We all see and hear things through filters that typically only verify something we already believe. We develop our belief system from real-life experiences and the outcomes of those experiences. We try to fit new experiences into our belief system and assume that the outcomes will be the same. If we believe certain ideas won’t work because we have had a failed experience previously, we try out fewer ideas because of “fear of failure.” This is normal human behavior.
We do this with our businesses, our employees, and our customers. We want to get people to see what we see and not see what they see. It’s important to understand what your customer sees, what your employees see, and what’s going on in the world, because it directly impacts what is happening in your business.
Technology entrepreneurs share a special vision and passion when it comes to their work. Two individuals that come to mind are Maurice and Émile—brilliant engineers and architects who had the inspiration to create a structure for the World’s Fair in 1889. They tried to get their boss to buy into it, but initially he thought it was a terrible idea and did not agree.
After some time had passed, they went back to their boss and told him that it would be one of the greatest structures ever built. It took a long time, but they finally convinced Gustav Eiffel that this was a great idea.
Of course, we now know about the Eiffel Tower, but we might not know its full history. It was originally intended to be a temporary structure during the World’s Fair, and then the city would later dismantle it for scrap metal. But before that happened, during World War I, it was discovered that a radio antenna placed atop the tower could reach a significant distance. Thus the Eiffel Tower remained and was utilized for radio transmissions, which saved the structure from being removed.
This all began with a vision and the use of creative imagination in the minds of two individuals, which was later translated into reality, and then a team of people from multiple disciplines put it together. As business owners, we not only need to know the needs and the problems of our consumers, but we also need to have a vision and the ability to see things that don’t yet exist in the world. This is the way to create long-lasting and inspired products that can change the world.