Innovation is like riding a bike. It is! Except that most people know how to ride a bike and most people don’t know how to innovate. Why is that? Is it because we learn bike riding at a young age and not hashtag # innovation ?Perhaps. So, how do we teach bike riding? Do we give people a formula? Indeed, there is a mathematical formula defining bike riding according to Drusilla Scott.
“In order to compensate for a given angle of imbalance we must take the curve on the side of the imbalance of which the radius should be proportionate to the square of the velocity over the imbalance.”
So, there it is. Now we can explain it to our children right? Of course not. Instead, we mentor, we encourage, we provide safety. And we allow experimentation, falling off the bike. And yes, it’s counter intuitive. Lean into the curve? That makes no sense! Exactly.Related: How Did We Get Along Without Our Devices?And so, we trust our leaders, we see other people doing it successfully, so we lean in. And we learn. And it’s like magic. Suddenly, we have balance, we have control, we can explore our world in new ways. What joy! What freedom!And here’s the curious thing about bike riding. Once you learn it, you can’t forget it! Innovation is like that. Well, what's the essence of innovation? How do you learn? We should talk!
