The Pathway To Innovation

Looking to crack the entrepreneurial code? Pay attention to the little things.

- Rob Walker

For many Folks, coming up with an idea for a great business—or just any sort of idea for that matter—is a mystery. But for Rob Walker, the author of the new book The Art of Noticing, the key to creativity starts with making simple observations. The founder of the office supply chain, Staples, for instance, launched a multibillion-dollar business after noticing he couldn’t buy a typewriter ribbon—remember those?—on a Sunday. The founders of Uber and Lyft hit the jackpot on ride-sharing because we couldn’t find a cab when we needed one. They noticed that. The following is advice from Walker’s book. Maybe it will help you crack the code. Or at least help you find a little peace in your frantic day-to-day.

You likely don’t need to be convinced that we live in an era of maximum distraction, besieged by messages and updates, beleaguered by the sense that if we’re not up on the latest trending topic, we’ll be left behind. Even when we manage to pay attention to something unique or unusual or idiosyncratic, the mere fact that nobody else is chattering about it can make it feel unimportant.

That’s a mistake. Noticing things that everyone takes for granted—and that could be improved, amplified, repurposed or replaced—is often the first step toward innovation.

Sometimes it’s the most everyday observations that pay off. The Swiss engineer George de Mestral, for example, once got interested in how certain burrs stuck to his clothing on a nature walk. That’s not exactly bursting with hashtag potential, but it led to the invention of the hook-and-loop attachment system we now know as Velcro. Progress requires attention. And that means giving yourself permission to tune out everybody’s takes on the news of the moment and attend to inspiration hiding in plain sight.