Be a Yes Person to Survive in Innovation
I have conditioned my mind in the last few years to listen for opportunity and a way out of trouble.
Taking no for an answer as a default position limits life, and in my line of work, it limits everything.
After presenting the results of a project, we would sometimes get bad feedback from a senior leader. The majority of the people in the room would go into damage control mode and start “packing their bags”, ready to give up.
I still can’t understand this behaviour and have questioned myself, far too many times, if there was something wrong with me.
But the thing is, Innovation is built on top of multiple failures, more than we would like to admit.
Having courage is not enough. You need to set your mind to possibility as this will be the light you’ll need when things get tricky. It’s the fuel for courage.
I wasn’t always a YES person. But I had to become one if I wanted to survive in this space.
As a former team member who worked with me once said, Innovation will change you as a person. It will fight with your ego, and if you come out on the other side, a new “YES” identity will be waiting for you.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Connect with my on Twitter for more content related to Corporate Innovation, Design and Leadership, or if you’d like to ask any question.✌️
This article is part of a series of 30 Atomic Essays I wrote for 30 consecutive days. You can check all of them here.
