Albert Einstein once said that “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
This quote is even more valid today as the size and complexity of our problems are bigger than ever. More and more the most challenging problems we are facing cannot be solved within the circle of our control. This challenge applies to local and well as global businesses and even the geopolitics between nations. It is so much easier to solve the problems within our control and not worry about problems we can’t control and in fact that is what most conventional wisdom promotes. After all, the only tool we have to solve problems outside our control is influence and using influence to solve a problem has a much less certain outcome that control. However, when the problems choking your business or national performance reside outside your control it requires a much more innovative collaboration than ever before. Unfortunately, many believe that the only problems you can solve are the ones you can control and therefore expend all their energy trying to gain more and more control of every one and everything. The most successful models for innovation in business always involve collaboration with numerous disciplines within an organization and at time partnering with external entities even though they may be competitors. Politicians could learn a lot from the most innovative companies. It is not about selling or pushing your ideas but about being open to collaboration that can alter or improve your ideas and produce better results for more people. Learning how to collaborate more effectively is truly an innovation in itself and will induce more innovation in many other spheres.
The cornerstone for innovative collaboration is truly believing that any idea can be improved (a strong dose of humility). I will never forget my boss who had many more years of experience and wisdom than my 21 years but was ready to to sit down and listen to my thoughts and ideas (which didn’t turn out to amount to much at that time).
This quote is even more valid today as the size and complexity of our problems are bigger than ever. More and more the most challenging problems we are facing cannot be solved within the circle of our control. This challenge applies to local and well as global businesses and even the geopolitics between nations. It is so much easier to solve the problems within our control and not worry about problems we can’t control and in fact that is what most conventional wisdom promotes. After all, the only tool we have to solve problems outside our control is influence and using influence to solve a problem has a much less certain outcome that control. However, when the problems choking your business or national performance reside outside your control it requires a much more innovative collaboration than ever before. Unfortunately, many believe that the only problems you can solve are the ones you can control and therefore expend all their energy trying to gain more and more control of every one and everything. The most successful models for innovation in business always involve collaboration with numerous disciplines within an organization and at time partnering with external entities even though they may be competitors. Politicians could learn a lot from the most innovative companies. It is not about selling or pushing your ideas but about being open to collaboration that can alter or improve your ideas and produce better results for more people. Learning how to collaborate more effectively is truly an innovation in itself and will induce more innovation in many other spheres.
The cornerstone for innovative collaboration is truly believing that any idea can be improved (a strong dose of humility). I will never forget my boss who had many more years of experience and wisdom than my 21 years but was ready to to sit down and listen to my thoughts and ideas (which didn’t turn out to amount to much at that time).
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