Non sufficit orbis, or "The world is not enough." I share that family crest with the timeless British agent 007.
The status quo is easy. Being an agent of change is hard. You easily get labeled a provocateur. Positions are often discounted as "too passionate." Just getting an audience with decision makers can be challenging. No elevators may be available for that crucial 30-second pitch.
I've been there. It can be overwhelming to fight for an idea in the face of the powerful forces wanting to stay the course. I have worked with some innovative engineers who developed poor corporate reputations for pushing the envelope beyond management's comfort zone.
Isn't making the status quo uncomfortable the very purpose of research and development? Isn't creativity why we care so much about patents and intellectual property?
A core tenant of free market business is the goal of continuous improvement. It's often said that if your business is not growing, it's dying. I would rephrase that; if your business is not changing, it's eventually headed to bankruptcy — you just haven’t gotten the memo yet.
One of my passions is aerodynamics, a concept variously scorned and embraced over the decades in the freight world.
It's always amazed me how some people in the trucking industry abhor aerodynamic improvement. It’s like they enjoy arrogantly spending more on fuel each trip. They sit in the truck stop cafe proud that their business is earning less than their competitors. Or if you are a truck dealer, getting diminishing returns from a shrinking market of non-aerodynamic products.
