“I’ve tried to make the men around me feel, as I do, that we are embarked as pioneers upon a new science and industry in which our problems are so new and unusual that it behooves no one to dismiss any novel idea with the statement that ‘it can’t be done!’ … Our job is to keep everlastingly at research and experiment, to let no new improvement in flying and flying equipment pass us by.”
~William Boeing, 1929
When Boeing was still located in Seattle, I used to love driving by on I-5 to see what was new. The latest, and experimental aircraft were always parked out on the north side of Boeing Field, painted in Boeing Colors. It was a company that had been in their industry early on, and worked to stay ahead of the curve. Innovation was a part of their DNA.
I moved from Seattle, and then so did they, but I never forgot the lesson of continual innovation. Labor Day Evening I landed in Orlando, on a Boeing 737, to speak at a radio gathering focused on tomorrow. Boeing’s innovations are still with me.
I’m particularly struck by the leadership example Boeing showed too, full of inspiration and encouragement. With that example of leadership and innovation, no wonder they accomplished so much change in the airline industry. I can’t imagine William Boeing telling his people that the propeller motor was just fine, and trying to add motors, rather than exploring the new jet engine, can you?
Radio’s future is grounded in innovation. Even though we’ve mostly become an industry that wants everyone else to take the chances that come with innovation, we will adapt, innovate, or fail.
Hello future, let’s be friends.
