists" in spite of naysayers, failure and every other obstacle that rears its ugly head, and that persistence leads to progress. Game changers keep trying. They don't quit, even when faced with the naysayers' insistence that their endeavor isn't even possible. And if that's not difficult enough, they even keep trying in spite of ongoing failure. Here's another one of my favorite Edison quotes, conjured no doubt as he forced his way toward such innovations as the incandescent light bulb, motion picture camera and the phonograph and more than 1,000 other inventions: "The most certain way to succeed is to try one more time."

Edison spent 52 years working on and improving the phonograph and often referred to it as his "baby." It is said that he failed 10,000 times in his effort to invent the incandescent light bulb. Nevertheless, he insisted "I have not failed, I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

Edison also said, "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." What about us? Do we have the conviction, creativity and courage to overcome the naysayers, to reinvent and revolutionize our businesses? Are we willing to quit – once and forever – just doing drywall? That's where the connection I referred to earlier lies. Business is business. Forget about what business it is.

Are you and I ever going to be Apple or Thomas Edison? But we can be a game-changer. Providing we are ready to wage war (if necessary) with those within our organizations who feel it's "fine" the way it is. Providing we have what it takes to explore, put up with the journey and never quit as we pioneer our way into uncharted territory. But be forewarned: You will face unintended consequences by doing so. Take it from one who is ever learning that lesson the hard way. I can modestly concede to dabble in such endeavors. You will soon realize that what you are endeavoring to do in the name of progress is actually going to interfere with business as usual, and the naysayers will stand in line to tell you "I told you so." That's when you finally come to terms with and begin to understand a necessary evil – the Obstacle of Progress.

So far we've been examining the notion of what I call "the obstacle of progress." We really haven't focused on drywall. That is to say, I have not given you some hot tip on the latest drywall screw or wall assembly. I'm not even trying to. Nor have I encouraged you in these desperate times to hang in there and cling to the past relying on the turnaround to get you back to where you've been in better days. No, and don't expect me to do so this month either. Candidates for the topic at hand aren't all that interested in more of the same. They aren't satisfied with what's being done; they are far more fascinated with what can be done.

For our purposes, just "doing drywall" as it is being done by even the best of contractors, simply isn't the subject. Rather, I am summoning those with a heart to pioneer. Game changers, who are past just thinking outside the box, who don't even want the box, or to merely get out of it. Such individuals see well past the present and leave it behind in order to pursue the future. They are innovators who are sick and tired of anything outdated or even current. They embrace a new model fashioned from their own creativity and opportunity, captivated completely by new approaches that, quite possibly, they are the first to see. Visionaries!

These visionaries are undeterred by the change that will be required to achieve such goals, in spite of the unintended consequences one inevitably encounters embarking on one such journey. They relentlessly pursue new ideas, even riddled with failure, just as long as it leads to eventual success. To these frontiersmen it is well worth the effort and any unforeseen difficulties. They are far too fixated on what they believe possible and able to ignore naysayers who will most certainly discourage their quest.

Adopting this path and absorbing the unintended consequences along the way, they endeavor in a relentless pursuit of their specific vision of the future. They have learned to some extent that in doing so they will find that such progress will create and literally become its own obstacle. Yes, progress itself interferes with business as usual, and at times every visionary pioneer will inescapably face the frustration of failure and have to persist in order to overcome, succeed and fully realize their vision.

As we continue to explore, remember that business is business and innovation is innovation. Don't make the mistake that this simply doesn't apply to you and your organization. These facts are universal no matter what the business is. We'll be back to drywall soon enough (maybe not soon enough for some), but we'll be back. I promise to provide an example of one such drywall contractor who simply could not help being the type of individual I describe. So, don't stop reading now, do yourself a favor and consider the following:

THE TRAILBLAZERS

Orville and Wilbur Wright were told to stop wasting their time as they insisted on becoming pioneers of the sky. Lucky for us, they didn't listen and today we board a 777 and fly nonstop to Paris in a matter of hours.

Benjamin Franklin ignored naysayers who insisted he stop his "foolish experimenting," and he flew a kite. Today, we have electricity, which powers my desktop computer, and in that sense his vision contributes to this article–not to mention absolutely revolutionizing the world, which was then dependent on candlelight and lanterns.

Scoffers insisted that Columbus's plan could not be accomplished, calling it "quite impossible." Thankfully, he persisted, insisting on permission and support, since I'm currently writing for the nation that resulted from this fool-hearted individual, who was once considered a square peg in a round hole!

These types of individuals are not only misunderstood by the masses. Other "crazy ones," as Steve Jobs put it, misunderstand them as well. Innovators have even been guilty of scoffing at other innovators. Thomas Edison called Henry Ford's vision of the motor car a "worthless idea." As Mazda would put it nowadays, "Zoom-zoom!"

I don't have time at the moment to research the quote but I will paraphrase a question I am told that the mother of Bill Gates once posed when confronted with the idea of personal computers. It went something like this: What would anyone want with a home computer? A better question might be, how did we ever get by without them?

Throughout time, great ideas have been met with a long line of naysayers. It's a good thing these dreamers haven't listened. Imagine today's world if they had replied to the naysayers, "I guess you're right!

