No “Laurel Resting” Allowed!

An interesting article appeared in the Wall Street Journal this weekend. Entitled “The Future of Medicine is in Your Smartphone”, Eric Topol – the author and a cardiologist – reviewed a lot of current and future developments in health innovation, most of which revolve around personal digital tools that interact with the cloud via your smartphone, collecting data from wearable devices, connecting you with apps and databanks that will, in the end, probably shift control of personal medical care from physicians and the healthcare “industry” to individuals. You can access the article online here.

One sentence that caught my eye as I read this story was “Someday, socks and shoes might analyze the human gait to, for instance, tell a Parkinson’s patient whether his or her medications are working or tell a caregiver whether an elderly family member is unsteady and at risk of falling.” It has probably only been less than 18 months since I read about a similar technology development, which I have since often incorporated in talks about healthcare innovation. In this earlier version, sensors are implanted in or under the carpeting in heavily travelled areas (e.g. the hallway between a bedroom and kitchen) of an older parent’s house, which would analyze the steps of the resident and provide feedback to their caregiving child, or even a professional caregiver. As I recall the earlier discussion, the premise is that foot-dragging due to weakness in the legs often precedes Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) or major strokes. The feedback from the carpet system might give everyone a valuable head start on detecting and treating the causes of stroke, and allow damage to be minimized!

Now, just a few months later, the concept has evolved from a system that would probably be quite expensive to install, certainly disruptive during the installation, and which provides a detection system that is confined to a very specific area of one’s home into a system that is theoretically less expensive, not at all disruptive (“here’s a new pair of slippers”) and would be active any time the individual has shoes or socks on, anyplace they go – at home or out. In short, the improvements would be manifold.

This single example is a reminder that, despite the innovative changes that are happening all around us, if someone has a good idea, someone else is probably already working on another idea that is one or two or more generations ahead of it.

I’ve seen this same thing happen with one of Innovaision’s major conceptual products – Avatar Assisted Therapy. Having received a lot of attention from publications including Popular Science magazine and awards like the Lockheed-Martin “Innovate the Future” prize, it would have been tempting to rest on our laurels. But what we have done instead is continue to evolve the concept, including the utilization of an entirely different game development platform within which to develop the hard tools used, and many changes and additions to the functionality of the technology and the areas of practice in which it can be utilized. In addition, we continue to create additional collaborations with others on both ends of the spectrum (technology and end users) which keeps the concept advancing.

The lesson for us all is that creative, innovative ideas, no matter how great they are, are only as good as their latest iteration – and there are always people working on the newest, greatest version of your good idea. This is reality, and it is as it should be. So, what’s an innovative company to do? Well first, don’t ever rest on your laurels. In addition, try some of these suggestions to keep you on the cutting edge:

Read and research. Keep track of what is going on right now in your industry, and what the most imaginative people in your field are talking about. Fortunately this becomes easier with online search tools (like Google Alerts). Curate the most valuable information you encounter. Also, read extensively outside of your field of endeavor. Some of the best advances have come from repurposing ideas from dissimilar areas.

Be a part of the conversation. Look for ways to collaborate with others. Seek out conversation pits like LinkedIn groups relevant to your work and become an active member of discussion groups, both online and elsewhere.

Listen to smart people. Whether they are colleagues or involved in completely unrelated projects, conversations with intelligent people are always a wise investment. Take a genius to lunch!

Tell your story. Tell it as often as possible, to anyone who will listen. The more you talk about your good ideas, the more you will see them evolve and improve. The questions and feedback you get from your listeners will be invaluable.

Pay attention to discontent. Within your organization or from your customer base, listen to complaints or concerns. People will tell you what isn’t working as well as it should and steer you to new good ideas.

More than ever, the adage “If you aren’t moving forward, you’re falling behind” is true. So work for success, celebrate your wins, and get up the next morning and head back out for more.