Innovation isn’t difficult – it’s misunderstood.
We see innovation daily, constantly reminding us how quickly the world changes. We think of it as massive leaps—bold breakthroughs like smartphones, social media, or AI. But these leaps obscure the truth: meaningful innovation isn’t born from “Eureka” moments. It grows from small, incremental, sometimes unnoticed steps.
I first experienced this as I prepared to leave home for college, traveling 1,799 miles from Atlanta to Arizona State. When I got my acceptance letter, my excitement quickly faded to anxiety about moving across the country.
But tucked inside that welcome packet was something small yet powerful—a student email address granting me the ability to access “The Facebook.” Suddenly, this introverted kid had an easy, stress-free way to connect with roommates he’d never met.
I clearly remember sitting at my computer, staring nervously at the screen. My heart raced as I typed my first message. What if they thought I was weird? My finger hovered over ‘send.’ I clicked and waited, holding my breath. Moments later, a reply flashed on the screen—friendly, welcoming, completely normal. I felt a rush of relief, excitement, and comfort. Then, in that small moment, I realized the world was changing in ways I never anticipated.
Facebook wasn’t brand-new; social media had existed before. But this small innovation—making social connections effortless for shy, uncertain freshmen—was groundbreaking.
That moment captures innovation’s true nature: not one massive event but countless small decisions layered over time. Apple built on decades of incremental technology to launch the iPhone. Uber leveraged years of advancements in GPS and smartphones. Each “overnight” success was years in the making.
The mistake we often make is measuring our own innovations against these finished masterpieces. It’s like being a beginner climber discouraged by Everest expeditions. Without practice, patience, and room to stumble safely, innovation seems intimidating.
Successful innovation isn’t just about taking wild risks—it’s about portfolio allocation. Some innovations should be safe and incremental, others speculative, and a few transformational. Allocate your resources—time, money, and energy—wisely, just like managing a financial portfolio.
James Clear’s Atomic Habits perfectly captures this. Habits are formed by small, 1% improvements compounded over time. Innovation works the same way. Give your team permission to make small, quick decisions frequently. Individually, these micro-decisions feel trivial, but together, they become extraordinary—like small LEGO bricks forming an impressive structure.
And yet, even the most logical innovation can fail without simplicity, fairness, and social proof. Humans like easy paths and familiar territory. If your innovation looks complicated or lonely, most will stick to familiar roads.
Take Southwest Airlines, for example. To reduce turnaround times, they didn’t just look within their industry. They studied NASCAR pit crews. By learning how race teams operate quickly and flawlessly, Southwest dramatically reduced their plane turnaround times. Innovation doesn’t always mean reinventing the wheel—sometimes, it means borrowing the wheels from another car and using them differently.
Some people wait for innovation like wind, hoping it will push them forward when needed. Others build the fan that creates the wind.
When I logged into Facebook that summer before college, I wasn’t witnessing a finished cathedral. I was watching someone lay another brick in a structure that would eventually connect billions. Significance is born in the wake of the insignificant.
Don’t wait for the cathedral to appear. Lay your first brick today.