In order to stay competitive, get the same (or more) done with the resources you have, retain clients and attract new ones, innovation is required. True innovation is finding a NEW way of doing something. You don’t have to be an expert in CQI, Six Sigma or LEAN to know that the 300 year old candles industry hadn’t changed much until someone innovated it into a colorful, aromatic multi-billion dollar business.
If you’d prefer to play it safe, try this Innovation Killer: “Who else has done this?”
It seems that few organizations want to be the first at anything. Many of my clients look at my existing client list to see who else like them has hired me. The fear of being the first stops many CEO’s and Managers from true innovation. If you ask someone to ‘prove it’ first, you don’t have to take a chance.
A genuine breakthrough won’t have a history to prove that it works. Try using the logic of what could be based on what you know. So rather than looking at what you know to be true, encourage your people to look at what could be true.
What if we typed only using our thumbs? You’d have Blackberry.
What if we made one cup of coffee at a time? You’d have Kuerig.
What if we received a signal from a global satellite? You’d have GPS.
Jumping into the unknown is the way to innovation. No matter – what people call it -Brainstorming, Greenlighting, or MindMapping, the goal need to be to nurture ideas rather than kill them. Because I work with teams who want to do this better, I can ell you that it’s tricky business and often counter intuitive and counter to the organizational culture. But if you want to turn the future into an innovative and attractive reality, allow people to create the proof leaders need to make that innovative commitment
Joni Daniels – first seen on http://baltimore.citybizlist.com/yourcitybiznews/detail.aspx?id=67038
