HOWARD Head

Unbelievable - significant innovations Heda change both the sport for professionals and amateurs.
Two world-class innovation
Howard Head made a revolution in two sports. He accomplished this through an intuitive approach, which is rare in business. His education (Faculty of Engineering at Harvard) and the first work experience (<Martin Aircraft>) were present in samples of training left-hand man thinking. However, he remained a true innovator, who sought out new, right-brain thinking in terms. Head used his gift of foresight in order to produce a real revolution in the two industries, but initially it is ruled not by the desire to change the industry, and a desire to improve their own abilities. He was not coryphaeus neither one nor the other kind - skiing or tennis - and has created two extraordinary innovative ideas solely in order to achieve greater success in sports. He was completely incompetent in both sports, and this incompetence affected the invention of Sports Equipment. He believed that if he has problems, then others must have the same problem, and set about their decision. Thus, Head changed gear, which was considered immutable for a hundred years of history of these sports. First, he replaced the old wooden skis, according to his ideas, real work of art - metal skis Heda. Then a revolution in the tennis industry by introducing the great tennis rackets 'Prince'.

Unbelievable - significant innovations Heda change both the sport for professionals and amateurs. 'Sportc Illustrated' did not trust the two 'fraudulent' inventions Heda up until athletes have used his equipment did not have that note in his clear progress. As a result, the magazine declared it the invention of 'the most successful racquet in the history of tennis'. Not have to think long to come to this conclusion, because innovation Heda was the first significant change in production technology racquets for the last hundred years. Head's latest contribution to the tennis industry has been unsuccessful attempt to return to Bjorn Borg in tennis in 1990. Borg has decided to play his old wooden racket, which made him tennis 'number one' in the world in the 70's and early 80-ies. Borg was ridiculed by the media and competitors, who predicted his quick defeat by outdated rackets. Return Borg lasted less than a month.

. Leaders of the tennis industry, which mostly criticized the use of the space age materials - metal, aluminum and graphite - in the early 70's have replaced the traditional wooden frames to metal
. This was a significant step forward, but the manufacturers absolutely do not take into account that in addition to strength, bat must meet an array of changed requirements. These industry leaders have fallen into the classic trap of trying to create a new product without violating the 'status quo' existing technology. Their defensive approach to the innovation process has created a product, which was based on new materials and old ideas. They did not want to abandon the old product for a completely new. On it was capable only new in this business man, not a motion in an old industry nor the financial and psychological input.

Industry experts feared the existing order of things. The experts did not show their insights on the issue of the size of a tennis racket. To say a new word, we needed a layman without complexes definitely well-established rules of tennis. Head 'creatively destroyed' wooden racquet. He already had experience of 'creative destruction' industrial wood (walnut) Ski and innovation - metal skis. So he bravely endured failures and negative evaluation, which proceeded from traditionalists who sought to crush its attempt to destroy their shrines.

. All industrial leaders - the 'Wilson', 'Dunlop', 'Spalding', 'McGregor' - some perceived trends of the space age and used in the production of metals and alloys, but dared not abandon the old technology, considering the traditions of the inviolable
. None of these industry leaders not been so shrewd, so by creating its novelty, consider the size of rackets, the area of impact or any other facet of tennis. In his interview, 'Sports Illustrated', a quote from which follows, Head once again confirms that it was thanks to the intuitive thought he could succeed where others have failed:

. Invitation to create something new is left unanswered, because the traditional geometry is so entrenched in the minds of people that no one would have thought that more could be better ..
. more wisdom in will power than in the head (Kennedy, 1980).

Head in the traditional style of visionary innovators did not put their inventions to making money. He wanted to improve their skills and solve the problem, which has found an interesting. Certainly, each of its innovation made him richer, but his passion was directed at addressing the problem, not to enrich. This unchanging feature of any true innovation.

Head felt a strong resistance to each of its undertakings. Countering the innovation process - a property of our society, as mentioned by Head magazine 'Sky' ( 'Skiing') in 1964: "The more inventive idea, the more resistance it encounters.

