Classification is the enemy of invention. Phil Wainewright: We cannot organize without shared definitions and classifications; but we cannot create without challenging preconceived ideas. This is the paradox at the heart of innovation (and indeed the flaw in any vision of canonical business semantics). [Sam Ruby]

Succinct explanation of the tension between inventing new things and communicating them into a market with existing categories and frameworks.

You can't simply choose to play one end or the other of this tension. You have to resolve it. If you try to stay firmly within the status quo you had better hope the status will stay quo for a while. I'm not betting on that option. If you strike too far off into the wilderness you risk starving before the rest of civilization catches up with you. Don't we live in fun times? Be daring but not too daring. Strike off in a new direction but leave a trail of breadcrumbs.

We know more about how to do this exploration when the territory is real territory. It's trickier to do it when the territroy is in your head. One part of the safety net is to become more mindful of the unexpected. Another part is to have more robust tools and processes for thinking quality thoughts.

It's a bit like skiing or snowboarding. In familiar terrain you want to do it without thinking. But, even if you're really good, you want to be mindful and conscious of technique as you get into more unfamiliar terrain. As we start moving off into new ideas and new ways of doing work, we need to become mindful of our thinking techniques. More so than we ever are (or need to be) when we're in familiar terrain.

10:24:10 AM