Innovation: What Would Grandma Say?

Yesterday as I reflected on my Grandma's life, I learned that new technologies take longer than we think to make it to market, if at all, or to become popularized and cashed-in on their commercial value.I'm sure you've heard the adage: Is there really anything new under sun?

I'm sticking with Grandma's leadership this week: old wisdom is the new wisdom. She always said, hold onto your clothes long enough and they will come back in style. I have to admit I have some of her hats and coats from the 40s that I have worn recently!  I also wished I'd kept my Fry boots - they'd be back in style and worth a fortune! Yet they were my sole present for Christmas one year when I was in high school, as my parents struggled to make ends meet raising six kids.

It's all about perspective. Innovation is not about invention. It's about taking an invention and making it useful, repurposing it and/or commercializing it.

So, I ask you - what exists right in front of you that you could view differently - whether it is a product, a problem, an employee, or your relationship with a family member? What is something that you can change about your life or business that would give you more money in the bank, greater productivity or satisfaction? These are different faces of the same coin. They are all about changing the energy of your current situation.

If you want your business or life to be different - The ultimate question is, how do you take what you have and make it different or conceive of it differently? This is innovation grandma-style – transform the old into the present for future wear-ability and endurance.