Innovation

I want Fort Wayne to be known as an innovation center for the entire world. Instead of simply being known as having one of the lowest costs of living in the country,[1] or being in the Top 10 in the nation for number of fast-food restaurants,[2] what if we could get to the point where the world looks at our Midwest community as a driver of progress? I believe the way to get there is by embracing that innovation is the product of effort, failure, creativity, and iteration. David Buuck

Here’s the issue: I believe most people understand this process incorrectly. Due to our consumeristic society, we’re tempted to skip the hard work and failure required to innovate and go right to being creative. Most people believe that creativity leads innovation, but I would argue that putting in effort is the first step.

“Everybody wants to save the Earth; nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.”

We want Fort Wayne to be better than what it is today, but where do we start? The answer is almost too easy: effort, or rather, work has to lead. Chuck Surack didn’t start in an office building. He was a 1-man show working out of a van. You’ve got to be willing to haul the bricks, edit the video, and clean the toilet. That work is the foundation for everything down the road. Unfortunately, the effort stage is overlooked and underappreciated by much of the world. Even by ourselves. It’s usually not until much later that we can appreciate the learning that took place in the effort stage.

Failure is a natural result of trying anything new as there is a learning curve to every skillset. As our favorite science teacher always said, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” [3] Unfortunately, we tend to take failure, or any undesirable result, and internalize it. Instead of the failure being a standalone result of an experiment, or simply just part of a greater process, failure, and the fear of it, becomes part of our who we are. “I’m not good enough.”  “This idea stinks.” “Why do I even try?” We might not try something new, because we don’t want to fail. Let me be clear, if we want innovation, failure (the ability to sharpen our skills) must be accepted, and even welcomed, as part of the process. You are more than the sum of your failed attempts. Don’t stop there.

We need to acknowledge that embracing failure requires a position of privilege. This position is usually regarding one’s race, gender, or socioeconomic status. The only way to change this is if those in current positions of power, those with control or access to capital, are willing to accept a higher level of risk to support new ideas to spur on the culture of innovation.

Additionally, failure is not acceptable in all lines of work. Some professions simply cannot offer the luxury of failure in day-to-day operations. Brain surgeons, CPAs, and attorneys don’t have a lot of space for “Well, that didn’t work out too well. Let’s try again next time!” If a job requires precise performance and isn’t fundamentally going through the innovative process, failure cannot, and should not, be embraced.
We’ve put in the work. We’ve made mistakes. Now is the fun part. Now is the time to imagine how things could be better.

“If you’re starting something new and people don’t call you crazy, then you’re probably not thinking big enough.”[4]

Constructive creativity requires context and that context can only be given by putting in the effort and failing. Our experience with missteps early in the process of innovation prepares us for this key stage.

But the majority of “new ideas” aren’t going to be perfect Day 1. We have to iterate, and reiterate, and reiterate (similar to rewriting this essay six times). We must be willing to recognize and embrace that the first draft is trash — it’s always trash. The first draft is necessary to get the process started. We have to be willing to scrap the first idea when we are brought new information from the seventh person we’ve discussed the idea with because everything has changed (again). To see a new idea through, it must pass through the fires of iteration to see if it really is as strong as we thought.

Finally, innovation has occurred. Something special has been born. For all those who are creators, you know this feeling. This feeling is what draws you back to your craft. Something exists that has never existed before. And we start all over again. Because even the best, most innovative ideas have room for improvement. While this process is likely best understood on an individual level, let’s overlay it on the collective.

Fort Wayne, we need to do the dishes.  If we want this place to be a more welcoming community, volunteer with Amani Family Services to support new immigrants coming to our city. If we want to attract and retain small, new, quality ventures, Start Fort Wayne and Greater Fort Wayne, Inc. deserve our attention. If you believe that people are called to be the hands of Christ in supporting those overlooked among us, get involved with Neighborlink on their mission to do just that. Starting here, and spending a good chunk of time in this stage of innovation, is absolutely necessary if we hope to generate ideas that will better our community over the next 20 years.

It was presumptuous of me, but a few years ago, I added onto the famous quote by Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world… because no one else is going to do the work.”

I wish there was an easy fix to all the problems in the world. I wish our dreams could be the currency to provide affordable housing to all people, to offer the needed support for all those with mental illness, or provide world class services to those with intellectual disabilities. They’re not. But our hands are. Fort Wayne is to the point in our collective iteration that we need to take on more risk to welcome the innovation that the future needs. Friends, let’s get to work and do the dishes.
Here are a few places to get you started:

• Amani Family Services: “We partner with immigrant and refugee families and the community to promote safety, encourage personal growth, and foster a spirit of belonging,”
• Neighborlink: “Practical, neighbor-to-neighbor expressions of God’s love.”
• Habitat for Humanity: “Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.”
• Bridge of Grace: “We endeavor to empower our neighbors to build on their God-given spiritual, academic, physical, and emotional strengths to transform our community.”
• Carriage House: “A certified ‘Clubhouse Model’ program with the singular mission of assisting people in their recovery from mental illness and reintegration into the community.”

SCAN: “Protects children, prepares parents, strengthens families, and educates our community to Stop Child Abuse and Neglect.”   

This essay is part of a citizen-led book project in Fort Wayne called FORTHCOMING: Considering the Future State of Our City. To learn more and read additional essays, visit the Foreword and Preface.

David Buuck was born in Fort Wayne and never thought he'd return after college. The Great Recession dictated otherwise and Buuck came home with his wife, Amy, and their young daughter in 2011. However, from then on, Fort Wayne pride has been brewing ever since. In Indiana, if you have a child with a developmental disability like autism, Down syndrome, or many other diagnoses, you must turn 80 years old or pass away before your child can receive the needed funding for a 24/7 residential solution. Something new needed to be created.  In 2015, Buuck started CASS Housing (CASS), a privately funded nonprofit organization creating customized housing and support solutions for adults with developmental disabilities to proactively address this problem.  David, Amy, and their three children live in Fort Wayne.