Why we need to rethink truly original ideas

All ideas are built upon the concepts that came before them!

Many people believe that an idea needs to be truly innovative and standalone without any influence from the past.

“Innovation is not an aha, it’s a lot of little things added on top of each other” — Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase

As the journey to find something novel can be the end goal — people often miss the intersections of existing ideas and problems that can become a gold mine for new ideas. Believe it or not, some of the most profound creations of all time are a result of incremental changes from past ideas.

This post will argue the myth behind some of the world’s most impactful ideas being solely original.

Originality is overrated

Despite common belief.

• Google did not create the first search engine, Yahoo and AskJeeves were first!
• Ford Motors did not create the first automobile. It was Benz Patent Motor Car!
• Apple did not create the first smartphone, IBM already tried before them!

All of the ideas above were not first or originals.

They just knew that they had to be better and different compared to the ideas before them. People who do not only have new ideas but know how to champion them win. The disruptor and innovators that make it are those that see things from a different perspective. Although, there is a third ingredient to getting that next ground-breaking idea to succeed such as looking at things from a different point of view.

Perspectives allow divergent ideas to manifest!

Inspiration for ideas can come from anywhere if you look hard enough. The most powerful intersections come from when different perspectives come together, collaborate and find new opportunities.

Finding unique connections

“Great things happen when we exist in each other’s’ worlds” — James Burke, British author

It is rare to find a disruptive idea, product or technology that has not been inspired by something before it. If you manage to create something original, it would have been more to do with luck rather than foresight.

There are many misconceptions about how breakthrough ideas are made. When you think about the iPhone, Amazon Alexa or Google translate.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking these ideas where novel.

Many of today’s most successful and innovative companies are combinations of pre-existing ideas.

Let’s play a game.

Just imagine your favourite products, services or experiences as an example:

• Disney’s The Lion King = Shakespeare’s Hamlet + African animals + Animation
• WeWork = Working space + Community + Unique collaborative experience
• Facebook = Online connected community + Share & like content + Customise profiles
• Crossfit = Functional movement + Weight lifting + Nutrition + Community
• Netflix = Subscription model + Online content + Video rentals + Movie production
• Tesla Model S = Delorean + The Benz Patent-Motorwagen + Opensource model

You can tell that they owed their roots to historical ideas. Even Magic Leap one is just a better version of 2013’s Google glass. It was no surprise Google decided to invest in the company.

What do all these products have in common?

All great innovators are able to connect ideas from a wide range of sources in a unique way that creates value. By combining what others have created with new unmet opportunities or problems. At the same time, great ideas need support could you imagine Facebook being as successful without Harvard university’s infrastructure at the beginning.

Nothing is completely unique there is always some form of inspiration.

The whole purpose behind innovation is to develop connections between existing ideas and experiences. By seeking out these relationships of old ideas and new ways of doing things through observing the world around you.