The word hacking typically has a negative connotation.
Many immediately associate the word with gaining illegal access to a computer system.
Yet, there are other meanings.
I was reminded of this recently.
Fred Quijada gave a speech during my MIT Sustainability Certificate ceremony.
He was talking about the school mascot – the beaver.
Noting that a beaver is a builder, an engineer.
That we are now part of this MIT builder community.
Then he said this:
“We at MIT are hackers. We take systems and make them better…. Go out and hack the world”
– Fred Quijada
Of all the things that were said during the ceremony, this is the one that resonated and stuck.
My Story
Years ago, I attended one of the very first Mar-Tech conferences.
I vividly remember one of the presentations titled “Growth Hacking”.
After listening to what was defined as a growth hacker, I turned to a co-worker and said:
“Who knew I’ve spent most of my career as a growth hacker.”
My approach is always looking at metrics and the system to find ways to make it better.
Improve performance.
Create order.
Make the process flow better.
Innovation doesn’t have to be all new.
Creative twists on the everyday is another approach that gains consistent improvement.
Day by Day.
Step by Step.
Your Turn
Do you see yourself as a “hacker” taking systems and making them better?
Have you had moments of a speech or presentation stick with you over the years?
Did those moments lead to an insight about how you approach the world?