(“Tomorrow Never Knows”, The Beatles)
During the past few years, we have learned to swim differently. Period. Then let us swim!
«EMI (record company EMI Music) had very firm rules that we always had to break ... only because we felt that we knew better than them. They said: “Our regulations establish that ...”. And we replied, “That is an old regulation, get going”. We always wanted to change things, since we knew that people want to change and unless we urged them, they would still be sticking to their regulations».
(Paul McCartney)Practically, one must always try to reach further, longer and more, always in a different way. We must have the courage to destroy and reconstruct, to forget bureaucracy and recreate it in a different way, to abandon certain paths and choose new ones, to face risk. A risk taken in the name of innovation. This word is abused and people often mix it up with the idea that it is enough to have the last technological or methodological innovation to affirm that they have, project or distribute innovative products.
Balls!!Just like many other activities, innovation is a continuous and constant commitment (also for the same issues) but from different angles, with an alternative approach. Often also with the same instruments, but used in a completely new way.
Innovation as a continuous improvement process, as an obsessive strain to find solutions where others see problems, to put into practise that which to others is pure theory. That which we must change is the static model that is conservatory and renouncing and travels in our minds. Together with our products, our articles, our enthusiasm, and our delusions, together with all this: we deliver our dreams to our clients and collaborators. We hand them over through our solitary conversations (generating), through our personal spaces (models for representation and changing culture), through our common spaces, such as work, bars, streets, coffee machine, (confrontation) in order to trust our collective talent with them (do!); practically speaking, we trust them with our capacity of sharing our dreams in a team and to participate in the dream of one of us.
Innovation as a dream!
Innovation as the realization of a dream that has the aim of showing a different way, an opportunity of showing our talent and activities. These activities that then return as the quality of the work performed, as the dignity of a profession do not mean that the work is performed according to the habitual schemes, but that we bestow a value upon our own abilities and creativity. Innovation as a characteristic trait that emerges through a tiresome intellectual work of some of us, as a continuous daily application, which allows us to create different things. Being able of letting solutions that definitely are present in our daily work appear since they are waiting to pop up and be rendered available. It takes courage.
Courage as a force to abandon old ideas or strange ideas which we continuously repress deep down in our minds but which may allow us to take action. Courage as a force to give in to curiosity. Let go and let the desire to explore the world with different eyes emerge in order to take action! The force to face an adventure that cannot be exposed to instruments and methodologies nor to magical activities (impostors), but which must take place before any other action in our mind. An adventure of ideas, a journey through activities!
A winner is a dreamer that has not given up. (Bill Clinton)