In a recent article for Fast Company magazine, writer and brand identity expert David Brier discusses what separates true innovators from everyone else and the importance of connecting dots.
The words of Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, and Seth Godin all point towards connecting the dots. According to Steve Jobs, you have to look backwards to connect the dots and trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Sir Richard Branson‘s mantra is A-B-C-D (Always Be Connecting the Dots). Seth Godin, in his manifesto Stop Stealing Dreams wrote how students today are educated in collecting dots. He said that the magic of connecting dots is that once you learn the techniques, the dots can change but you’ll still be good at connecting them.
Sometimes a client notice flaws that needs correction and the same flaws goes unnoticed by the employees. In such a scenario, the actual problem is not his seeing things and wanting to improve them, but why his employees didn’t see those details. This is the single difference between the innovator and the ordinary person: one saw the dots and connected them while others 1) didn’t see them or 2) if they did, they didn’t explore, question, or connect any of them. This aspect of constant attentiveness to how things are applies to companies, products, brands, as well as to personal brands is the foundation of innovation.
So Innovation is:
Those other dots.
The ones others miss.
And having the certainty to know that the dots you see are not only valid but necessary if the world is to move forward.
Read more details in the Fast Company magazine and watch the creative innovation video.