We humans are a competitive bunch. We love to set goals and achieve them. The more passionately we feel about the subject of the competition itself, the deeper we dig in to win.
Thomas Edison was an ardent competitor. He thrived on having others battle with him as he unlocked Nature's codes. However, Edison also had a master secret for "staying in the game" even when his odds for success seemed perilously low.
This secret ultimately enabled Edison to move from years of relative obscurity as a small-time inventor working in machine shops, to an internationally recognized innovator who owned his own laboratory - the storied facility at Menlo Park, New Jersey. It also allowed him to outmatch his contemporaries, including famed inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who was only 20 days younger than Edison.
Edison's secret? Understanding how to link passions and goals to create momentum.
Today, we can engage Edison's unique ability to align his passions and goals as we seek insights on how individuals and teams can maintain positive innovation momentum during this economic downturn. Plus, if you're seeking a new position right now, Edison's secret to aligning passions and goals offers clues on how you can "stay in the game" even if you feel like you're on the sidelines.
Know Your Passions and Build Upon Them
Dozens of setbacks threatened to careen Edison off his destined path as America's consummate inventor and innovator. Despite obstacles, Edison consistently focused on his passions as a way to help him stay on track.
As a teenager Edison realized he loved chemistry, working with mechanical equipment, and exploring the world of physics. He often engaged these passions by conducting mini-experiments "on the side" while working for an employer. Although he generally conducted these experiments with permission, they sometimes resulted in fires, explosions, and other unpleasant outcomes for his superiors.
Ultimately, Edison became unemployable in his home town, and at age 16 left Michigan to seek work elsewhere as a commercial telegrapher. For a period of years, he engaged his passions for chemistry and mechanics by connecting with skilled artisans in the towns where he worked - Cincinnati, Louisville, and Boston.
Key during these years was Edison's steady engagement of his passions even when it was time-consuming and expensive to do so. His work with artisans at machine shops advanced his inventing skills. During this period, Edison's passions led him not only to become an ace telegrapher, but to master many areas of mechanics and the building of small motors.
These accomplishments set the stage for the achievement of new - and bigger - goals for Edison.
Set Big Goals and Hold a Big Vision That Connects to Your Passions
Edison's years as a small-time inventor paid off in 1869, when he reached a milestone goal: receiving his first patent. Unfortunately, the Electric Vote Recorder he'd designed for the Massachusetts legislature worked perfectly, but was not well received by the lawmakers themselves!
Down but not discouraged, Edison eventually moved to New York City, where he became an employee of Western Union. After a few years, realizing that his passions for inventing new things was a far cry from "trouble-shooting" malfunctioning telegraph equipment, he left Western Union on positive terms and elected to become an independent contractor.
In 1873 - at the age of 26 - Edison traveled overseas to England for a major telegraph project. It was during this trip that Edison caught glimpses of exotic new equipment, and exciting new applications of science. These experiences led him to create his next big goal: owning his own laboratory.
With this new goal in mind, Edison reoriented all his activities to designing, patenting, and selling intellectual property to raise money for his dream laboratory. Edison stayed true to his passions for chemistry and motor-building in this effort, and in a mere matter of months pioneered the Document Duplication industry with his invention of the Edison Electric Pen and Press. This unique system could make 5000 copies of a single document. He sold the foundational patents for this system to the A.B. Dick Company, which still exists today.
In 1876, ultimately raising enough money to purchase a tract of land in a little-known area of New Jersey called Menlo Park, Edison - at the age of 29 - designed, built, and managed a two-story laboratory that became the world's first Research and Development laboratory.
In achieving his goal of owning his own lab, Edison forever changed the course of history. He also vaulted himself beyond an inventor who was almost exactly his age - Alexander Graham Bell - winning the hearts and minds of the American public as "the Wizard of Menlo Park."
Edison's achievements at Menlo Park led to newer, even bigger goals - such as the establishment of an even larger lab with a manufacturing campus. He went on to fulfill this vision with the opening of the world's first industrial laboratory at West Orange, New Jersey in 1887.
What You Can Do Starting Now
By aligning his goals and passions over a period of years, Edison achieved big goals that – at the outset of his journey - would have seemed impossible. You and your teams can do the same by taking these four steps:
- Identify your passions: Look deeply at what you really enjoy doing, and what your teams really enjoy. Write them down in your notebook. Studies prove that individuals who are passionately engaged in their work have more energy, and will work tirelessly to overcome obstacles. Edison's own results prove this! If none of your passions are present in what you’re doing, find a way to engage one - even in the smallest way.
- Look to your passions as momentum-generators: If you feel stalled, it's because the energy around your ideas has died. It's not because of budget cuts, or a lost job. Igniting your passions will reignite your momentum. Trace back your current situation, and find your most recent point of momentum. What was in play at that stage? How can you recreate it?
- Review your goals, set high standards: If you're not currently working toward any big goals, set them now. Make them short and pithy - and engage visual language. In my office, I have a sign that says "Beat Bell" because it reminds me of Edison's own resolve to be the best. Part of what drove Edison was his ability to "feel" his goals, not just have them represent words on paper. Studies prove that the left and right hemispheres of the brain must be engaged for any goal to be achieved. Be sure that you have your own passion, your own feeling baked in to all your goal statements.
- Don't be afraid to compete, take action now: If you're waiting for the government to bail you out - or for some other force to swoop down and rescue you - you'll lose valuable time. Get yourself back on the court now. A great example of how individuals can have impact in their companies working "from the middle" in tough times is the G.R.I.T. (Grass Roots Innovation Team) team at 3M. A band of passionate individuals who loved innovation banded together, and worked on projects "on the side." Their numbers became large enough that they ultimately had influence on changing management attitudes about innovation. You can do this, too! Think of yourself as an underdog. Think about the odds "stacked against you" as Edison did. Take your passion and your insights, and move forward!
In The Next Issue: Creating an Innovative Workplace
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