There are two types of innovators. There are "Game Players", and there are "Game Changers."
The "Game Player" is someone who finds new ways of playing the game. They play the game better than most others, and they stretch each rule to its max in order to find their competitive advantage. This kind of innovation is also called "incrementalism." They are often fighting to gain the top spot in a highly competitive space.
Then there are the "Game Changers." They create the game. They redefine the conversation and shift the marketplace. They invent new categories and create room for others to converse in their newly created space.
At some point, we all must decide what we want to be about. Do we want to devote our life, our energy, our creativity to playing the game in a highly competitive space, or do we want to be a part of changing the conversation?
Do we want to be a cover band (pretty safe), or do we want to make our own music and face all of the risks, ridicule and speculative criticism that comes with speaking about things that don’t yet exist?
The most common criticism of this type of talk is that it’s "pie-in-the-sky" or "impractical" or "philisophical BS." I won’t bore you with all of the ridiculous quotes from critics past about innovative ideas that have long sinced become a part of everyday conversation, but I will say that going your own way requires thick skin. At some point, however, the compulsion to be about something remarkable is impossible to suppress and becomes more unbearable than any criticism. In the (paraphrased) words of Rilke, staring into yourself at night you realize that you cannot keep from getting what’s inside of you out.
So…are you playing the game or changing it? Your call.
It takes intentionality to engage with creative projects on our own time - they don’t just make themselves. In this episode, we talk about some disciplines that can help us creatively engage and get moving on our “pet” projects.
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