Is genius right in front of you and you don’t see it? Could be! How would you know? It’s hard by definition. You’d have to move to a new paradigm, see things differently, take a chance on someone else’s vision. Are you talking with someone whose idea doesn’t fit your plan? It’s hard to see potential in other people sometimes. You have to get out of your own way. Prime example, Mr. Steve Jobs.Jobs had gone to Al Alcorn of Atari to pitch the personal computer to management but Joe Keenan, the president, couldn’t stand him. Alcorn recalled, “He didn’t appreciate Steve’s hygiene.” Jobs was barefoot, and at one point put his feet up on a desk. “Not only are we not going to buy this thing,” Keenan shouted, “but get your feet off my desk!” [1]OopsJobs was undeterred and went to Commodore to present to the top brass. “You might want to buy us for a few hundred thousand dollars,” Jobs said when they got there. Wozniak was stunned by this “ridiculous” suggestion, but Jobs persisted. The Commodore honchos called a few days later to say they had decided it would be cheaper to build their own machine.Oops
Who is right in front of you that you’re looking past?[1] Isaacson, Walter, and Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs. Abacus, 2015.Related: How to Create an Entrepreneur for Life