Innovation is Painful

There is one thing that all companies have in common... They're run by people. As people, we have an inborn aversion to pain. Granted, there is a difference in pain tolerance levels from person to person, but when you get right down to it, most of us will go out of our way to avoid pain, regardless if its physical, emotional or spiritual.

So we manage our lives and our businesses with this mindset; do what feels good, and avoid what doesn't. We may know we need to change (ourselves or our business), but significant, lasting change is unpleasant. So, we mollify ourselves with incremental improvements and hope for a brighter future. But this behavior seldom allows us to achieve our long term goals.

Sometimes life throws us into a situation where we have no alternative but to accept significant, permanent change. The loss of a loved one, serious illness, economic downturns, natural disasters are all examples of instances where we are cast into dramatic change in an instant. Forced, unplanned change may or may not lead to a stronger, more positive outcome. Sometimes it's more than a person can take, and they crumble under the pressure. Other people (like carbon under extreme pressure) come out shining like a diamond. In either instance, we're talking about transformation, not an incremental distinction.

What does it take to voluntarily put ourselves through the type of extreme risk and discomfort that can lead to breakthrough innovation? We must have the faith that the place we want to be is worth the cost of getting there. These goals must be something that we buy into at a very deep level. It's one thing to want to subtly improve a business. It's quite another to want to transform a business from an also-ran into an industry leader. Innovation requires boldness.

Just like life, sometimes its an outside influence that forces us into this decision. When faced with business catastrophe (restated as "the current recession"), what do you choose? Endure the pain, make the necessary changes and come out stronger, or fold under the pressure and move on?

Is it any wonder that so many talk about innovation, but so few actually do it?