Yankee Ingenuity at the Organization Level

Let’s take a moment and recap our observations up to this point: Yankee ingenuity has been instrumental in the American success story. Its “find a way” mentality results from the rewards of W3. Its primary ingredients are imagination, passion, and courage. It works because of the freedoms won for us in the American Revolution.

In 1822 John Quincy Adams said: “Individual liberty is individual power” (empowers individuals) “and as the power of a community is a mass compounded of individual powers, the nation which enjoys the most freedom must necessarily be, in proportion to its numbers the most powerful nation.”

Adams neglects to tell us that the individual liberty that is ours is like a two-ingredient glue. It doesn’t work unless both parts are utilized in the correct proportions. The second ingredient for realizing the benefits of individual liberty is the courage to exercise it and to pursue its advantages.

The “find a way” mentality or Yankee ingenuity at the level of the individual is pretty clear. Translating that to an entire organization is a different matter. The organization environment must be one where W3 is facilitated and fostered.