Why try reinvent the wheel?
We live in time where innovation is highly coveted and richly rewarded. Everyone dreams of coming up with something new and hitting it big. The problem is that ground breaking ideas and implementation are very difficult and rare.
I am not speaking of giving up the pursuit of innovation but in support of gains that are easier to attain.
Easy Pickings
Opportunity to make improvements that produce tangible results are all over the place.
Put pride aside, in this case only, to learn from others who have proven strategies and processes.
“Beg”
There are leaders in every segment of life and business. We should be open to learning from them.
Seek them out, they have developed best practises and benefit from them as a result. Most people are open to sharing and helping others. Think of how much progress is made in the software area with the open systems available for all to contribute!
“Borrow or Steal”
We need to ‘borrow’ their best ideas and practices.
There is no shame in using ideas that others have developed, its a basic tenet of learning.
We can also learn from the mistakes they make, helping us to avoid mis-steps.
If people are unwilling to help, sharing their strategies or practices, then we must “elbow” them in ourselves. We can research what sucessful competitors do, check with their suppliers and clients to get a sense of how they operate.
Study the habits of sucessful people or people who have a skill we desire. We can emulate their behavior and gain from it.
Open your eyes and ears, asking questions and implementing winning strategies!