. Industry leaders have told him every time he failed: "I told you so"
. A failure on his way there were many. History of the introduction of new skis is a four-year severe emotional stress, hard after him every time professionals skiing rejected the new development. These 'pro' broke the 40 pairs of skis that Head made by hand: every time he was sure that they are excellent. But again and again heard their crunch in the hands of distrustful experts. After several years of anguish and disappointment, he was rewarded when he heard from a professional from Vermont, who in the tests fell off the hill, made a quick turn and made a leap that his product is better than the wooden skis.

. Above the racket of 'Prince' ironically even more, calling it a great tool of mockery, absurdity, a tool for amateurs
. Howard bought the company and led its. Vice-president of engineering told him: "If we were visited by some other inventor of this crazy looking racket, we would have sent it back" (Kennedy, 1980). Even after the tennis community has recognized the novelty of his accomplishment that changed the world of tennis 'U.S. Patent Office' argued that the racket is not in itself anything radically new, and therefore not patentable. They demanded from Heda evidence that the racket is not only larger, but what she really procedural efficiency. They refused to believe that this invention will change all standards of production rackets and rejected the application for his patent for another three times. Their assertion that the bat - this racket, and its design is not grounds for a patent, spurred Heda. Howard describes this period: "When I first applied for a patent, . Inspectors, . who were both judges and juries, . refused to honor my request, . motivated by the fact, . that my idea - no more than a manifestation of creativity in the modeling of a tennis racket "(Kennedy, . 1980).,

. Head remained unshakable confidence, thereby showing this entrepreneurial foresight
. He took the cream with the obstacles which he has prepared the Patent Office. Head has created a machine for laboratory tests, . equip them with high-speed cameras and documented on film, . that his revolutionary invention provides increased impact force by 20 percent when the area lesions four times in comparison with the characteristics of traditional rackets,
. Appealing statistics and technology, he proved that neveryaschim major difference between the capabilities of its traditional rackets and racket. Head even found that the refusal of the Patent Office has done him good service - he noticed in his racket some significant opportunities, which, otherwise, could not guess. He said: "We were surprised to discover that the best place for filing aiming blows is 3-foot area of the added length, area, which did not even exist during the game the old rackets. His efforts were not wasted. After two years of intensive work and the statistical analysis, the U.S. Patent Office issued a patent Howard Hedu б? 3,999,756 (1976), valid for at least seventeen years.

. Result Heda intuitive approach to solving the problem are two revolutionary innovations that changed the world while skiing and the world of tennis
. Head said: "invent skiing and racket, I was not for the money, I wanted them to help me. I am able to invent when I need it the. Effort of will becomes a necessity to achieve "( 'Sportc Illustrated', September 1980). Skiing and tennis have undergone radical changes due to the foresight and 'will' of the true innovator.
Personal History
Howard Head, was born in Philadelphia July 31, 1914, in the family, which belonged to the upper stratum of the middle class. His father was a dentist in private practice. (Studies have shown that the greatest innovators have fathers involved in their own business.) His older sister was a famous writer, and Howard was determined to follow her and join in the literary career as writer. This desire was so strong that Howard has spent years engaged in literature and was replaced by three works (also related to writing activities), until he was sure that this career is not his vocation.

. Howard went to Harvard hoping to receive a literary education, but became disillusioned after a few semesters
. In the second year he transferred to the Engineering Faculty, graduating with honors, and in 1936 received a diploma engineer. He still wanted to write and so got a job in publishing - a stenographer, a reporter and editor producing. He was twice dismissed from his post as editor of the news agencies and one time - from the post newspaper reporter. Head left writing career, only when faced with the harsh reality of frustration. Within three years he received no more than 20 dollars. week. In 1939 he decided to pass a test to determine the writer's potential and was "extremely angry and disappointed when it was discovered that he has the lowest level of literary ability, than anyone has ever held that the test". However, it turned out that he has an amazing ability to structural imagination. His ability to think three-dimensionally was just incredible. He realized that his calling - in an intuitive way of thinking and the war he worked in the design department of 'Glen Martin Aircraft Company', Baltimore. By the nature of the Head, face structural engineering materials and drawings, which undoubtedly helped him in the design of skis and rackets.

