Talent Borrows. Genius Steals.

Talent borrows. Genius steals.

I've heard this expression used a couple of times recently. I think its origin is in the Advertising world, but to me, it's meaning is applicable almost everywhere.

Talent recognizes a good idea and copies it. Genius recognizes a good idea, adapts it and executes it better than the original source, eventually securing credit for the original idea.

Great ideas are everywhere. And in the age of instant communications and unbridled information access and potential for collaboration, it makes one wonder how anyone could still hold sacred, a "Not invented here" mentality.

I'd be willing to wager that 99% of the time, anything you're considering doing - be it a process improvement, a product improvement or a service improvement, has already been tried and executed by someone previously.

Yet for many of us, finding a solution to a current challenge always starts with a blank sheet of paper or a whiteboard - the genesis of the reinvention of the wheel.

While this may be a satisfying intellectual exercise, it doesn't make great business sense. Is there any such thing as a unique problem anymore?

Seems to me that a strategy of Adopt, Adapt and Execute will win the day every time. Great process and service ideas are all around you -at the local Dry Cleaners, at the drive-thru, or at your neighbor's place of business. Great ideas can come from anywhere. Make those ideas your own. Steal great ideas shamelessly.

Be a genius!