Why enough time and money destroy innovation

Innovation and disruption is all about the ’next’ big thing, what that thing is, and how it can be made cheaper, bigger, stronger, more different or just better. The facts are that most innovative people and companies became innovative either because they did not have enough time or enough money!

No matter how you look at it, innovation is about changes. Big ones or small ones. They may be planned or they may just happen. They may be created in laboratories by experts or simply by amateurs, who have hit hard times and who need to make some money to get through life. How do you map the DNA of an innovator? Does such a thing even exist? Researchers claim that more than 40 pct. of all things that you do are based on habits- bad habits, that is. And the power of habit may end up making you stupid and lazy. So if you want to keep being innovative, you should also have some basic rules for how to stay innovative.

Successful people are often asked; ”how did you do it” and “what is the secret behind your success?”

Over the years I have heard a lot of such conversations delivered by some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Apart from generic expressions such as passion, hard work and professional skills, there are a few other characteristics that are often behind their success. In this article, I am going to map some of the unique characteristics and secrets that they have in common.

Mark Turell has been named as one of the most brilliant and innovative minds in the world by organisations such as World Economic Forum. He lives in Berlin, is born in Canada, grown up in South Africa and later in London. He is extremely adaptable, he can talk to all sorts of people, he is incredibly good at creating and picking up the latest needs in the world, and not least, he is able to translate them into innovative IT and technology solutions. Mark Turell has a lot of ’dogma rules’ in his life. These are basic rules that constitute a ’framework’ for him to live by.

1)   Use public transport

He travels a lot in many different countries, and he always uses public transport. He says that if you want to get to know people in a specific country, their thoughts, patterns and frustrations, all you have to do is to use the local trains, buses etc. You can discern a lot about the culture of a country from its public transportation system. It even gives you the opportunity to catch up on upcoming trends and to identify unsatisfied needs in people's behaviour.

2)   Design your own luck

He doesn't believe in luck but in hard work. He believes that you can train your luck by being open to new opportunities. He believes that most of us would benefit from having days where we are more open to new inputs than we normally are. Because it can also be hard work to be ’oh so open and adaptive’ all the time.

3)   ’Yes days’ and ’end goals’

He says that busy people spend a lot of their time saying no to things. Therefore, he has planned ’Yes days’, where he decides to say yes to everything that comes on his plate throughout the day (invitations, meetings, food etc.). This conditions his mind to be more open towards new things, people and situations.

On all other days, he is focused on ’end goals’ – the actual ’purpose’, which he tries to live and achieve in his life. And naturally, he also makes sure to share his ambitions and challenges with other people so that they can help him.        ?

Necessity is the mother of invention

Mark Sephton is another engaged innovator. He is a radio host in England and the author of the book ‘Inside job’. Mark Sephton makes a living interviewing entrepreneurs and distilling their knowledge, so that we ordinary people can learn from the best. In his book, he maps the stuff that innovative people are made of. For one thing he writes that you shouldn't be afraid of failing, thinking big, be curious, being able to focus, working hard, long and a lot. Briefly put, that is the recipe for success. But what does it take to be innovative? Some people are just more creative than others (let’s face it) – others have become creative, innovative and brave from being pushed out, not being able to get a job, getting sacked and that sort of thing. In other words; 'Necessity is the mother of invention'. It is actually quite rare that people with lots of time and money become innovative.   History knows of many great innovations that rose from suffering, pain and big egos.

A singer's worst nightmare has to be living a successful life with lots of happiness and love and no scandals – because if that happened, what would you write about in your songs? You would end up getting your lyrics from other people who still suffer (from heartache).

Get your behind on the toaster

You often hear people say: ”If only I had more time, more money, lived somewhere else.” You hear it from companies too: ”If only the planning regulations were more flexible, if only we had investors, if only our customers could understand.”

Facts are that most innovative people and companies became innovative exactly because they did not have enough time or money.

An example is Uber, one of the most profitable, respected and controversial companies in recent years. I had dinner with Travis a few years ago. He told me it is one of the most hated companies in the world. Travis Kalanick, the man behind Uber, actually just wanted access to cheap transportation, and the name (which doesn't actually make sense) just came to him.

Today, he has changed (even you have to admit it..) the way in which we are transported, who we are transported by and how we work (for an app – rather than for a boss/company). He was in a fix financially, and he didn't have time or any significant support. No one believed in him, and his friends just gave him some money because it was insufferable to listen to him when they were on a skiing trip a few years ago, and because they felt a little bit sorry for him. For him, the vision and his belief in his own solution was pivotal in order to create something that no one had done before him. In other words, ‘you can’t pick the winners.’

Who becomes the most innovative and successful? Can you just walk into a school classroom and point out the winner? Almost never. There is that special x-factor, which it can be difficult to spot. And most people won't recognise a talent, which they haven't seen before. For that same reason, few people can spot a really great idea when they first see it. Consider one of the most innovative young men in Africa, Ashish Thakkar, co-founder of the Mara Group. He had to step across human bodies during the civil war in Rwanda, and he had to quit school and escape the country in order to find a better future. Today, the rest is history. Or consider Elon Musk from USA, co-founder of PayPal and Tesla Motors. He was a lonely weirdo, who grew up in chaos, and who was beaten and bullied. Today, the rest is history. What is the stuff that these people are made of? Apart from having been in need they are also very resilient and ’failure is NOT an option’.

