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8. When working on a project or trying to solve a problem, do you plan, review, organize, design, re-review, test and retest your idea? How cautiously do you plot your path to success? 5 4 3 2 1 9. When working on a project, or trying to solve a problem, do you seek out different viewpoints, knowledge, talents, education, and life experiences? Do you value collaboration ? 5 4 3 2 1 10. If you were a product developer, how likely would you be to study how your product will play to the public and how to best market it? Can you envision your product use and marketing message ? 5 4 3 2 1 Inside of you beats the heart of an innovator. Why not focus on developing your innovator traits? Make a game of critically examining products and processes to determine how they can be improved. Practice your ideas. Sketch them. Build them. Run your ideas by friends and family for their opinions. Maybe you‘ve already got a product or process in mind. You're not too young to innovate. Many of today’s uber-successful innovators are not much older than you. Between 30-39 You exhibit many traits of an innovator. Circle your three lowest scoring traits. Focus on developing those. Remember, successful innovation is collaborative. Know your weaknesses and plan to collaborate with people who have the strengths you lack. Compare your scores with other students. Find a student who scores high on the traits you lack. Consider collaborating on an upcoming project. Between 20-29 Circle your lowest scores. Make a plan to develop those traits. Read more, seek out other people’s opinions, explore college majors, develop a hobby. Break out of that shell you have built around you. Don’t let fear of failure or ridicule hold you back from exploring your inner innovator. Below 19 Concentrate on your strengths. Work at being the best at those. For example, you may not have a stomach for risk and uncertainty – many people don’t. But maybe you have great vision or a knack for anticipating the future needs or desires of consumers. Maybe you enjoy immersing yourself in a field of study. Develop a skill so thoroughly that one day you can be a valuable, indispensible member of an innovation team. PRODUCT PREVIEW Score: _____________ Between 40-50
Lesson 9 | The Trait to Innovate 162
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