Do you have what it takes to innovate? I’m not talking IQ, degree, or job title. No. I’m talking the curious confluence of behaviors that come with the territory of being the kind of person who turns top of the line ideas into bottom line realities. And while these behaviors don’t guarantee a single thing, they do increase the odds of you actually manifesting something wonderful in this world.
31 Ways to Know If You Have What It Really Takes to Innovate:
- You often come up with great ideas in the shower and car
- You like to stay up late… or get up early… or both
- You’re comfortable with ambiguity and chaos
- You’ve invited at least one friend into your personal think thank
- You test out your ideas on just about anyone who will listen
- You’re not worried about failing
- You know what you don’t know, but can’t always explain it
- While your ducks are rarely in a row, they all seem to be happy
- You like making connections between things that don’t really go together.
- You’re open to feedback and, at the same time, don’t care what anybody thinks
- Some of your friends think you are out of balance
- You find yourself laughing in the middle of the day for no reason
- People get inspired around you
- You’ve been known to wear two different socks
- You feel like you’re on the cusp of a breakthrough most of the time
- You are flooded with ideas
- You write notes in the margins of books
- You like to conduct little experiments
- You have a game plan, but it keeps changing
- You love to immerse
- When your day job dominates, you still find a way to “work in the cracks”
- You wish there were more hours in the day
- Your passion to make a difference exceeds your doubt
- You find yourself getting clues about your project in odd places
- You feel like you’re having a spiritual experience
- You are far more organized than anyone thinks
- You know you need a collaborator, but are picky about who
- You have a bold vision of what success looks like
- Your project has little to do with what your college major was
- You’re looking for someone to head up marketing and sales
- You can think of another ten items that should be on this list
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Mitch Ditkoff is the Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions and the author of “Awake at the Wheel”, as well as the very popular Heart of Innovation blog.
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1. You often come up with great ideas in the shower and car
….this one is a real pain in the ass if the idea arrives just when you are showering before bed! I’ve had many a restless night because of this.
31/31. Where do I sign up?
Yes a big one is you cannot sleep because your head is buzzing with ideas and constant thoughts of how can I get someone I can trust to believe in me and what I have without stealing it. Having thoughts and great ideas and solutions is one thing , not having money to protect them means that’s all they will be ideas
If I may add, a potential innovator is someone who loves taking calculated risks. Simply put, it’s not enough you have a very wild and daring idea, then pursue it with great passion. Ideas and passion are good, but they don’t really spell success. Though nothing assures innovations will work, the possibility of success should still be there.