Learn From the “Paradigm Mistakes” of Others!

We Can Learn From the "Paradigm Mistakes" of Others! [1:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5939)

What if the rules in your business change? Would you be able to shift your thinking?

Here are some examples of paradigm mistakes made by brilliant people.

Ken Olsen, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. said in 1977, “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” 1977 was the start of the PC revolution. He missed that one.

A banker turning down a loan request wrote, “A cookie store is a bad idea. The market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.” That letter went to Debbie Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields’ Cookies!

In 1962 a music executive said, “We don’t like their sound. And besides, guitar music is on the way out.” He was talking about The Beatles.

And here is my favorite. Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, US Office of Patents said, “Everything that can be invented has already been invented.” Can you guess what year he spoke those wise words? Incredibly, it was in 1899, when most people still relied on horses to get to work!

The point of all this is that even very intelligent people, like you, are sometimes trapped in their paradigms. Be receptive to questioning old ways of doing things — especially in today’s incredibly fast changing world!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 at 5:30 am and is filed under Podcast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Learn From the “Paradigm Mistakes” of Others!

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