Part One: SEE – The Ability to See Beyond the Ordinary

My father is an art teacher – an exceptional one, in my opinion – and his influence unquestionably inspired me to pursue a career in design.

The Innovation 5
Part One: SEE – The Ability to See Beyond the Ordinary

My father is an art teacher – an exceptional one, in my opinion – and his influence unquestionably inspired me to pursue a career in design. I continue to draw from that well of inspiration to this day, as one of the great pleasures of my adult life is the time we spend together painting landscapes.

Early on, Dad taught me to see beyond the obvious, to recognize that not all trees are green, the sky is not always a single shade blue or gray, and mountains are not solely brown. Rather, each is a blend of colors and tones, darkness and light, and something more not always apparent to the naked eye.

When you look across today’s business landscape, do you see what everyone else sees? Or do you, or does anyone else in your company, have the ability to look past what’s immediately in front of you?

What do you think Steve Jobs saw when he looked at the world? Clearly, he observed opportunities beyond what’s already there. He saw possibilities others didn’t. Apple’s vision of personal communications has taken us from the Mac to the iPod, iPhone and iPad, consistent game-changers in their field. Jobs and company see technology that’s clean, simple and user-friendly.

But Apple’s vision looks beyond technology the way Nike sees beyond shoes, Starbucks beyond coffee, and Trader Joe’s beyond grocery shopping. In each case, someone saw past a product’s or service’s basic attributes to something bigger, and used this information to create a cultural and marketing phenomenon.

As human beings we are trained to observe and learn. And learn we do, whether it’s to avoid touching a hot stove, crossing on red or kicking a hornet’s nest. The next step is to develop these powers of observation to freshly translate the information the world gives us in powerful and profitable new ways. Our value in business is to see beyond the way things are to the way they could be, to describe and validate new solutions for present and future challenges.

What do you see your business becoming?

Next up in The Innovation 5
Connect: Creating New Ways to Put Things Together