Why Not Idea
A potentially painful incident sometimes results in an “Why Not” idea for a business breakthrough.
Air Products founder Leonard Pool was a humble oxygen cylinder salesman. When the Basic Oxygen Furnace revolutionized steel-making, Leonard was selling lots of oxygen cylinders. One day, he threw his back out making an emergency delivery. “Why not make the oxygen next door to the steel mill and pipe it “over the fence”? Leonard’s bad back led to a multi-billion dollar corporation.
Dexter Baker was a humble Air Products salesman in Europe. Driving down the autobahn on a foggy morning, he nearly rear-ended a competitor’s Liquid Hydrogen trailer. If that hydrogen exploded, it would wipe out an area the size of four city blocks not to mention Dexter himself. “Why not add a reflective yellow stripe around our trailer bodies?” Dexter’s escape from a fiery death led to Air Products reputation as the safety leader in industrial gases. He later ascended to company CEO.
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I was a humble Air Products engineer flying on a day trip to Chicago from ABE. Seated directly in front of me was a woman bottle-feeding an infant. No sooner was the “You may smoke (This was a long time ago) and recline your seat” announcement made than she did so, raised the baby to her shoulder and “burped” him. The baby deposited a significant amount of curdled formula, stomach acid and liver bile on my pants. This being a day trip, I had no change of clothes. I smelled like curdled milk all day long.
“Why not have a separate “baby and toddler section” on flights? The seats could be covered with wipeable plastic. That toddler who won’t stop kicking the seat back can do so to his heart’s content. In fact, why not have adult-only flights? Why not “adult only” airlines for that matter? Viking Cruises advertises “No children and no casino” which must be a godsend for survivors of Disney cruises.
Leonard and Dexter followed through on their “Why Not” ideas. Leonard and Dexter became multi-millionaires. I failed to follow through on my mine. All I got was a pair of pants that smelled like vomit.
By Ed Dufton
