Innovation, Failure and Success

I just read this pretty good book The Riddle: Where Ideas Come From and How to Have Better Ones, and at the last chapter it suggests us to discuss these three important words to help us find our conceptual creativity.

Innovation: Don't innovate, but solve problems instead. By focusing on problem solving rather than creation of unique things, we will increase our odds of success in the pursuit of innovation. Become a problem solver, and not an innovator!

Failure: When things go wrong (as they will, or we didn't try hard enough), stop and ask why. Later when things go right (as they will), also ask where did the idea come from? What were we doing prior to having the big idea? Keep track of why and what led to these ideas, write them down and study this information trail. We will begin to observe a pattern beyond the happy accident.

Success: Although failure reduces the number of possible solutions, success ends the search for a solution, and ironically once the journey ends, curiosity is often shelved as the new idea moves into the generally accepted category of great ideas. Success begets a new set of rules that blinds us to new opportunities. Sustainable success is not a destination, but it is an aspiration (think it more as a process than a place).