Page 166 - THE DO-IT-YOURSELF LOBOTOMY Open Your Mind to Greater Creative Thinking

Business as Unusual 157

Well, the idea didn’t make much sense to all the municipalities Edison
showed it to (we dare not ask why they wouldn’t want a more fool-
proof method of tallying votes), so the yet-to-be most prolific inventor
in U.S. history moved on and swore never to develop another product
for the public sector. A promise he kept until the day he died.
I bring up these examples partly to encourage those of you who
have perhaps encountered a bit of resistance to your new ideas to hang
in there. Or, as Edison did, find a place to create where you might meet
less resistance.

BUSINESS AS UNUSUAL

Of course, the reluctance of people to embrace new ideas is not
reserved for great inventors. Hardly. Within my own client base I have
heard many stories in which new ideas were accepted with far from
open arms.
I heard a story told by an individual at the Wall Street Journal who
played a major role in giving birth to one of the most revolutionary
improvements to this fine publication in the past 50 years. He said it
took him five years to get his comrades to see the wisdom of this con-
cept. A concept that has gone on to add a whole new dimension to the
periodical, not to mention millions of dollars in incremental income.
I’m talking about the preprinted industry-focused inserts that the Wall
Street Journal includes periodically in its editorial calendar.
“But, we’re a newspaper,” I can hear some of the dyed-in-the-
worsted-wool-suit management types. “We print news, not... whatever
this is.” It just didn’t make sense in the traditional scheme of things.
Capital One, another of my many fine clients and one of the largest,
fastest-growing credit card companies in the world, was founded on an
idea that didn’t make sense—balance transfer, a concept that the entire
credit card industry is based on today. When they were part of Signet
Bank, some of the employees who went on to be pioneers at Capital

The Chairman mentioned your big idea at the
big meeting. This is better than a raise. (Well,
there's less of a tax implication anyway.)
Timeline of a great idea (continued)

Timeline of a lousy idea (continued)