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The Building Blocks of an

Those who dare to break the mold share certain qualities. Click each character trait below to learn more.

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From rural innovation hubs to maker spaces outfitted in barns and garages, the big ideas of tomorrow are often taking shape in surprising places — and from surprising people. That’s the innovator spirit at work, and it lives within all of us. Insider Studios spoke with Rita McGrath, a professor at Columbia Business School and innovation expert, and Maria Gotsch, president and CEO of the New York Partnership Fund and cofounder of Fintech Innovation Lab. Both experts acknowledged that the competition for innovation has never been this robust, and therefore requires an ongoing search for new and differentiated approaches. “People are realizing, ‘I can't just rest on the thing I got right once, I have to be continuously innovating,’” McGrath added. Click on the photos to learn about the qualities that many innovators share, and the ones that will help you stand out.

If we're to remain relevant, if we're to remain competitive,

innovation as an actual proficiency is essential.

Rita McGrath

professor at Columbia Business School and innovation expert

“

Discover how Dell Technologies is inspiring innovation.

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Passion

Adaptability

Curiosity

Resilience

Confidence

Resilience

WATCH THE full video here

AppHarvest is an AI-powered indoor farming company in Morehead, Kentucky. Founder Jonathan Webb was originally working in renewable energy and saw a great need to produce food more sustainably for his community and for future generations.

Watch to see how a passion for sustainable agriculture led to meaningful change.

Passion

If innovators share one bedrock quality, it’s passion — an essential combination of strategic vision and a hunger for reaching a set goal. In many instances, passion stems from solving a personal problem or a problem experienced by friends or family. The innovator is therefore often deeply connected to the code they are trying to crack. Passion is the spark that keeps innovators engaged, regardless of financial gain or external approval.

“

In the face of, in some cases, active opposition, and in other cases just passive opposition...

there's a [passion] that innovators have, that they believe that their idea or their way that they're looking at the world is right and that there's something at the end of that journey.

Maria Gotsch

Curiosity

“If we're to remain relevant, if we're to remain competitive, innovation as an actual proficiency is essential.” - Rita McGrath

Curiosity

Confidence

Adaptability

WATCH THE full video here

Brandon Moak and Alex Rodrigues cofounded Embark, a self-driving truck company based in San Francisco. Trucks were not their original focus, but they realized a great need for this technology along their entrepreneurial journey.

Watch to see how Embark had to initially adapt and pivot in order to find its core business.

It’s easy to admire the results of innovation, rather than the journey traveled to achieve it. But many outcomes are often far different than their original concepts. Successful innovators aren’t afraid to shift from the original path when obstacles arise. The startup world calls this a “pivot,” and it has resulted in many of the most prolific success stories: YouTube was originally a dating website before it became the ubiquitous video-streaming giant, and PayPal was a cybersecurity software prior to its current form as payment processing leader. For innovators, methods of adaptive thinking are essential for effective innovation — from contingency planning to avoiding ego-driven decisions.

“

The path is not always as you would expect.

Being able to say, ‘all right, we're going to come back to this.’ Being open to that [idea] and seeking that out, and being able to truly listen to your market, customer, an enterprise or an individual, is important.

Maria Gotsch

Passion

Adaptability

Curiosity

Wildtracks

This curious mindset is exemplified by WildTrack cofounders Zoë Jewell and Sky Alibhai. WildTrack is a North Carolina-based nonprofit developing a new method for non-invasive animal monitoring

Watch WildTrack's curiosity-driven journey and ongoing research.

Curiosity fuels the innovator’s need for frame-breaking ideas. It drives innovators to explore the unknown in the ongoing search for knowledge. Children are endlessly curious, as they don’t have many preconceived notions about a particular subject. As we get older, historical frameworks suppress this unique mindset. However, if we can retain that “beginner’s mind” in our work and adult life, then we can challenge long-held assumptions. An openness to new ideas coupled with the eagerness to keep learning is what keeps us moving forward — as individuals, as a global ecosystem, and as a community of innovators.

“

Innovators are always asking, 'why is that the way it is?'

They're never taking the reality that's presented

Rita McGrath

to them for granted. They're constantly looking at things and saying, ‘well, how could this be better, how could this be different?’ And very often they'll see potential that is initially dismissed by other people.

Confidence

Passion

Resilience

WATCH THE full video here

Bit Source is a digital consultancy in Pikeville, Kentucky, a former coal mining town. In the face of uncertainty, Bit Source’s founders remained resilient and created an innovative solution to a big economic challenge.

Watch Bit Source's inspiring story of resilience.

Resilience is strength in the face of adversity, a muscle that innovators often flex to oppose the status quo. When norms are challenged, pushback is expected, resulting in a non-linear path to success. While many disruptors fall short when hardship strikes, innovators that endure come out stronger than ever before.

“

There is a doggedness, a grit, and

a willingness to understand that no is not no. No sometimes means, well, it's not for me. No sometimes means not yet, someday. No could mean, not in this form but possibly another.

Maria Gotsch

president and CEO of the New York Partnership Fund and cofounder of Fintech Innovation Lab

Adaptability

Resilience

Confidence

WATCH THE full video here

At only 18 years old, Charu Thomas founded Ox, an augmented reality supply chain logistics company based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Her confidence propels her success as a young innovator today.

Watch how Thomas confidently gets others excited about her vision.

An innovator’s confidence takes form as contagious conviction. Their mindset is one of abundance, not scarcity — and enables them to forge ahead with an assurance that inspires teammates, supporters, and onlookers. Innovators are unafraid to share their story, regardless of who’s listening. Their confidence enables them to ignite belief and celebrate with those who come along for the ride.

“

If you're going to put up with all the challenges

and frustrations of starting something really new, confidence does help.

Rita McGrath

president and CEO of the New York Partnership Fund and cofounder of Fintech Innovation Lab

Watch the clip below to see how a passion for sustainable agriculture led to meaningful change.

“

professor at Columbia Business School and innovation expert

This curious mindset is exemplified by WildTrack cofounders Zoë Jewell and Sky Alibhai. WildTrack is a North Carolina-based nonprofit developing a new method for non-invasive animal monitoring

Watch below for a preview of their ongoing research.

“

president and CEO of the New York Partnership Fund and cofounder of Fintech Innovation Lab

Watch below to see how Embark had to initially adapt and pivot in order to find its core business.

“

Watch a clip from their inspiring story below.

“

professor at Columbia Business School and innovation expert

At only 18 years old, Charu Thomas founded Ox, an augmented reality supply chain logistics company based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Her confidence propels her success as a young innovator today.

Watch how Thomas confidently gets others excited about her vision.

WATCH THE full video here

Confidence

Resilience

Curiosity

Adaptability

Passion

Click each character trait below to learn more

Bit Source

WildTrack

Embark

AppHarvest

Adaptability

Passion

Confidence

Resilience

Curiosity

proficiency is essential