Ignoring Good Ideas

While many companies brag about all the new ideas they come up with and the myriad of novel products in development, Apple prides itself in the number of good ideas they pass on. In fact, former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, once noted Apple ignores or rejects literally thousands of good ideas every year. It’s a daily process for them. But he also added that by limiting the projects Apple works on, they can pour so much energy into their most important products that it’s “not really even fair to our competitors.” Jobs also mentioned in an interview, “I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done.” By neglecting to chase after so many “good” things, Apple was able to focus all their energy on the most important things.

There’s a lot we can learn from Apple, especially in this current age where we are constantly flooded with information and ideas. It’s tempting to go after so many different goals that we end up fragmenting our time and attention, thereby ensuring only minimal energy can go into any one endeavor. Oftentimes, this resigns us to mediocrity in many things rather than acquiring excellence in what is truly important.

“The man who chases two rabbits catches neither.” – Confucius

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