Innovate, measure, refine, repeat: progress guaranteed.
Progress, as noted by the renowned Peter Drucker, “emerges from a routine procedure, not from a chain of spectacular revelations” (Drucker, P. (1954). The Practice of Management. Harper & Row). The methodology is as straightforward and powerful as inventing, assessing, polishing, and doing it all over again. It’s much like an expert blacksmith shaping a sword – forming, evaluating, perfecting, and repeating until the weapon is flawless.
Innovation, in the words of Steve Jobs, is about “those mavericks who dare to believe they can revolutionize the world, and indeed, they are the ones who do” (Isaacson, W. (2011). Steve Jobs. Simon & Schuster). It’s the blacksmith’s first hammering, turning a raw chunk of metal into a promising blade. But to ensure our concepts are original and compelling, we must evaluate them. We must scrutinize, gauge, and scrutinize. As Thomas Edison proposed, “We discern what the world necessitates, then we invent accordingly.”
According to James Clear, Refinement is about “improving 1% each day”. It’s about learning from our data and enhancing it. And then, we do it all over again.
Invent, assess, polish, repeat. This quartet of steps, as Eric Ries asserts, is “the core activity of a startup”. It’s a methodology for the audacious, the courageous, the dogged—those who realize that progress is not a destination but a voyage.
In conclusion, progress, as Aristotle famously declared, “is not an act but a habit” (Aristotle. (350 B.C.E). Nicomachean Ethics). So, let’s adopt the mantra of “invent, assess, polish, repeat.” Like the blacksmith, let’s persist in these steps until our innovations are as sharp, resilient, and potent as a skillfully wrought sword.
Stay curious, stay bold.