. Business and personal survival

. Howard Head will remain in history as one of the greatest innovators of XX century
. Howard has always suffered setbacks in all areas in which the passionate desire to succeed. Crumbled hopes that he cherished the most. He desperately wanted to be a writer, and suffered a crushing defeat. He wanted to learn the art of skiing, but failed. He thought that tennis would be his consolation, but here it suffered the same fate. A person with less temperament, these failures probably would have broken, but they only fueled Heda, becoming the catalyst for the movement to the great achievements. He was playing tennis and skiing with the tenacity of a hungry beast until his death in 1991. By the end of his life he came to a winner, but not in the sport - he was the man who, more significant than anyone in history, has affected these sports. His personal desire to win these <lazy> sports resulted in two great revolutionary innovation. He became tolerable skier and tennis player, but his real success lies in the fact that, through intuition, he was able to turn his incompetence in the creative success. He has made fundamental changes in these sports, to reflect both amateurs and professionals.

During the Second World War, Howard was a frequenter at parties and spent much time for poker. With one of the companies went to the communicative Head became his fateful trip to the ski resort in Stowe, Vermont, in 1946. He was soundly annoyed by how stupid ride on wooden skis. This trip was accidental prelude to their future:

I was humiliated and felt disgusted by how bad I was skiing, and, as is typical, I was inclined to blame everything on those long, awkward wooden skis. On the way home, I found myself on the fact that boast a military officer who was sitting next to what I can do much better than wooden skis from materials that are used in the aircraft industry (Kennedy, 1961).

. Later, Howard remarked that had he known then that he would have to spend on it for four years and make forty models of skis, he would have left this venture
. Howard retired from 'Martin' January 2, 1948, rented a room in Baltimore and entered the world of business. He took 6000 dollars., Which won its time in poker and paid for equipment and materials necessary to create the first copies. He worked day and night for the first year he made six pairs of skis, which were his pride and joy. Howard thought that he was destined to ride on metal skis Kheda in 1949. He took these skis in Vermont, but one of the instructors broke them one by one in an hour. Head said: "Every time one of them crashed, broke something in me."

. Over the next two winters experienced Head forty more development, and in 1951 made an aluminum skis with a plywood core for strength, steel edges for ease of cornering and plastic running surface for better sliding
. Instructors for the skiing could not break their. He called them 'standard' and sold for 85 dollars. That was exorbitant price for that time. It took some time to become accustomed to skiing, but after a few years they have become universally recognized symbol of skiing. The patent, which received the Head to the metal skis 'standard' allowed 'Head Sky' for a few years ahead of other firms who were convinced that the Head is too presumptuous and started the impossible. Howard turned the company 'Head Sky' in the dominant producer of skis. He never liked to play in the management of the corporation and, eventually, in 1969, he sold the 'Head Sky', 'Hey-Em-Ef' for 16 million. dol. Intuition and perseverance are the tools by which Head has increased his personal fortune at 4.5 million. dol. derived from 'Hey-Em-Ef'.

Head Resigns, built a tennis court in the backyard and got carried away tennis at fifty-five years. Amateur perfection in everything, he spent 5000 dollars. for tennis lessons. He was so awkward in this game that the coach refused to give extra lessons, if he did not buy a machine for feeding balls and will not train every day. Head bought a car ( 'Prince') and, as usual, thought it is technically incorrect. Since she did not want to act according to his standards, Head to take it apart to pieces and remade in its own. Then he called the 'Prince' and invited the company to modify the machine in accordance with its new standards. After the devastating collision with a stagnant atmosphere of 'Prince', he was extremely annoyed, and in 1971 bought a controlling stake of its shares. In a short time, a modified machine for feeding balls 'Prince' won 50 percent market similar products.