CREATING YOUR OWN PREDICAMENT

That brings us back to the "unintended consequences" I've repeatedly alluded to and again, what in the world does this have to do with drywall? Why all the emphasis on such individuals who have been troublemakers, scoffed at, ridiculed and plagued with repeated failure on the pathway to success? Why bother to take such risk and endure this painful path?

I agree wholeheartedly. These are fair questions to the "reasonable" businessman. It does seem a bit "unreasonable" to create your own predicament, doesn't it? Yes it does, unless you believe in the benefit enough to motivate you to set out on one such journey. But then again, that is "the obstacle of progress" isn't it? Let me clarify that further.

The classic Western blockbuster movie "How the West Was Won" was released in 1962. It begins with the accidental discovery of gold in a streambed winding its way through the undeveloped California countryside and ends with a bird's eye view of a complex modern highway system woven beneath upon the Golden State's landscape. With its star studded cast of such Hollywood greats as Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne and Gregory Peck, it depicts the westward migration and expansion, motivated early on by the gold rush during the mid to latter 19th century.

Meanwhile, legions of wagon trains and mule teams forged their way west as pioneers chased the opportunity into the unknown wilderness. Without being specific, let me simply say that they bravely faced the unimaginable challenges that such progress presented. As the advance was made, it included such events as the Civil War, development of the Pony Express and eventual installation the telegraph lines and railroad construction. Not everyone involved won, much less lived survived, to realize their goal and succeeded at such a quest. Anyone who set on one such venture must surely have doubted the wisdom of their decision at times. It's impossible to avoid discouragement and defeat, sometimes outright failure, when you pursue such a path. And yes, many naysayers stayed behind, stuck in the comfort and certainty of the east, feeling completely justified, criticizing what they considered a fool-hearted notion. Nevertheless, that is how the West was won.

FORGE AHEAD

Nowadays, as we jet our way through the U.S. airspace in a few hours and travel distances that took months for those early adventurers, we must pause and consider the price they paid. They purchased for us the rite of passage, establishing an infrastructure (though primitive, as it was) for us today. They caused themselves problems that someone less adventurous, with a more reasonable temperament, considered it wise, to avoid. Imagine with me for a moment the multitudes that chose comfort over courage, personal safety over risk and contentment with the status quo as opposed to a personal determination to drag themselves and anyone willing forward.

And so it is with all those who dare to pursue progress. This path is not for the faint of heart, nor those who insist on being typical. These individuals, with a penchant for progress, are leaders in the truest sense of the word. They set out intentionally putting themselves at a disadvantage, creating an atmosphere of difficulty by insisting on progress in spite of its cost. They know full well that the path they have chosen is not paved but rather carved by a relentlessness clawing and visionary gaze toward a better tomorrow. They make everyone around them who dares to be associated or even companions, stretch, reach into the future, and divorce themselves from the past. Progress is not defined as something everyone is doing, more likely it may well be the very thing that no one is doing. Both then and now, past and present, it is unexplored, uncharted, unknown and probably, at the time, unappreciated.

It does not matter what century, year, month, day or moment, the dynamics are the same. The advances of mankind have been led by the few who chose to make the necessary sacrifice to obtain another inch, foot, yard or mile, forward. Progress is, by sheer definition, on the move, in transition. It interferes with the norms and creates constant friction by requiring an ever-changing environment. It is, in and of itself, an unreasonable state of being, a little crazy and definitely abnormal. But when one considers the facts, coupled with what little one knows about the future and the certainty of success when it comes to their own aspirations, how else could it be? After all, it is the obstacle of progress.

THE MORAL OF THE STORY

I have intended to show you the interference that progress itself will inevitably generate, how it complicates things and frustrates the majority. I am seeking to prove that such is quite simply a necessary evil, the obstacle of progress. I have argued that it is a path of persistence and perseverance in spite of resistance, difficulty and even failure at times.

So then, are you encouraged or discouraged? Pick your poison. Everyone persists in something, either past, present or future behavior. You can either lean into change and embrace it, or cling to the present–or worse yet, ultimately get stuck in the past.

I have promised all along to make this relevant. So then, as contractors, what is our frontier? For example, when the world and society in general, particularly in America, is becoming so advanced technologically, what are we to do? When the available workforce and the industry remain somewhat primitive, how do we get them and ourselves un-stuck? How is it that we lead, and where do we go? What's next? Where are the opportunities? What does construction look like in the future? Will we just keep on keeping on doing drywall? There was a day when there were no spray rigs, and taping, texturing and mud was mixed by hand. There was no such thing as automatic taping tools, and the only orange peel texture was the stipple left by the painter's roller.

Then along came two brothers, Robert and Stan Ames, who had a vision of a line of taping tools. They were pioneers of our industry if ever there were pioneers. And there were. You can Google their names and read their story. They eventually sold their line of tools for more than $5 million, which at the time was an incredible fortune. Did they meet with resistance? Were there naysayers? Indeed, lots of them. The Ames brothers were no exception to the obstacle of progress.

Oops, out of time . . . more to come.