United StatesChange Country
DON'T do business WITHOUT ITDON'T do business WITHOUT IT
Small to Mid-Sized Businesses
Cards
View All Business Cards
Most Popular Cards
Travel Rewards Cards
No Annual Fee Cards
View All Corporate Card Programs
Business Funding
Business Loans
Access growth capital on flexible terms
Working Capital Terms
Smooth cash flow: We pay vendors now, you pay us later
Merchant Financing
Fixed-fee, no-interest business loans
View All Funding Options
Payment Solutions
FX International Payments
Streamline global payments to expand worldwide
vPayment
Improve transaction controls & payment efficiency
Large Businesses
Cards
View All Corporate Card Programs
Merchant Financing
Merchant Financing
Fixed-fee, no-interest business loans
Payment Solutions
Supplier Payment Solutions
Efficiently manage supplier & travel expenses online
Employee Expense Management
Manage expenses to lower costs, improve cash flow
FX International Payments
Streamline global payments to expand worldwide
Trends & Insights
Trends & Insights
Insights and Inspiration to Grow Your Business
Managing Money
Cash Flow
Financing
Taxes
Getting Customers
Marketing & Sales
Customer Relations
Digital Tools
Social Media Strategy
Building Your Team
Hiring & HR
Company Culture
Leadership
Productivity
Planning for Growth
Strategy
Growth Opportunities
Research
Operations
Find a Solution

September 18, 2009

Be Solutionary, Not Revolutionary

It is invigorating to accomplish a huge project. When we sit down with a blank canvas or clean sheet of paper, we have the tendency to think

Scott Belsky

Head of Behance, VP Products - Community, Adobe

It is invigorating to accomplish a huge project. When we sit down with a blank canvas or clean sheet of paper, we have the tendency to think big. We tend to ask ourselves, “What can I think of that is new, surprising, and transformational?”

However, some of the greatest advancements across industries were not singular achievements but rather incremental improvements. Even bold ideas such as online music stores, departures in architecture, and new genres of music were the result of new ideas refined over time. The iPod was not the first MP3 player. Google was not the first search engine. And the list goes on…

While logic should encourage us to improve what is around us, we still tend to think of innovation as creating something new. Creative minds have the tendency to lose interest after the first generation of a new idea. Marginal improvements are, frankly, less interesting for the cutting-edge creative mind. Nonetheless, incremental improvements often make up the difference between success and failure.

Especially productive creative teams are able to find excitement in solving problems both big and small, and in varying stages. It’s these accrued solutions that make up the distance between a new idea being created, and actually being adopted.

Leaders that focus on incremental progress – being “solutionary” rather than revolutionary – are the ones that truly push ideas to full fruition.  Such behavior takes a tremendous amount of discipline. But with conviction and clearly defined goals, creative energy can be channeled to refine a good idea enough to make a great impact.

***This article is based on research by Scott Belsky and the Behance team. Behance runs the Behance Creative Network, the 99% productivity think thank, the Action Method project management application, and the Creative Jobs List.

Advertisement

American Express® Business Gold Card

American Express® Business Gold Card

4X points that adjust to your spending. Solutions to meet business needs. Terms Apply.

About the Author

Scott Belsky

Head of Behance, VP Products - Community, Adobe