But Howard Head was still a weak tennis player. Not yielding to the desire to improve his game, Howard designed the lighter and heavier racket, but it did not give the desired result. Once, in the mid 70's it was visited by an intuitive insight ( 'Eureka'), prompting "to make the racket more". Like others, he initially believed that the size of rackets defined immutable rules. Bright expressed a perfectionist, Howard decided to study the rules of the Association of Tennis sweeping in on the issue, and found that ATSSH established rules on everything from razlinovki courts and before long nap on the ball. There were rules for the elastic string provided to limit the torque ball, and their frequency. However, the size of rackets were not installed. He was shocked to read that rule number four reads: "The racket - a tool designed for hitting the ball" (without comment). Howard could use everything - from ironing boards to swatter - to hammer the ball and improve the game
. Ingenuity Howard
. Howard immediately called all his intuition (right-brain thinking) and engineering experience (left-hand thinking) in order to improve their game and solve the problems associated with the design of rackets
. One of the engineering principles that guided him in creating a new racket, was that the "inverse inertia increases with the width, that is, to say the usual language, resistance to a broad rackets would be more than a narrow. Head designed the racquet, which was two inches wider and three inches longer than the usual. Thus, the efficiency has increased four times, striking the surface - three times, and the force of impact - on the twenty percent. The size of rackets has increased by 60 percent, but due to the fact that its production of new materials of the space age, it does not become heavier.

. Howard made a few rackets, called his friends and started the match, to see whether these big racket can improve his game
. I was struck by the improvement. Head said: "Immediately I began to play many times better". Friends who have never felt reluctant to compete with him in tennis (they called him 'old muff'), invited him to play. If this new racket was able to help six decades of an inexperienced player, it will be a boon for the rest. His business acumen came to their right, and Head, said: "As soon as I discovered that the racquet has helped me, I thought that I could try to release it on the market."

. Patent Heda cover all rackets, who had hit region from 85 to 130 square inches (conventional wooden racquets have 70 square inches)
. Howard spoke about his invention: "I was hoping for improvement, but I never dreamed of such an absolute improvement". His konstruktorsky fanaticism was the reason that succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. Desire for elegance and technical perfection has led him to use some esoteric concepts to solve some simple problems. He presented an increase in flight speed of the ball as the 'recovery rate', which, simply put, means - the speed of the ball bouncing on the racket, is proportional to its speed collision with a racket. Usually, after hitting a tennis ball retains 57 percent of initial velocity. Initial tests showed that the new racket 'Prince' provides a recovery rate of 52 percent, forcing Howard to think about the rightness of his opinions about rackets. Did he really created a 'racket-monster', which was less effektivnaN

Howard relentlessly pursued a new test and found that the 'sweet zone' creates a significant increase in the rate of return. The recoil speed of the ball at impact was 67 per cent in the 'zone superudar' rackets 'Prince', which was 20 percent more than standard rackets. This intuitive genius invented something that the magazine 'World Tennis' (' World Tennis') called 'one of the most innovative concepts in tennis. "
. Xapakmepucmuka behavior

. Carl Jung said: "extroverted, intuitive personality type corresponds to many of the leading innovators of our time"
. Howard Head could be a prototype model of Young. He had an animal instinct in a classical style extrovert. His intuitive skills have been documented by Stevens Institute many years ago, when he underwent testing in the hope of learning why such a failure was his literary career. Howard used a rational - design - a thought process in order to solve makroproblemy glimpsed his intuition. His elegant solutions were the result of scholastic approach to the problem. Persistence Heda described his daughter: "If he has something disagreeable, then he changed it". His wife added: "Howard will never give up."

As a young Howard was an avid player, a lover of drinking and partying. He has always been a perfectionist. Head tried to 'strengthen' that was not broken. He wanted to make things perfect, orderly and reliable. Quality requirements were for him the primary in the development of a new concept. He would never have agreed to reduce the quality and efficiency. Head looking for perfection, even if it was necessary to destroy the existing order of things. Employees 'Head Sky' believed that Howard Head was very bright, and certainly charismatic.

