Habits of an Innovator
When Steve Wozniak was designing the Apple 1, he didn’t get things right on the first try. The Apple 1 played a big role in transforming the world of computing, but it didn’t happen overnight. As you saw in Lesson 1’s Innovation Nation video clip, Wozniak described a continuous process of testing and correcting mistakes to arrive at the envisioned product.
Wozniak’s willingness to experiment and learn from his mistakes is a habit that you’ll find that many innovators share. In fact, innovators are known to share many similarities in the way they approach new ideas and solve problems.
The Henry Ford Model I provides a way to understand how innovators develop their ideas and create solutions to make the world a better place. Let’s use it to uncover how people like Wozniak think and work. In doing so, you’ll start to recognize Habits of an Innovator, and you’ll be able to use those Habits to pursue your own goals.
Innovators are people who identify problems and use fresh ideas to solve those problems and shape the future in a positive way.
You probably know people who fit the description of an innovator. Let’s identify them.
Draw a T-chart in your Design Journal. In the first column, write the names of three people whom you consider to be innovative. They can be historical, current, famous, or someone you know.
In the second column, write three reasons why you think each is innovative. Here are some questions you can ask yourself:
- Did they use new and creative ideas to solve a problem?
- Did they make significant improvements or contributions to an existing product, process, or service? What were those improvements or contributions?
- Did their work make the world a better place?
Look at the list of innovators you identified. How do you think they came up with their ideas?
As you learn about different innovations through The Henry Ford’s artifacts and stories, think about what the innovators have in common. If you pay attention to how they explore new ideas and overcome challenges, you’ll notice that they tend to share a common frame of mind that helps them stay motivated and inspired. Model I describes this frame of mind as Habits of an Innovator, which can be learned and practiced by anyone.
Turn "can't" into "can do."
Dare to be different.
CHALLENGE
THE RULES
Think BIG.
Embrace uncertainty.
TAKE RISKS
Learn something new.
Ask questions.
STAY CURIOUS
Walk in other people's shoes to
understand their needs.
BE EMPATHETIC
Share what we know.
Respect what others bring.
COLLABORATE
Be resilient. Use feedback
to make improvements.
LEARN FROM
FAILURE
What About You?
Do you recognize any of these Habits in yourself? Try this short personality quiz to see how much you think like an innovator!
In your Design Journal, draw a picture of the Dymaxion House and write down your thoughts on the following question: How is the Dymaxion House different from the houses that you see every day?
“Mistakes are great. The more I make, the smarter I get.”
Buckminster Fuller
Important innovations don’t always become widely adopted or commercially successful. Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion House is a perfect example.
Although it wasn’t an entirely successful experiment, the Dymaxion House used creative thinking to solve problems of the era. Even today it inspires architects and innovators to challenge the rules, take risks, and learn from failure.
Answer the following questions in your Design Journal:
- How does Buckminster Fuller exemplify the following Habits?
-
- Be Empathetic
-
- Stay Curious
-
- Challenge the Rules
- Take Risks
- Learn From Failure
- What about Collaborate? What kinds of collaborations would he have needed in order to design and build his prototypes?
Inside the Dymaxion House
Here’s another look at the interior and exterior of this unique house.
DYnamic MAXimum tensION
The video that follows takes you through the Dymaxion House and reveals some of its fascinating moving parts.
As you watch, think about how Buckminster Fuller might have practiced the Habits.
How good are you at recognizing Habits of an Innovator?
You will be presented with a series of quotations from various innovators who are talking about how they think and work. Select the Habit that is most closely tied to each quote.
More on…
Here are a few more innovation stories that you are encouraged to explore. As you go through them, try to identify signs of the Habits.
Thomas Edison
Charles Elachi
Buckminster Fuller
Check out the interior of Edison’s lab in Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford and see some of his inventions in action.
How does a NASA team figure out how to land a spacecraft on Mars? One thing is clear: it’s not easy! Read all about it here.
Discover how the Dymaxion House led to a spectacular geodesic dome, and learn why Buckminster Fuller once called himself “the world’s most successful failure.”
Conclusion
Habits are sometimes personal, so you may not always be able to observe them in other people. If you know an innovative person in your own life, you can ask that person to share how they work.
Also keep in mind an individual innovator may not possess all of the Habits we’ve discussed. That’s why collaboration is so important to innovation. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison both employed teams of talented specialists to explore possibilities together, because they knew that no single person has a monopoly on good ideas.
You should now be able to describe Habits of an Innovator and give examples of how they are practiced. The next step is to understand Actions of Innovation, which are also part of The Henry Ford Model I.
The Henry Ford Model I framework is a licensed product of The Henry Ford. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.