In 1927, H. M. Warner of Warner Brothers movie studio was asked his opinion on the nascent sound technology that would, within years, kill off silent films and usher in the era of talkies. His response? “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?”
Plenty of world-changing ideas, from the telephone to the personal computer and talking pictures, were dismissed before they finally came to fruition. It just goes to show you: you can’t innovate or evolve if you don’t first learn how to identify a promising idea and act on its potential.
Want to become an innovation powerhouse? Follow these six simple steps:
One, be open to all ideas. In business, you’re often taught to identify why an idea won’t work. Challenge yourself and your team to strategize ways an imperfect, yet promising idea could work despite its initial flaws.
Two, think like your customers. After all, your innovations should be designed to improve some aspect of their experience. Try and put yourself in a customer’s shoes. We’re not talking about a market sector, but an individual customer. Chances are, if you can cater to her needs, you can cater to all your customers’ needs.
Three, experiment. Think an idea is good? Then test it out. Simple as that. If it doesn’t work, abandon it. If it shows promise, iterate on the idea until it’s the innovation you envisaged.
Four, cultivate creativity at every level of your enterprise. Remember, ideas can come from anywhere, not just the C-suite or the creative department. Whether it’s written on an employee feedback form or a brainwave from your security guard, treat all ideas seriously. Invest in resources for creative development, like creativity seminars and allotted brainstorming time, for all employees. And make sure your hiring strategy is attracting diverse talent who can bring new creative perspectives.
Five, give your people ownership over their ideas and achievements. Your staff are far more likely to develop their ideas from initial creative spark to finished innovation if they own the process themselves.
Finally, step six: reward creative contribution. How? A financial reward can be motivating. More responsibility can too, so delegate work on higher-stakes creative projects to proven innovators. And consider setting up a separate career track for creative stars who deserve promotion but don’t want to be promoted to management positions.
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