Reinventing Failure: Designing Success

I am fascinated by problems. I like to think of myself as a solution oriented individual. However when problems creep into my life as they always do I know that I am in for a major learning experience.

I just finished reading a book this week that belongs on the bookshelf of every entrepreneur. It is called "Juice, The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors by Evan I. Schwartz." This book allows you to take a peek inside the labs of the brightest minds and better understand how they relentlessly question and discover the infinite number of ways that we can imagine and create solutions. The book is an awesome expose on how world class inventors on the planet search for problems, seek to understand them and develop solutions that can only come about by perceiving the problem in a different manner. Every entrepreneur should read this book! It is chock full of wisdom that we can apply to our business lives.

Albert Einstein once commented that the most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile. He hypothesized that your answer to that question would determine your destiny. I feel that most people have decided that the universe is hostile. In so doing their immediate response to any problem only compounds the hostility. However, the great minds always teach us that regardless of the problem there is a major lesson to be understood if we only learn to look for it. The history of the world is literally the history of transformative breakthroughs.

In the book ""Juice, The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors by Evan I. Schwartz" the author clearly demonstrates that the one factor that separates world class inventors from wannabes is that they celebrate the feedback they receive from FAILURE. The most innovative minds recognize that within every failure lies the true and genuine information that is required to learn how to better understand the problem and overcome the obstacles that it presents. They are fascinated by the feedback they receive and are consistently focused on experimenting further because of the feedback that will provide.

A powerful lesson for all of us! Failure is feedback and within that feedback is the wisdom of incredible success. Or as Dr. Wayne Dyer as stated, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."

Take for example the story of Dean Kamen the inventor of the Segway, the two wheeled personal electronic vehicle that is revolutionizing transportation in our major cities. One day in 1990, Kamen witnessed a wheelchair bound man trying to navigate a curb en route to a shopping center. He followed the man into an ice cream store and was astonished at how the man struggled to reach for the counter and grab his ice cream cone. Within that experience Kamen was both outraged and inspired. The seeds of the Segway were born.

Two years later after numerous disappointments Kamen slipped on a wet bathroom floor and realized that the real problem he was confronting in his technology was one of balance. He and his team of engineers honed in on the enabling technology of electronic gyroscopes that could provide "automatic balance." It was only after years and years of failure and celebrating the feedback he received that they could focus on the successful introduction of the Segway prototype. Today, according to Kamen the Segway is the answer to the urban transportation problem. 43% of the world's gas is used by cars and almost 20% of individuals' disposable income goes to car payments and gasoline. The market for the Segway is several billion people! A fascinating creation brought about by someone who simply disagreed with limitations imposed by the status quo.

What is your greatest problem in life right now?

What is the greatest problem in your business?

The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was fond of saying that, "When God wants to send you a gift he wraps it up in a problem and the bigger the gift that God sends you the bigger the problem."

If the Segway can be born by witnessing a wheelchair bound man in pursuit of an ice cream cone what are the possibilities that can occur in your life if you learn to seek the lesson in your problems?

An Nathan Myrhrvold, the former Chief Technologist at Microsoft Corporation has prophesied "There's never been a better time to have big ideas."

Eureka! When you reinvent failure you design your own success.

Be Careful What You Agree With!

Harald Anderson is the co-founder of Artinspires.com a leading online gallery of Motivational Posters and Inspirational Posters."When Art Inspires, Dreams Become Realities. His goal in life is to become the kind of person that his dog already thinks he is. http://www.artinspires.com.

---

BIG-3 Leadership!

