The Most Valuable Traits That Every Inventor Should Have and How to Develop Them

Creativity

Why it’s important:

It’s no surprise that one of the most valuable inventor traits that every inventor should have is creativity. In a sense, there are no distinguishing differences between a creator and inventor because you are essentially doing the same thing – making something. Nonetheless, having creativity as an inventor is essential in being able to come out with new and exciting products or ideas that can help bring something new and needed to society. Without creativity, there would be no progress in how people could be more productive, or live more convenient lives.

How to develop creativity:

“Being” creative is more easily said than done. In a perfect world, all people would love to be considered creative and easily be able to solve solutions that society encounters with new and innovative ideas, however some find themselves stuck with trying to become or create something original, or doubt their own ideas. The best way to naturally grow creativity from within is to never doubt yourself, and to try finding inspiration from everything around you. Don’t limit yourself behind one strict idea or concept and try looking at things from different angles or perspectives. From there, you’ll be able to grow this valuable inventor trait and spring new ideas to innovate based off different outlooks, and from a positive mindset.

Check out some tips on how to be a more creative thinker here!

Open-mindedness

Why it’s important:

Leading on from what was previously discussed on being creative, another valuable inventor trait is having open-mindedness. Being open-minded is key to being able to take in different perspectives and build new ideas. If you keep yourself limited to only one perspective you can only invent within one area, but the second you break through from this box, you allow yourself to accept new ideas of what could work or how your original ideas could be improved either from feedback from others, or from seeing how your invention could take place in contexts you haven’t originally thought of.

How to develop open-mindedness:

The best way to develop being open-minded is to let go from the fear of being wrong. One of the main reasons why open-mindedness is a valuable inventor trait is because people typically tend to keep themselves latched onto one area or outlook is because they are comfortable where they feel most confident in or where they feel they are correct in. Don’t be afraid to put yourself in a new space and learn from a new area and see what works and doesn’t work. Even if you if find out your original idea isn’t as great of an idea when put into a new context, you still gain insight and learn from your experiences, allowing yourself to grow and build even better ideas or inventions.

Flexibility

Why it’s important:

Being flexible is not only a just a valuable inventor trait in order to become a great and effective inventor, but its also good for your own peace of mind. When we keep our own thought process under a rigid or extremely structured mentality, we can dig ourselves deep into stress and limit ourselves from reaching higher and better potentials- and this really reflects onto our work and our mental health. Learn to be more flexible in the ways that you work, ways that you think about ideas, how things could be changed or be created, and you’ll find out that your creativity not only soars, but you’ll be more stress free and feel less under pressure.

How to develop flexibility:

Let go. Flexibility is only developed when you understand that the only thing holding you down to a strict mentality and outlook is yourself. As an inventor you have the freedom to allow yourself to be free and thrive in different areas and accept the possibility that not every idea or structure you have for your product design will be successful. If an idea goes wrong or changes, you must try to let go, accept it, and then work around the problem. A great thing about flexibility is that you wont get stressed from facing a roadblock in a negative situation, and can always find a way around and out of any situation.

Persistence

Why it’s important:

One of the final most valuable inventor traits that every inventor should develop is persistence. It’s not rare that for a genius idea to pop up in ones mind from time to time, as everyone gets inspired from their environment, but when a great idea hits, sometimes people feel fleeting motivation and inspiration for a short time and then find their motivation dwindle down and disappear! Having persistence not only keeps your ideas and inventions alive, but also proves to others that you genuinely believe that your idea is a good one that is innovative and needed by society. Persistence also goes hand in hand with confidence, and if you want to distinguish your idea strongly amongst competition, being persistent will naturally show your confidence in the belief of your invention or idea.

How to develop persistence:

Believe in yourself, stay focused, make some goals and ignore self-doubt and negativity. The biggest killer in persistence is allowing negativity to cloud your thoughts and beliefs. If you focus on being optimistic, you can keep striving and pushing with your idea because you genuinely believe it’ll work and succeed. If you’re finding it hard to stay optimistic; find a good source of inspiration or happiness. Having these sources of inspiration will keep you grounded and remind yourself why you started inventing and creating in the first place. It’s helpful to have these sources of inspiration and notes of your goals taped around your home or work area as a reminder for what you want to accomplish.

Feeling stuck? We have a handy blog detailing how anyone can build an atmosphere for innovation and creativity!

If you have a great new invention and you’d like to learn more about this process, get in touch with MAKO here and visit our website to find out more. Feel free to give us a call at 1-888-MAKO and we can set you up on a call with our product analyst!

About: MAKO Design + Invent is the original firm providing world-class consumer product development services tailored to startups, small manufacturers, and inventors. Simply put, we are the leading one-stop-shop for developing your physical product from idea to store shelves, all in a high-quality, cost-effective, and timely manner. We operate as one powerhouse 30-person product design team spread across 4 offices to serve you (Austin, Miami, San Francisco, & Toronto). We have full-stack in-house industrial design, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, patent referral, prototyping, and manufacturing services. To assist our startup and inventor clients, in addition to above, we help with business strategy, product strategy, marketing, and sales/distribution for all consumer product categories. Also, our founder Kevin Mako hosts The Product Startup Podcast, the industry's leading hardware podcast. Check it out for tips, interviews, and best practices for hardware startups, inventors, and product developers. Click HERE to learn more about MAKO Design + Invent!