# How Innovation Happens — Lesson #19: Know Which of the Three People You Are
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## Article Content
I've been covering the link between future trends and innovation strategies for 30+ years. I went back through my blog posts, stretching to 2002, to dig out the nuggets of innovation insight I've discovered along the way. This series revisits those stories, tests what still holds up, and turns them into practical lessons for what comes next. I've come back to this idea repeatedly in my work because the mindset behind innovation usually changes before the results do. What people notice, question, challenge, and act on determines how ready they are for what comes next. In periods of disruption, I often see three kinds of people. There are those who see change early and act. There are those who notice change only once it becomes obvious and then scramble to catch up. And there are those who eventually look around and say, in effect, "Whoa, what happened?" The difference is rarely intelligence. It is attention, curiosity and willingness to challenge assumptions. Your organization contains all three types. The danger is allowing the third group to control the pace of the first. So what does that mean in practice? It means challenging the assumption, habit, or hesitation that is keeping you anchored to the present. Here are three places to start. Action Items: Ask your team which category best describes your organization today. Identify who consistently spots change early and give them more voice. Track one trend now so you do not have to explain later how it surprised you. Explore the full How Innovation Happens series.

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Source: https://jimcarroll.com/2026/10/how-innovation-happens-lesson-019/