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends." - Walt DisneyWhat is your organization striving to achieve?-... Read More

Wisdom From The Rock

He grew up in Brooklyn, the son of an ex-con father and with a Mob-connected uncle who earned a living as a loan-shark. He credits his father... Read More

Why You Should Ignore This Advice

Doesn't make too much sense does it? Am I really going to give you some advice that asks you to ignore the advice I'm giving you? Well,... Read More

Having Fun In Leadership

"Don't measure your life by your goals, but rather by what you are DOING to achieve them." ?UnknownOne of the biggest mistakes leaders make is getting so... Read More

Exceptional Leadership Inspires the Best Effort in Others

There is a steady stream being written and taught about leadership these days. There are tips about leadership, courses about leadership, books, retreats, and continuing education ?... Read More

Recommended Books on Leadership and Team Building

The single most important thing a leader can do is lead by example, and if you want your team to be dynamic and learn more, you've got... Read More

5 Steps on How to Set and Achieve Your Goals

Which one is a goal? I will lose 15 pounds I want to run a marathon Quit smoking All of the above None of... Read More

Leadership Skills: Four Ways of Overcoming Perfectionism

We pay a high price for perfectionism. "What perfectionism?" we perfectionists mutter. "We've known for years perfectionism is not healthy so we have dealt with this issue... Read More

Leadership Is Action?Not Position!

People respond to good leadership! Period! It is in all aspects of our lives, not just business. A mother is a leader in her home; a son... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 4, Quiet Participants

There are many reasons why someone would decline to participate during a meeting. For example, the person may feel reluctant to speak out, may disagree with the... Read More

The Tao of Leadership

There can be no doubt that the ancient author of the Tao Te Ching, Lao-Tzu, was a man of unique wisdom whose writings continue to influence people... Read More

Being Other Focused

In the Wall Street Journal, Franklin Lavin, U.S. Ambassabor to Singapore wrote the Manager's Journal column about some of the things he learned from the late President... Read More

Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!

What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may be those Old beliefs and Personal Insecurities. (aka: conceptual barriers)Conceptual barriers are the barriers that are right... Read More

The Goals of Leadership Coaching and Partnerships

Webster's Dictionary describes a "partner" as an ally or an association built around common interests and goals.A partnership denotes a joint venture, a relationship built on equal... Read More

Leadership Skills and Ability

What is true Leadership.Is leadership something we are born with or is it learned.My belief is that there are some natural leaders but many leadership skills are... Read More

Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain!

As the 'Great And Powerful Oz' once said to Dorothy, "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain!" and as you know, appearances can be deceiving... Read More

Mr. Shoaffs Simple Strategies to Success

(Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Sampler single CD)My first mentor, Mr. Shoaff, over a six-year period from the time I was 25 to age 31, taught me... Read More

Fighting the Gravitational Pull of Positional Leadership

A little on leadership?Many people enter the leadership world through a position and a title, but we must understand that just owning a title doesn't make you... Read More

5 Power Keys For Leadership Success!

Did you know that you can successfully handle most leadership challenges with just 5 simple strategies? By focusing your attention on these critical areas you can empower... Read More

Leadership is About Growing Others - Its Not About You!

"Before you become a leader success is all about growing yourself. Once you become a leader success is all about growing others." Jack Welch (1935- ) Former... Read More

The Flexible Leadership Workshop

The Leadership ChallengeLeaders in today's society are faced with an increasingly complex challenge: To deliver business results in the face of rapidly changing conditions, while building team... Read More

What Kind of Leader Are You?

There are literally millions of words written and spoken each week on enlightened leadership yet the fact remains that low morale, high stress and job dissatisfaction continue... Read More

The Metamorphosis of the Successful Executive . . . Overcoming Professional Stagnation

You're a bright, successful business executive making good money and managing a capable staff of accomplished professionals. You are successful beyond your wildest business school dreams. You've... Read More

What Every Manager Should Know About How to See the Talents of Effective Leaders

An organization of any size, from the family to the department store, the neighborhood grocery store to the largest international corporations, is a reflection of its leadership.And... Read More

A Leader?s Ultimate Goal ? Connect to Engage!

Connect and Engage! Your People Are Your Power.It's been said many times that true leadership is measured by ones ability to motivate and influence others.Leaders must work... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 2, Multiple Conversations

Side conversations ruin meetings by destroying focus and fragmenting participation.Approach 1: Ask for cooperationStart by asking everyone to cooperate. Look at the middle of the group (instead... Read More