Make It Personal w/ Kenton Lee

How many people have been taught their whole lives to trust the experts? My guess is that it’s probably all of us.

And while experts can be helpful in a lot of situations - there can often get in the way of innovation.

You’re probably thinking how’s that possible? They know everything. 

That’s my point exactly.  The problem with experts is they also know what’s not possible. They’re limited by their expertise.  By boundary conditions about what works and what doesn’t.

But innovation isn’t about boundary conditions. And it isn’t about best practices. It’s about going beyond the box. It’s about doing something that’s never been done before.

In fact, innovation may be one of the only domains where lacking expertise actually gives you a competitive advantage.

On today’s episode, we see this theory in action as I talk to Kenton Lee, a self-admitted “non-expert” and founder of Because International, the nonprofit that distributes his invention: The Shoe That Grows.

As you’ll learn more about during this episode, the shoe that grows is essentially an expanding sandal that allows children living in poverty to have sturdy footwear that grows with them so they don’t need to constantly replace shoes or end up barefoot.

Kenton came up with this idea not in the boardroom of a major footwear company or while developing a business school case study, but rather while he was working as a missionary and at an orphanage in Africa.

Initially, he wanted to give his idea was.  He went to all the major footwear companies we think of : like Nike, Adidas, and Reebok…

But when Kenton told them of his idea - they weren’t interested and said “That will never work”

This episode is a fascinating look into the mindset of an innovator as they go from an original idea in their journal to creating a value-added innovation. 

We also hear Kenton’s thoughts on:

-The differences between being a founder and running the day to day operations of a company

-How being the underdog can actually be a huge advantage

-And what to do when an idea you love just isn’t working

I’ll leave you with this quote from Nolan Bushnell:

“Anyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off, and does something about it who makes a difference”

Please check out the episode in the above link. If you have an opinion on these topics, please feel free to email us through the contact page. The best ideas often stem from the intersection of different points of view. The episode is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts. Enjoy!