Innovation Means Breaking Through Impossible

Most of us have a sense of what is possible and what is impossible. There are some things where we believe that this isn’t possible. Something I’ve learned over the years of studying and consulting on innovation is that the most innovative people have one thing in common: they believe that they can break through what’s considered impossible. For the Elon Musks and Vera Wangs, the Thomas Edisons and the Marie Curies of this world, innovation means breaking through impossible.

They know that “impossible” is merely an obstacle waiting to be overcome.

Even though I know this to be true, it took me a flight to Manila to learn this as well. See below, to read about my incredible flight experience. It changed forever what I thought is possible.

What have I learned from it is this:

Our beliefs are more of a limitation than reality. Innovation Means Breaking Through Impossible
Short of the laws of physics, we can break through pretty much everything (and even they are just waiting to be replaced by discoveries).
Asking questions such as “why not” or “what if” are the best way to look beyond the horizon.

Take the Next Step – Innovation Means Breaking Through Impossible

Change starts with awareness. Pay attention to your thoughts and words, and notice when you think “this can’t be done,” “this will never work,” “it’s impossible” or something similar. What’s the underlying belief? Are there people who think it’s possible? Just notice.

The Incredible Flight Experience – Impossible Becomes Possible

A few years ago, I conducted several workshops for a client in Manila, Philippines. It was the third time I flew there, and I already knew what the flight options are. Since I try to fly with a Star Alliance airline whenever I can, there are two viable routes from DC: one starts with United to LA, and then with Asiana via Seoul to Manila. The second option also starts with United to LA, and then with Thai Airways via Bangkok to Manila.

I had flown both Asiana and Thai before. They have a very different feel to them, and I enjoyed both experiences. Both routes have three legs (the first is the same), take about the same flight time and the arrival times are very close. It was pretty much a toss-up which option to choose. In the end, I opted for the Asiana routing.

Sometimes on flights with multiple carriers, you can’t check through to the final destination, and instead, you have to check in again at a stopover airport. I was thrilled that I could check through for the entire journey. I got all three boarding passes, and my luggage was checked through to Manila. That was great news: no need to wait at a luggage carousel somewhere and recheck the bag.

The Start of the Journey

The first leg of the flight from DC to LA was a day time flight. I was awake the whole flight, and still pretty fresh in LA. The next flight would leave around midnight, which gave me a couple of hours in LA to kill in the lounge. Even though I was getting tired, I decided to stay awake. I knew I had a 12-hour flight ahead of me, and that would give me plenty of time to sleep.

I made it to the gate and was one of the first to line up for boarding. The usual routine started: the gate agent said a friendly greeting, I swiped my boarding pass over the scanner, it beeped and lit up green, I walked past her onto the plane and made my way to my seat. When boarding was complete, and the door was closed, I took a look around. The business class section had about 50 seats, and there were maybe five passengers. It looked and felt empty. It had all the makings of a quiet, relaxing, and peaceful flight — time to close my eyes and go to sleep.

When I woke up a few hours later, I had a strong sense that something wasn’t right. The seats looked like they had the wrong color; the flight attendants outfit was different from what I expected. It all felt wrong.

Reality Hit Me

Within less than a minute, it became clear to me: I wasn’t on an Asiana aircraft. This was not the flight to Seoul. I was actually on the Thai flight to Bangkok. I looked at my boarding pass to double-check, where I was supposed to be – and also to check my sanity. It was indeed for Asiana. How was this possible? I was questioning my mental faculties in a way I had never done before. But it all checked out: I boarded the wrong plane with the wrong destination.

Other questions went through my mind: what do I do next? How did the boarding pass scanner green-light me? Will I be arrested when I deboard? Why did the flight attendants not tell me that I’m on the wrong plane? Is it better to say something to a flight attendant or to stay quiet? How do I get to my final destination and make the client engagement in time? Hundreds of questions went through my mind — no right answers. I felt sick to my stomach!

The one thing I know for sure was that I still have about eight hours of flight time ahead of me and plenty of time to think about the next steps.

Here’s what I concluded: my priority is to make it to the client engagement on time, which meant, I need to get on the connecting flight from Bangkok to Manila. I figured, if I involve the flight attendants, it might result in many questions and inquiries, and they might delay me more than speed me up. So, I decided not to tell anyone on the flight. Instead, I planned to attempt a conversation with a transfer agent in Bangkok to see if I can trade my Asiana boarding pass from Seoul to a Thai boarding pass from Bangkok. With that plan, I decided to “enjoy” the rest of the flight…

No one arrested me when I left the plane. The airport was remarkably quiet. After some looking around, I found a transfer agent. After a few sentences, I realized he barely understood enough English for a standard request. My situation was beyond our language differences. I looked at the flight schedule and noticed there were two flights shortly after each other. The second one would still allow me to make it on time to the client.

So, I thought: I can always buy a ticket for the second flight. Let’s see what we can do with the first flight. I got on a plane with the wrong boarding pass before. Let me try this again. The idea that I talked myself into was that I would use my remaining boarding pass (for a flight with a different airline and with a different departure airport) to try and get onto that last leg flight. (I realized there was this “little issue” of not knowing what seat to take, but that seemed insignificant at the time. All I wanted was to get on that plane).

The Next Leg of the Journey

The time for boarding came. I told myself not to show any fear and go with the flow. I went to the gate. The gate agent greeted me friendly, I swiped the boarding pass over the scanner, it beeped, and a green light came on. I walked onto the plane and took the seat I had on the other flight. It turned out to be another pretty empty flight, and no one challenged me about the seat. Boarding finished, they closed the door, and we departed from Bangkok to Manila.

I couldn’t believe it. The first time, I accidentally walked onto the wrong plane. The second time, I did it deliberately. In both cases, it worked. Innovation means breaking through impossible! This time, I could enjoy the flight. I knew I’d make it to the client with time to spare.

My luggage didn’t make it, but that’s a different story.

Was this one of my most stressful flights? It was certainly high up there. It was definitely #1 for the biggest aha-moment for me. If someone told me this story, here’s what I would have said: impossible, unbelievable. Alas, that’s the way it happened. It changed my perspective of what is possible and what is impossible. There are so many more things possible than we think. In most cases, our beliefs are in the way. When we cut through our beliefs and our fears, the world is full of possibilities that we hadn’t imagined before. Remember, innovation means breaking through impossible!