The Community’s AHAs! and UH-OHs!
of the Week

Innovation is about learning from failure. Anybody who's worked with me will tell you that I’ve had more failures on an everyday basis than anyone you will ever meet. We're not gonna get to the breakthroughs that really mean something to others and to society if we're not willing to fail, because then we will only work on the things that are safe and comfortable. We cannot allow ourselves to be comfortable as that leads to complacency. We have chosen to work on the difficult things in order to challenge ourselves, and we will fail. And then we will fail and then we will fail. And just when we think we're done failing we will fail some more. Innovation is alive in Silicon Valley because they all fail first. Learning from failure is very much a construct of being sincere and authentic in giving the very best of ourselves, because we get closer to our best selves by learning from our failures. This is how you grow a community: don't worry about the results, or who shows up and who doesn't - give everything you have to those who believe in you, because they’ll see your very best and then they can spread your good work to others.

People who can give authentic feedback but are also vulnerable enough to accept feedback whether positive or negative, understand and acknowledge that they’re imperfect and that they make mistakes. That vulnerability is not just about accepting imperfection, but accepting imperfection in public or in front of others. This is how solutions, ideas, and processes move forward effectively. And so it is important to promote and encourage this environment of vulnerability with others, especially with aspiring innovators. How often do we possess the creative juices and the courage to share something special but we become hindered by negative feedback or criticism? We just do not live in a society that is very open to candid feedback and that really impedes and becomes an obstacle to innovation.

This week I realized that I’m still pretty stuck when talking about the processes of innovation or approaches to business. I had a relatively difficult time wrapping my head around what was being discussed during Opportunity Tuesday and Innovation Thursday and the solo workouts were challenging as well. But innovation is still new to me and I haven’t really been immersed in this innovative mindset yet. I suppose the reason why that is is because the processes of innovation and business have more to do with an adaptive approach to problems in a sense that you’re called to “create” something in response to problems. My mindset in solving problems has always been to stick to the tried and the tested because I was mostly taught and groomed to respond to problems in a very technical way. So I’ve had more of a conformist mindset than that of an innovator. And that’s sort of my segue to my aha! moment. I’ve learned, from being stuck, that I have to reshift my perspective on innovation and business. Innovation isn’t just about looking for answers - it requires you to think deeper than a technical approach in addressing problems. It requires you to go beyond what has been tried and tested. Innovation requires a more methodical process in figuring out the key elements of the problem by “falling in love with the problem.” From here, you can begin to systematically formulate a framework of zone of solutions, key parameters, and target solutions.

Prototyping is not about getting it right or getting validation, but it's about learning. We have to relentlessly prototype until we delight our customers and stakeholders. I was trained not to make mistakes, to get it right the first time. But when I joined the community of Ignite, I embraced learning through the power of feedback and it's been really humbling. It’s not always going to go your way, and that’s a good thing! A good solution or product is the result of convergent thinking. Accepting feedback, being humble about it and understanding that hindi naman yung personality mo yung tinitira nila - is how we move forward together to find solutions. And it changed the way I do my work and how I live my life because dati parati ako nag sesecond thoughts. Even if I know na kaya ko ‘tong gawin, I’d still doubt myself. But because of learning about the concept and the value of prototyping and accepting feedback, it’s not about getting it right, it’s about working together and contributing to that convergent thinking to come up with the product or solution for your stakeholders.

What really speaks to me as an aha! moment is realizing how codependent the three elements of GPS are with one another. And thinking about it, you can't really get to where you want to be in life if one of these or elements is lacking. To truly be in a position to provide real impact for other people, we really need the complete GPS package. It starts with the challenges of avoiding complacency in life and also taking it upon myself to keep adding to my genius by learning news skills and more importantly, gaining fresher perspectives because in this time of pandemic and the New Normal you really have to be prepared and ready for anything. The value of having a continuously growing skill set is that it prepares you for anything. Personally I believe that I possess a lot of skills, talents, and gifts that I continue to openly seek to expand and to add to. But that also brings me to where I'm stuck which is that I do need to improve on gaining fresher perspectives because as a younger person, I’m still at the crossroad in my life of discovering what my higher purpose is. I need to learn how I can utilize the gifts that I have to achieve a purpose that I'm constantly searching for so that I can serve others. It's really important to practice empathy and compassion in all aspects of our lives and we need to master learning and connecting with others through empathy and understanding and compassion. With a little more time spent reflecting on what pains and joys speak to me on an empathetic and compassionate level, I can build on my purpose and also share common ground with other people who share those same pains and joys.

I’ve learned that it's okay to fail and it’s normal to fail, because we are not perfect. Personally I’ve dwelled too much on failing because of the environment that I grew up in. But then my aha! moment now is that it’s okay to make mistakes. I know that failure will lead to success eventually, and it’s important for all of us to go through that process in one way or another. So even when you fail, learning from these failures still constitute as a success. I’ve also learned that it’s okay to have bad feelings, and understanding how to normalize negative feelings has helped me overcome my long-time anxiety about the pandemic.

My aha! moment is that it’s okay to not be okay. We all have our own ways to manage our stress and emotions. We have to be open to other people when it comes to our emotions or what we’re going through. I myself don’t really share my emotions because I feel like I can handle it myself, but it’s so important to listen to and feel listened to by others - it helps manage my stress and anxiety. I also have my own ways to cope with these like watching funny videos at night or reading bible verses in the morning.