I’ve been thinking about my core principles—the themes that I rely on over and over again as I do my work and engage with others. Here’s the list I came up with:
- Inclusive Innovation is Better Innovation Inclusive innovation is better than homogeneous innovation. We have a lot of homogeneous innovation right now, and it’s not so great. If the rooms where decisions were made were filled with more diverse folks who were encouraged and supported in their creativity, innovation would be better.
- Believe in Yourself and Others. The older I get, the more important I think it is to express that we believe in people. If more people felt like others believed in them, a lot of things would be better, I think.
- “Just start and let the work teach you.” This is a quote from social entrepreneur Jacqueline Novogratz. Comedian Amy Poehler has a similar saying, “Start before you’re ready.” Don’t let perfection get in the way of progress. Forward motion is forward motion.
- Make Things and Share Them. We need to establish a practice for making progress. And we need feedback to figure out if we are on the right track. Making things and sharing them is the path to establishing a practice and to getting useful feedback.
- Sometimes We Stumble. When we take risks, we mess up sometimes. It’s okay. Take a beat, find the lesson, and get back up. Believe in yourself and others.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
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