Valuing Difference

As a business owner studying engineering, I seldom find that what I am learning is directed at people like me. After all, engineers are meant to enter the work force and solve the problems of large corporations and distributors - not own those corporations. Now, I am certainly far from owning a global corporation and there is definitely nothing wrong with being a part of the work force, yet it's still frustrating when what you're learning contrasts so much with your opinion that you subconsciously refuse to accept anything you're taught. Apart from creating unnecessary stress, this can also have a VERY negative impact on your grades.

So, using two of the few traits that unite both engineers and business owners - the ability to problem solve and the desire to learn, I found a solution to this seemingly impossible problem. Every time I find myself hating every fibre of my professor's virtual form, I sit down and write:

1. What are the take-aways that are actually applicable to me?

2. How can I use this knowledge for my benefit?

It may seem impossible in the moment, when you are seething with frustration and hatred and wanting to scream at the other person for how wrong they are, but the more you do it the easier is it to calm down and approach it from a new perspective. To illustrate, here is my most recent application of this strategy:

There is a course that I am taking that focuses on engineering economics. This course is directed at engineers who want to enter the job market and work for a big company. The main ideas behind this course suggest that you must "compromise", "try your best", "follow company policies", and otherwise "think inside the box". This means that you directly respond to the given problem within parameters set by your superiors, your budget, and the consumer. It is no secret that this set of mind would absolutely crush any ambitious business owner, since the most successful have done the exact opposite of that. For example, Elon Musk did not set budgets for his SpaceX employees. Yes, their task was to make it as fast as possible, as cheap as possible, and as durable as possible, yet he is known for his eccentric spending when it comes to technological necessities. In the book written by Ashlee Vance, one of Musk's employees was astounded by how frugal Elon could be when it comes to certain expenses, while being almost obscenely liberal with others.

Another big businessman - Grant Cardone, says he is never afraid to spend money on hiring more people. So much so, that his company is always hiring - expanding their personnel even during economic contractions. His reasoning? "Any time I have hired people and increased the size of my company, my revenue multiplied." He also said that he rarely watches his spending, instead choosing to focus on generating more income. "The most you can save is to spend no money and drop your costs to zero. There is however, no limit to how much you can earn."

Of course, these quotes are paraphrased and reflect my understanding of what was said, yet there is no denying how true they are. The goal of successful business people is to revolutionize whole industries and create products that nobody had even thought of before, not stick to budgets and provide direct solutions to direct problems. A great man once said something about an even greater man - Henry Ford the creator of the Ford Motor Company and the inventor of the world's first car: "If Henry Ford gave people what they wanted, he would've given them a faster horse."

I am sure you can see the definite distinction that exists between the way that I see the world and the way that my Econ professor does. She solves the problem by finding a faster horse, and would dismiss my ideas of creating the first ever car as ludicrous. Of course, the talk is not literally about cars and horses, and my ideas are certainly nowhere close to as revolutionary as those of the great Henry Ford. Still, the disconnect between our mentalities means that I have a very high probability of being her most difficult student.

Despite these differences, I know there is a lot I can learn about the world from listening to her speak and taking notes. For example, even though I refuse to accept what she is saying for myself, I at least know why the people that I hire think as they do. I also see a lot of similarities between my problem solving process and hers - the main difference being in the interpretation rather than in the steps themselves. Certainly, there is a great deal of useful information in learning how to minimize costs while increasing efficiency, and knowing the key concepts that are the holy grail of large corporations could seriously help me approach them from the right angle. If I were to sit down and write up how I could use her information within my own business without sacrificing my core values, I am certain that there would be a great deal of opportunity for me to hire people better suited for roles within my company, and to increase my understanding of the market as a whole.

It is very cliché, yet considering the input of others is the only way to keep yourself and your business growing. In one of his books, Grant Cardone said that he will read many terrible books just to find one good idea. After all - one million-dollar idea can make the price of the book and the time spent reading it seem like a minuscule investment, compared to what it's true worth can be to you.