. Makropredvidenie Heda allowed him to create new ideas, to which people like 'adapter', which operates drive on the left thinking, would never have guessed
. This same quality has kept him from entering into long-term responsibilities of the head, as he never regarded himself as a talented leader. In the classic style innovator, he chose to create and invent, and not be tempted by new opportunities. So he decided (after its products have reached perfection) to sell their company. He had no desire to run the company, if the creative process is completed.

Tendency to pucky

Head, like all great entrepreneurs, had a greater propensity for risk. He was a passionate player - remember the $ 6000 (the win), which he used to organize the 'Head Sky' in 1948. He took the money - all his savings - abandoned as an engineer and entered the world of business. Journal 'Sky', wrote that the success of Kheda, unlike large companies the old model, was based on his personal enthusiasm and determination:

. He was certainly possessed, of course, and relatively neobremenen shareholders, and was head and shoulders above all those who longed for a life of luxury, - he was well prepared for the long run ( 'Sky', January, 1964).

. His personal life is also full of risk
. He not only liked gambling, and walks to ski in the Alps, considered lazy entertainment, as well as competitions in tennis. Most of these passions came to him in an age when most men who have his education and experience, prefer to relax with a quiet activity. Ocean cruises were not for him. He loved to compete with nature and possessed a spirit of adventure and a player who probably have most of the great innovators of the world.

. Giving an interview about his success in the invention, Head said: "People who walk circles, trying to invent something new, just catching its own tail
. The best innovations come from people who are deeply passionate desire to solve the problem "(Kennedy, 1980). Head sold "Prince Tennis" companies 'Chisburg-Ponds' in 1982 for 62 million. dol. His second big risk brought him 32 million, far more than the first innovation. In the end, he had time and money to indulge his favorite hobby - tennis, skiing, scuba diving and more intellectual pastime of playing bridge, chess and reading the 'Dialogues' of Plato.
. The success of intuition
. Pam Shriver has done for very large tennis racket 'Prince' is the same as Jimmy Connors did for the first metal racket 'Wilson'
. Pam was an unknown teenager of seventeen, when he participated in the semi-final 'S-Es Oupen' and began opening in 1978. Cheerful nature Pam Shriver and her approving responses of very large-scale rackets 'Prince' were thus necessary credit of trust, which turned this racket in the world-famous product. The rest - is history. Here before you is a technical description of one of the advantages of rackets 'Prince', . made by Howard: "The degree of improvement, . which provides the 'Prince' is inversely proportional to the player's abilities, ranging from 150 percent at the beginner to 3 percent of world-class player ",
. Invention Heda help both amateur and professionals.

Head believed that the functionality is primary: "I was totally concerned about the functionality and design left to chance" (a study conducted by Harvard, 1967). Needless to say, that his desire for functionality prevailed over technical description of the problem and on aesthetic considerations. This has never been so evident as in the case of super-high rackets 'Prince'. Howard Head, driven by a passionate desire for perfection and, of course, extraordinary intuition, changed the world of tennis and skiing. He sought to improve individual athletic skills, and when it did not work, blamed equipment. Then he decided to change the equipment is easier than accept their futility.
Vic Braden called his invention 'butterfly net butterfly'. 'Sportc Illustrated' gave higher marks - "the most successful in the history of tennis racquet". Journal 'Tennis', wrote: "The genius of Howard's lies in his ability to imagine and create an imaginary hands". Howard Head was a very self-critical, and sometimes even the most severe critic. He said: "If you open up, and wisdom can enter in you ... I consider myself an inventor, innovator, and perhaps the person possessing the gift of an unusual vision. But I never considered myself a businessman ... You must believe in the impossibility of this "(Kennedy, 1980).
Burton Klein of Harvard gave a definition of the intuitive force of innovators and entrepreneurs like Howard Hedu. In 'dynamic economy', he said:
If an entrepreneur wants to attract the numbers, he must rely on intuition in the development of new hypotheses. The wealth of the entrepreneur in conjecture. But if his guesses are unclear, the entrepreneur should trust your instincts.