Are Visionaries Born or Created? - James Fallows - Business - The Atlantic - The Diigo Meta page

• 16 Mar 11
  

  Todd Suomela

  "And the origins of passion, I've concluded, are directly linked to this idea of "vision." For passion to take hold, we first have to have a vision of an alternate future that ignites a fire within us: a vision of a wrong righted, a community developed, a great new product made and sold, a goal achieved, or just a new relationship full of happiness and bliss. Not every vision leads to a passionate pursuit of it, of course. But in all cases where people do pursue something with passion, it's because there was a vision, first, that sparked an unquenchable flame and desire to make that vision real. "

  vision passion work purpose business JobsSteve

  • K.R. Sridhar, the CEO of the innovative energy start-up company Bloom Energy, attributes his inventor's vision to four elements in his childhood: 

    
    

    1) exposure to many cultures, which instilled in him a belief that just because something was done a particular way didn't mean there weren't 16 other valid ways it could be done

    
    

    2) support and enthusiasm for trying new things. To imagine something that doesn't yet exist and have the confidence to pursue or invest resources in that vision, a person has to believe a) that exploration and experimentation are good things and b) that isn't just one right answer. (So kids raised in regimented households tend to have a harder time coming up with highly creative visions that challenge accepted ways of doing things.)  

    
    

    3) support for failure. To imagine, share, and pursue a creative vision, a person also has to be brave enough to tolerate failure. Steve Jobs has that confidence; most people and companies do not. Hence the popularity of market research and data analysis. Companies want to ensure success, and they have an odd (and, innovation consultants say, misplaced) faith in hard numbers to do that. But visionary success is never assured. It's a risk, and requires being comfortable with risk and failure in the pursuit of the extraordinary. 

    
    

    4) a belief that finding innovative ways to make the world better is important. A mind in search of better ideas, even if they sound radical, is more likely to stumble across one. 
• 25 Jan 11
  

  Rebecca Thorman

  quotes passion

  • For the past year, I've been researching a book that's forced me to take a closer look at that question. The book is about passion--where it comes from, where it can take us, and why it matters. And the origins of passion, I've concluded, are directly linked to this idea of "vision." For passion to take hold, we first have to have a vision of an alternate future that ignites a fire within us: a vision of a wrong righted, a community developed, a great new product made and sold, a goal achieved, or just a new relationship full of happiness and bliss. Not every vision leads to a passionate pursuit of it, of course. But in all cases where people do pursue something with passion, it's because there was a vision, first, that sparked an unquenchable flame and desire to make that vision real. 
  • 1) exposure to many cultures, which instilled in him a belief that just because something was done a particular way didn't mean there weren't 16 other valid ways it could be done

    
    

    2) support and enthusiasm for trying new things. To imagine something that doesn't yet exist and have the confidence to pursue or invest resources in that vision, a person has to believe a) that exploration and experimentation are good things and b) that isn't just one right answer. (So kids raised in regimented households tend to have a harder time coming up with highly creative visions that challenge accepted ways of doing things.)  
  • 3) support for failure. To imagine, share, and pursue a creative vision, a person also has to be brave enough to tolerate failure. Steve Jobs has that confidence; most people and companies do not. Hence the popularity of market research and data analysis. Companies want to ensure success, and they have an odd (and, innovation consultants say, misplaced) faith in hard numbers to do that. But visionary success is never assured. It's a risk, and requires being comfortable with risk and failure in the pursuit of the extraordinary. 
  • 4) a belief that finding innovative ways to make the world better is important. A mind in search of better ideas, even if they sound radical, is more likely to stumble across one. 

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