Chapter 3
Finding Inspiration by Looking Outward
People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher and better than themselves.
—Tryon Edwards
What are your sources of inspiration? It was the Soviet Union's 1957 launch of the unmanned satellite Sputnik that motivated the U.S. space program to successfully launch Explorer 1 the following year. A space race was under way.
Years later, NASA head Michael Griffin explained the U.S. reaction to Sputnik: “We felt that we were falling behind in our much-vaunted technical know-how and industrial capability. The small metal orb beeping overhead, visible in the clear fall sky to anyone who looked—and nearly everyone did—reminded us of this.”1
Had the United States not been watching, it wouldn't have been spurred to create plans to land the first man on the moon.
What are you watching?
An outward-focused mind-set provides an important source of inspiration for businesses. When you look for inspiration outside the walls of your business, you'll find endless ideas.
This outward focus can serve as a powerful catalyst that unites your company to strive toward its vision and goals. Even more importantly, looking outward will inspire the content creation process and help identify other people who may be instrumental to your business growth.
Content is fuel for your business, and other people control the speed of your progress. Without the proper systems in place, your rocket ship will need to constantly stop for fuel, slowing ...
