Henry Ford once said, "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." This simple little quote speaks volumes about optimism and pessimism.
On a macro level, pessimism is a huge threat to innovation. Dwelling on limitations rather than exploring possibilities will inevitably result in situations of lost opportunity. Yet on a microlevel, it is the pessimism of others that offers a market full of consumers to purchase the products and services from the great entrepreneurs who continually prove that things, once thought impossible, can be done.
Nothing in our economy is the be all, end all solution to problems we face in this world. Our solutions of today will never be the answer to all of the challenges we may face tomorrow. As long as there are problems, our free market economy will allow us to profit from generating new and better solutions to meet the needs of the marketplace. Thomas Edison once said, "There is way to do it better. Find it."
For innovation to reach the marketplace, there is a step beyond what can be done. Possibilities don't become realities until someone takes that bold action step and implements the action plan.
I would like to paraphrase Mr. Ford and say, "Whether you think you will, or think you won't - you're right." Imagining possibilities is no small task. Still, taking action and making those possibilities a reality is even a greater challenge.
Nothing can be more crippling to a business owner than inaction. Every day there are new challenges to face and new opportunities for growth. Each day there is a need for the leadership team to implement decisions to keep the business on the right course. While rash decisions can harm a business, so can a passive approach to business growth; or even worse, not responding to problems that demand attention.
In any organization there are those people who will only talk about what they won't do. A successful organization will always be led by someone who identifies what they will do. Not every action will produce positive results, but by taking action and monitoring results, the opportunities for success will be exponentially increased.
