8 Little Steps to Big Breakthroughs
Breakthroughs don’t always have to start BIG.
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”, said Vincent van Gogh.
And I think he’s right. Sometimes breakthroughs can start in small ways and snowball into massive change.
Think of any artist, change-maker or movement. They didn’t start out legendary, they started small and became legendary. That means they learned something and acquired new skills along the way.
I’ve been taking it from the expert on this one, Josh Linkner. Josh is a friend of mine. He’s an innovation expert with several successful startup exits, and someone I regularly look to for advice and support. Fun fact, we met at the last conference I spoke at pre-COVID, although he’s someone that I’ve studied for years. His latest book, Big Little Breakthroughs, beautifully captures how to unleash the gift of human creativity that we all share. While we all have a tremendous capacity for it, many leave it in hibernation.
Well… it turns out there are eight obsessions that everyday innovators can apply to unlock the potential within themselves.
“By fully grasping, and then practicing these small steps every day, you’ll start to build proficiency in using them with how you do anything and everything…”
Fall in love with the problem: The problem should be focused on invention rather than the solution. The best creative minds refuse to commit to a certain answer, instead, staying flexible while obsessing on the problem they’re trying to solve. The more time you spend exploring the problem, the more innovative your solution will become.
Start before you’re ready: Instead of waiting for permission, direction or perfect circumstances, jump into action and figure out the unknowns along the way. It’s better to take initiative and get going before you have a full plan, instead trust and rely on your ability to adjust as needed along the way.
Open a test kitchen: Lawyers conduct mock trials, surgeons use Augmented Reality, and car companies test safety on dummies. Whether it’s a physical space to test things in or a metaphorical one, innovators need a well-suited environment to invent, test and refine.
Break it to fix it: Never be afraid to challenge conventional approaches or defy your own traditions. Any new results requires disrupting, moving or changing what came before. (Read To Build, You First Have to Break Blog)
Reach for weird: We can all push the boundaries in our lives and businesses in authentic ways. Weird looks different for each of us and that makes it more interesting and all the more special. Unlock your inner misfit, oddball or trouble-maker and reach for something different.
Use every drop of toothpaste: We have the resources we have. Full stop. But we can make do with exactly what we have rather than letting lack impede progress. Inventing solutions with limited resources has driven breakthroughs since ancient times, evidenced by the well-known proverb immortalized by Plato, “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”.
Don’t forget the dinner mint: Add the unexpected, be it more ideas, more time, more savings, even more physical gifts. If you upgrade your work just 5% more, that might be the boost you need to make a difference. Overdeliver. Overdeliver. Overdeliver.
Fall seven times, stand up eight: Failure is inevitable for all of us. But using setbacks as an opportunity to think and move in different ways, separates and distinguishes those that will achieve breakthrough results from the rest of the pack. Fusing tenacity with imagination, you will win the fight through a series of creative tweaks and adaptations every time. In other words, move forward #NoMatterWhat.
By fully grasping, and then practicing these small steps every day, you’ll start to build proficiency in using them with how you do anything and everything. It probably goes without saying that I highly recommend Josh’s new book Big Little Breakthroughs, and you can pre-order it here.
As we’re talking about in the #NoMatterWhat community this week, we have to evaluate and understand exactly where we are before moving forward. How do you assess your own creative prowess? Josh has an answer for that, too. Check out the creativity quiz HERE to see where you’re at and plot the best path forward.
Approaching big things with little changes isn’t just for big companies and Silicon Valley innovators. It’s for everyone. And with everything happening in the world today we need your creativity more than ever! I invite you to take on these 8 steps and start sharing your creative gifts with the world.
You’ll see big results simply from taking on and committing to these small changes.