Probably the biggest (and possibly backhanded) complement I’ve ever been given was an observation by a former boss who stated: “You like to play in other peoples’ sandboxes, don’t you?”. What he was saying was that I liked to cross-over into adjacent departments and challenge how things have traditionally been done. When I see the opportunity for improvement, I can’t bite my tongue.
I guess I can add “Innovator/Industrial Designer” to my Resume as well! A disinfecting Wipes canister engineered to fit into a paper-towel holder (Genius, huh)! Although this may never make it to shelf, the idea was met with a very positive reaction and was the most commented on/rated idea in my employers “Innovent” employee contest. Ultimately, it failed to advance into the final round of seven because of concerns over cost and possibly cannibalizing their existing product.
