Page 146 - Free the Idea Monkey

INTUITION ISN’T ENOUGH

“What if I am wrong?” This phrase, often whispered from the

darkest corners of the subconscious, keeps otherwise brilliant peo-

ple from changing the world.

The very thought that an idea may

fail is usually enough to create the inter- tyhw–oiInfuilkHylaeoysrnuouerucytcchwoeFinreoirlkdrled,cfyatoo.iurl,
nal inertia that keeps it from happening;
you move more slowly, you invest less,
you don’t fight for the idea quite as hard.

Conversely, Idea Monkeys often
charge through life without these mur-
murs of doubt, so getting them to do

the right kind of research (See “Great Insights

Start With Great Questions” later in the chapter) may be your chal-

lenge. While their coworkers are paralyzed by fear and doubt, they

are screaming “damn the torpedoes” and moving full-steam ahead.

And this, sadly, is where they often hit an iceberg.

There are two simple solutions for this challenge. The first

involves self-awareness. If you know that you—or the Idea Monkey

you manage—always err on the side of optimism, then make sure

you have a Yin for your (his) Yang (see Chapter 12); someone who can

objectively and respectively challenge that enthusiasm.

The second solution is simply to stop and prove you are working

on an insight worthy of your brilliance.

That would have saved Motorola millions. In the 1990s, Motorola

mortgaged much of their future on Iridium, a phone system capable of

keeping everyone—including people climbing Mount Everest—con-

nected. The system, which reportedly relied on 66 separate satellites

orbiting the earth, was an incredibly complex and we believe ridicu-

lously expensive undertaking.

131C H A P T E R 9