When you are analysing the patents, do not look for relevant ones, look from where they are coming, how they are changing with your strings, try to see what others don’t see, try to look behind their text – Try to see more than what your eyes can see.
Try to forsee..
Sometimes we get too much engrossed in analysing the patents and we believe analyzing more patents will help us find what we are looking for.
More patents and more queries does not mean high probability of getting the result!!…
I recently came across this painting and I was surprised how well it describe our thought process towards short term gain vs long term gain.
It also shows that how difficult it is to agree to someone who knows that there is a light on the other side, when you have never seen the light in your whole life.
Its very important to surround yourself with people who think about your long term benefit rather than short term.
If you are in this domain (patent research) for few years and really love what you are doing, I strongly believe that it becomes your responsibility to pass on your thoughts and philosophies to the new people who are entering this domain. Why? I feel its very easy for them to get misguided and get diverted towards relating success with reading more patents rather than thinking around them.
Therefore, as you spend more time and years in this domain, an important quality that needs to be developed is that of a leader. I am not talking about a team leader here or a manager that manages a group of 10 analyst. I am referring to a leader that people trust and they love to follow. A person who has thoughts to take the industry towards a next level.
I believe after spending few years, your role should be focused more towards “find the right people” who are well suited to work this domain. We all know that no matter how good a person is in technology, law or business, he has a high tendency to fail in this domain if he cannot think in 360 degrees. Therefore, its your responsibility to bring the right set of people, coach them and nurture their development. You have to expose them to harsh reality that their thought process have real consequences, results are the only thing that matter and ability to solve problems under extreme pressure are the only things that are going to take them towards the top. They should know that one small error can cost a company 100s of millions of dollars.
You have to challenge them to do their best work. I believe leaders need to have high standards. If you are experienced, I am assuming that you are the pioneer in this domain and any relaxation in the quality from your side can harm not only this industry but the person who is working with you. So stick to high standards.
If the people under you after moving out can say, “I learned more and did more than I ever thought I could”, you have done your part. I can tell you that they may never realize this while working with you but it does not matter as your high standards may become normal for them. So try to create a sphere around you which is unbeatable.I believe real leaders try to make their people better than them. They challenge them constantly and allow them to learn from their mistakes.
Passion for the work, love for the company, and the commitment to grow the industry are the core things required in any leader. If you have hired and developed a team of great people under you and taught them how to work together and solve hard problems, you can say you’ve done your job as a real leader. If they can think in longer terms rather than trying to run after short goals, you know you have done your job as a real leader.
I am assuming if you are reading this either you already have a team or soon you are going to have one. Just make sure that your people have sound values and they stand for your team no matter what.
There is great insight from Alan of FastCompany that I read the other day and which inspired me to write this post. Real leaders make more leaders. The company with the most and best leaders wins, and you have to be the one which try to create more leaders at all levels of your team or organisation. Leaders practice leadership to cultivate more leaders. Thats what real leaders leave behind: more people who are real leaders.
Become a thought leader rather than a manager with 3, 5 or 10 year experience.
Who says searching isn't interesting!! 