Create changes whenever you can - and not only when you have to

David M. Rubenstein is the CEO of the Save Darfur Coalition, co-founder of The Carlyle a private, global investment company, and he is also extremely innovative. His son once came home with a friend's idea and he wanted to hear if his father would like to invest in it. David M. Rubenstein said no, because he thought it sounded like a crazy idea. Several years later, he realises that it was Facebook (Mark Zuckerberg), which he declined to put his money in.

An example that goes to show that no matter how successful you are, you can't see through everything. According to David M. Rubenstein it is important that you don't rest on your laurels. He believes that you should always try to spend your time sensibly. Time doesn't come back and you can't store it for later use. So you have to be critical of how you spend your time, and you should think about how to use your scarce energy.

We expect professional athletes to train, to hire the best coaches, track their split times, practice, be ambitious and adjusting even the smallest details in their lives.

That is also how the most successful and innovative people work. Adjustments, optimisations and development. Constantly. Nothing is good enough, and you shouldn't rest on your laurels.

I don't like it when you get stuck. The moment I accept the status quo, I may as well lay down and die. Most people wait for other people to make the changes in one's life (the man wants a divorce, the boss fires you etc.). I make most of my own changes – before other people gets a chance to do it. I give myself deadlines – even when things are working out great and I want to be in it forever. Life deserves to be lived, and we, people, must be used, stretched and challenged. The brain cells you don't use just disappear, think about it.

It isn't desirable to do the same thing each day, year after year, no matter how successful and happy you may be. You may think: ”I am really being challenged at my work. I try my hands on different areas of responsibility, I travel a lot and I always have to respond to new issues, and I get a lot of ideas.” Hmm! Is that really how you are doing?

?       Which way do you go to work? Do you ever make an unknown detour?

?       What is the playlist on your phone? Do you ever try out a totally different genre, which you have never listened to before?

?       Which side of the bed do you sleep in? Always the same side?

?       Which hand do you use for brushing your teeth?

?       What do you eat for lunch?

?       Who do you usually lunch with? How open are you towards other departments at your work place?

?       When was the last time you invited a new (unknown) friend into your life?

?       When was the last time you did something that came unexpected to your surroundings?

?       How much of your life is based on desire vs. fear?

Avoid autopilot and routines

Do you also want to be more innovative, creative and successful? If more than 40 percent of everything that you do during your work day resembles what you did yesterday, then – in my opinion - it is time to stop and think. How are your odds? Only in very few situations is a mental autopilot and routines a good thing. However, resilience and being ’on your toes’ is really something, you should respect.

To which extent are you controlled by autopilot, comfort or fear (so that you keep doing something, you don't really like, but you haven't got the fantasy or self-esteem to change it)?

You don't have to throw a bomb into your life. But you may be able to get some inspiration from this. You probably know that it isn't healthy to keep eating the same food all the time – variation is the key to a healthy lifestyle – and that goes for your work life as well. It isn't good to always do the same sport, either, year after year (unless, of course, you are a professional athlete). You become susceptible to injuries, your body movements sort of freezes and you don't see any results. Those of you who do sports know what I mean – it is healthy to do a lot of different types of sport, and that is also the case in your work life.

Over time, it isn't healthy to only associate with people who you like and know (over time it quite simply makes you stupid). If you're in the company of friends and you find yourself playing the same record again and again, it is time to stop and think. When are you going to turn the record and say something new? Do you dare associating with people who are smarter than you and who may provoke you?

That is how your strengthen your power of innovation

?  Each year you should give yourself at least one major physical or mental challenge (to maintain your mental resilience).

?  Every 7th year you should make some significant changes to your life.

?  Every 10th year you should put yourself in brand new plant pot, with new soil, new nourishment and more space (just as you do with your living room plants).

?  Re-locate. Even small steps can have a huge impact on your view of life and the extent of your dreams. Where you live is one of the most important decisions in your life every city has its own DNA. Make sure you match.

?  Keep on learning all the time. Knowledge is everywhere, and you don't have to attend the finest universities. You can learn something from everyone you meet, because if you just ask interesting questions, people will be happy to share their knowledge with you. Once you stop learning, you destroy your chances of being a ’front runner’. Try asking yourself, what you have learned of new things during the past 24 hours?

So IF you want to start the next big think do not eliminate yourself and use no money and lack of time as an excuse.

I am a speaker, author (16 books), boardmember and special adviser to ministers, task forces, government think tanks and demanding private companies all over the World. I live in Texas ( Yep that is right...). I dedicated my own life to improving the lives of others. I make people brave, shine, bold - and I help them to unleash their enormous potential and find their talents and passions. I encourage you to visit soulaima.com to learn more about the important work I am doing.