As I read my colleagues posts about their internship, I realize that my experience is vastly different. I am learning about the application and product development of science and technology. Lee is an innovator. She sees things differently and thinks “what if…” all the time. I have been learning so much about business and product development. I have read about and conferenced with the author/consultant of “The Midnight Lunch”. Sarah is a great grand niece of Thomas Edison. Lee suggested I read “The Blue Ocean” and I read a Harvard Business Review article about it. Cirque d’Soleil (sp?) didn’t compete against circus shows, they made a whole new market category. It’s about looking outside your industry and market and solve a problem.

But this Blue Ocean thinking isn’t for everyone. And it doesn’t come easy. But you need those people who think different.

The most interesting experience I had was when I visited the plant where they make the slate shingles. LaTanya joined me! It was good to see her again. But to see the production line today where just 2 years ago there was nothing was quite amazing. This is Lee’s vision and innovation model in action. The raw materials, the machinery, the process engineering… all of it working to produce roofing shingles from recycled bottle caps, recycled shrink wrap and talc. Who knew? But here it is. A product that is being put on roofs! All from the vision, the science of polymers, the process of innovation. But most importantly is the support of PlyGem to provide funding and time to develop innovative products.

The biggest challenge for me was to understand the construction market. I had no real experience in housing, except owning several over the years. But looking at the suppliers, the products, the specifications… wow. A very segmented market. One that makes it difficult to find customers for our product. Many in the construction industry do not use new products or new brands… But there are people out there that are looking for the latest.

I love working with Lee. She is multifaceted and can multi-task. She gave me her time. She explained things to me. She provided a variety of projects that I could work on. I feel that I am part of her team. But she is not all about the construction industry that PlyGem competes in. She is scanning the horizon in many different industries to see what they are doing and how it could benefit PlyGem. She is reading and talking with materials engineers to see what they are doing and thinking about. Wondering if there is a part of their research that could be applied to housing materials. She questions and thinks and connects the dots to make a totally different outcome.

I enjoyed being in an environment where there is no “status quo”. No hierarchy of titles. And failure seen as a good thing. Innovation Labs, Lee’s business unit, is a lean organization. That provides flexibility of roles and responsibilities. Ability to know how the whole process/business works. And strong collaboration.

I am struggling with what my final product will be. It’s all about the thinking… the questioning… the failing… for one success. But you only need one success to make it. I envision my third graders working more collaboratively than ever before. But also listening to each other. And for them to provide specific evidence for their ideas… what gave them the idea, what things did they infer to come up with a solution… and what is one way their solution may fail.  Because you can be sure that your competitors are going to find failure for sure.

To look at competition differently. It’s not about winning in the same space, but making a new space. IT’s about thinking. Think Different (Apple’s TM) but it’s what I’m trying to use to wrap around my  internship.

Maybe I need to really think about my own words and Think Different about my project. Hmmmm.