“I, Galileo, … arraigned personally before this tribunal, and kneeling before you … altogether abandon the false opinion that the sun is the center of the universe and immovable, and that the earth is not the center of the universe.”
I have been in Galileo’s situation several times during my career. I had to choose between burning at the stake or recanting vision in favor of ignorance. Most of the time these events concluded with my co-workers unbending wire clothes hangers and gathering marshmallows. Recanting left me empty and somehow feeling less human, and always proved the beginning-of-the-end of the relationship. (In defense of Galileo, if it was really my life, not employment, I would have been on my knees along side him.)
Since I am frequently baffled by the behavior of people, I can make no claim to being an expert on human nature. I have made many observations over the years, contemplated the meaning, and have some perspectives to share.
When it comes to facing the unknown, the new and the unexplored, there are three types of people: (1) explorers – those who find wonder, excitement and are energized. (2) castle-dwellers – those who deny, ignore, and are fearful, and (3) the inspire-able – the vast majority are those who follow their leaders, whether an explorer or a castle-dweller.
If you are an innovator, you almost certainly are an explorer. I do not understand, nor can I explain the castle-dwellers thought process. I just know that they exist and what to you is either self-evident or a perfectly logical proof sequence is invisible to them. To me it appears to be an almost irrational fear, a type of phobia, where extremely intelligent, highly respectable people just don’t get what to you is a clear and compelling vision.
Perhaps humanity needs this balance, and we are better for it. But if you are driving innovation, castle-dwellers will destroy your effort. There are many key roles that castle-dwellers can perform for a company, just not anywhere near an innovation project. You must get them off your team. There is no convincing them, inspiring them, or gaining their consensus. It is against their nature to support your effort. Even if they are initially “convinced to accept” your plan, eventually their nature will prevail in ways that both distract your energy and poison the team. I personally have paid dearly in both frustration and financially for having to learn this fact the hard way. I have also several times watched others suffer through these same issues.
Just in case you didn’t get the last paragraph – If you need to innovate, build a team of explorers and inspire-ables, and immediately remove the castle-dwellers no matter how talented or intelligent they are.
Have some sympathy for the inspire-ables. Sometimes when you drive new technology into an organization, you experience push-back that is based on some valid personal costs being incurred by your team. If someone spent the last ten years becoming a guru in a technology – spending many late nights and weekend committed to research and education, be sympathetic to what they are leaving behind to explore new horizons. Remember they aren’t “energized” by the innovation in the same way you are. They need your inspiration to move them forward. Acknowledge the impressiveness of their past accomplishments. Paint the mental picture of how they will be a leading edge guru in this new technology. Give them some extra attention, training, or some other deference to get them jump started. Always remember, their nature is different than yours; you may be energized by the innovation, they are energized by you.