The power of wishes

A child has no problem writing a wish list several meters long. A new bike, ice skates, a fire engine, the latest doll or a new cell phone. You would think they know exactly what they want and what they would be happy about. That's probably why they are so easy to give presents to. But are these toys, electronics, clothes and all the other material things really what our little ones want, or is there perhaps more to it than that? A boy who writes the new Lego fire station on his wish list may actually want to spend time deep down with his parents building it. The girl who wants a bike without training wheels may want to ride around the neighborhood alone.
So there is something like the wish behind the wish, a deep need or longing that we may not even be aware of. This is exactly what accompanies us into adulthood, except that over time we talk less about our desires and more about our problems. We say: "I can't get anything done", but what we really mean is "I wish I had more time for the things I like to do". Problems are visible, wishes are what lies underneath, often quietly but powerfully, if you recognize them. Only then do we understand what is really at stake.

I wish for innovation

This is precisely where the potential for innovation lies. Because innovation doesn't start with the problem, but with the desire it triggers. If you only look at the problems and don't find out what wishes are behind them, you may overlook the important clue that turns the solution into an innovation. Wishes are insights into people's minds: they show where something is missing, where something urgently needs to be made easier, simplified or improved. As soon as a wish becomes visible, it sets something in motion. People begin to search, test and rethink. The longing for "simpler", "free", "connected", "safe" has a stronger influence than any technical necessity on which innovations we develop and which we do not. If such a desire becomes visible and is noticed, then something can grow from it, for example a real image of the future or a vision.

From desire to vision

The more clearly we understand what we are actually missing, the more this desire condenses into an image in our head. An idea of how things could be better. A gut feeling such as "I would like to be free" develops into an image, an idea, "I need something that gives me freedom" or "For me, freedom means being able to organize and shape my own free time" and so the wish can grow into a vision. An impulse becomes a tangible sketch of an idea. After all, a vision is ultimately a condensed wish. It is no longer just the need for change, but a picture of what this change should look like.
The vision thus becomes the compass that innovation needs. It not only shows that something should be different, but also where the development could lead. And it is precisely at this point that the transition to actual innovation begins. A vision only remains if it is also implemented. Trying out the first steps, developing prototypes, changing processes, rethinking technologies - this is where it all starts.