Why Your Idea Might Be Broccoli

Do you know what Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Kale, and Kohlrabi… all have in common?

Other than being the most feared vegetables of my childhood, the real secret may be more surprising.

The answer? They are all technically the exact same plant.

Yup.

As surprising as it may sound, the tightly bound leaves of the cabbage, the swirling geometric patterns of the cauliflower, the humble nuggets of greeny goodness of the brussels sprout… all hail from the exact same plant.

Brassica oleracea.

As far as we can tell, here’s how this humble member of the mustard family rose to a dinner table titan:

About 2,500 years ago the plant could be found growing wildly on the coasts of Britain, France, and much of the Mediterranean. People loved its versatility and it soon became a staple of Greek and Roman kitchen gardens.

But that’s where our story takes an interesting turn.

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Some people valuing its wide leaves, started to prefer and cultivate the plants with the largest foliage.

Pretty soon, the earliest precursors to Kale came along.

Elsewhere, other people valued the large flower buds which could be cooked a number of ways. Over time, they selectively grew the most promising plants and developed what we know as Broccoli.

And as the centuries passed, this same process was repeated time and time again for different parts of the plant.

Love them compact flower heads? Hello Cauliflower.

Those axillary buds really get you excited? Welcome Brussels sprouts.

Does that stem sound great for dinner? Bien venue Kohlrabi.

Overtime, this seemingly simple plant became the heavy hitter of veggie lovers the world over and today is one of the most widely consumed plants in history.

Like me, you might even have some sitting in your fridge from the time all those months ago when you promised yourself that you were going to make better dinner choices. *cough*

But what does this have to do with influence and success?

While there are many lessons, one to me seems most relevant.

Have you ever had an idea not work?

Did you have something you were sure would take off… but it completely fell flat?

If Brassica oleracea has anything to teach us its this: What if you tried it from a different angle?

Edison’s bright idea comes to mind.

He knew he had potential in the light bulb, but he just couldn’t find the right combinations of material for the filament.

First he tried a platinum filament but it fizzled out. Then he tried cardboard, reduced down to carbon, and coated in fine soot. It worked… but not long enough.

Next he tried other materials from grasses, to sugar canes, cotton, linen, hemp, and even palmetto… the state tree of South Carolina. Over the course of a year, and by his records, Edison tried 2,774 different ways to make it work. That’s roughly 8 to 10 attempts per day, or about 1 failure every single working hour.

But when everyone told him it wouldn’t work, he kept working different angles.

And pretty soon… the rest was history.

Or consider WD-40.

The name itself is the lesson. WD-40 literally stands for “Water Displacement, 40th attempt”. The first 39 formulas didn’t work. They didn’t solve the problem well enough.

But instead of abandoning the idea, the chemist kept adjusting the formula…same goal, different angle… until attempt number 40 finally worked.

Today it’s one of the most widely used products in the world. Not because the idea was new… but because someone was willing to keep working it from another angle.

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How does this apply to you? If your idea didn’t work the first time… good.

That doesn’t mean it was wrong. It may simply mean you haven’t found the right angle yet.

What worked, and how can you build on it?

Remember:

The light bulb didn’t fail.

WD-40 didn’t fail.

And the first wild mustard plant didn’t fail either

They just needed another attempt. Similarly, maybe your idea isn’t a dead end.

Given time and effort, who knows… just like brussels sprouts, maybe your idea will one day simultaneously terrify children and delight adults.

What the kale. Give it a try.

Christian

CHRISTIAN HANSEN has gone behind the scenes in some of the biggest organizations in the world to find out the reasons why some people get chosen and why others don’t. As the #1 bestselling and LinkedIn Top Ten ranked author of “The Influence Mindset: The Art & Science of Getting People to Choose You” Christian helps teams and organizations who want to stand out and be the obvious choice. With degrees from Brigham Young University and The London School of Economics, he’s helped thousands of individuals position and sell themselves. A fan of international communication, history, and choral music, he currently lives in Utah with his wife. Reach him at: TheChristianHansen.com