When Innovation Becomes Infrastructure: The Leadership Challenge of Riding the Wave
Photo by Brandon Compagne on Unsplash
Innovation is always around us. Some things look like innovation bu are really just fads. They fade away as fast as they came on the scene. Many are subtle and quietly reshape our routines. Think of coffee makers, electric toothbrushes, and air fryers. Then there are game changers like smartphones, media streaming, social media, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence. They command attention and reshape industries.
A recent article draws a parallel between artificial intelligence with electrification. In the early 20th century, companies like General Electric and Westinghouse solved the problem of how to reliably and safely deliver electricity at scale. Their work transformed electricity form a novelty to public infrastructure. Other 20th-century examples are commercial aviation, radio and television, and internal combustion engines.
This pattern is not new. Steam power sparked the industrial revolution only to be replaced by electric and internal combustion engines. Earlier innovations like gunpowder, the compass, mechanical clocks, and watches changed the world. Over time, a combination of innovations defined entire eras like the Iron Age, the Renaissance, The Age of Exploration, The Industrial Age, and more recently, the Information Age.
All of these innovations share a common tragectory: they transition from innovation and become infrastructure; novelty to necessity. They became foundations the world relies on. In the classic book Connections, James Burke explores how breakthroughs lay the foundations for future change.
For leaders, navigation innovation is a bit like surfing. While on your board, you scan for promission swells. When you see a promising swell, you move into position to catch the wave if will become. You ride the wave for as long as it holds and then exit before it collapses. Then you ook for the next promising swell.
MIT recently reported that 95% of corporate AI projects fail to deliver value. In surfing terms organizations are either choosing weak wave or using the wrong board. Charles Handy's The Second Curve provides a framework for choosing waves, knowing how long to ride them, and exiting one wave to ride another.
Related Articles
1890s – 1930s: Radio | Elon University
RCA and the Roaring Twenties | Finaeon
How air travel has changed in every decade from the 1920s to today | Love Exploring
The Industrial Revolution: Steam Power | Lumen Learning
Visionary Leadership: What Does It Look Like? | Mark Rapier - The Leaders Journey
MIT report: 95% of generative AI pilots at companies are failing | Fortune
Chips and Salsa: Snack-sized news and posts
There is a lot of talk about an AI bubble. This article provides a nice summary of where we stand today. I think of bubbles as balloons. If they are inflated too much, they pop. With the right amount of air, they hold their shape. Over time, when the rest of the economy catches up, the balloon naturally and slowly deflates.
AI Just Had Its "Big Short" Moment Medium
Pursuasion relies more on storytelling than data. Use as little data as possible to tell your story. When your audience begins asking questions, more data will be shared if needed.
When stock markets become disconnected from the real economy, bad things happen. In some ways, I believe we are still seeing the long-term effects of the pandemic.
Corporate America is feeling cautious | Marketplace
Our taxes are complicated. Are clarinet lessons responsible?
Why U.S. taxes are so complicated (plus, a case for clarinet lessons) | Marketplace
We have to make choices hundreds of times a day. Having to make a choice is often a trap. Like a spider web, once you are in you cannot get out. When we learn to say no, we save our energy for what matters most.
The explosion of choice | Aeon
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear would tell you to replace a habit you want to stop with one you want to start. If you want to spend less time scrolling, keep a book (not an ebook) or magazine handy. Read that instead.
Bureaucracy on autopilot often slows progress. Used with intention, bureaucracy and drive change.
Denmark Just Triggered Putin's Worst Nightmare | Medium
There is no substitute for doing the work. Brains need exercise.
Are we living in a golden age of stupidity? | The Guardian
I find articles like this frustrating. The missing element is the definition of underperformance. If a manager defines performance based on the job requirements, underperformance is an issue. If their definition is to exceed the job requirements, then the label is unfair.
5 signs that you're working with underperformers (and they know it) | Fast Company
Quotes
“What got you here won’t get you there.”
- Marshall Goldsmith
“Nothing happens in isolation.”
- Madeleine L'Engle
“Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation.”
- Edward R. Murrow
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I write about leadership in business and life. I am a certified M&A Specialist and Leadership coach. My perspectives are based on my 40+ year career working with leaders from around the world at over 100 companies.
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