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Today's forward-thinking leaders realize that it is the implementation
of innovation that will give them the competitive edge to outsmart
their competition and differentiate their products and services
in the market. However, success is never final. Executives and
managers who hesitate to innovate are lunch. Those who fail
to innovate go the way of the dinosaur and dodo bird and become
extinct. Tomorrow's Champions Of Innovation will be those leaders
who are excited about change and create an environment that rewards
employees who get it done.
My challenge to all executives is to develop an R.O.I. Traditionally
you have a Return On Investment in your operation. Isn't it time
to develop a new R.O.I. -- Return On Innovation.
As a leader, your major responsibility is to initiate, promote and
communicate a sense of urgency to think outside the box -- and,
if necessary, throw the box away! -- in order to achieve breakthroughs.
The challenge is for you to develop a motto, a slogan, or a battle
cry that will drive the organization. For example, Jacksonville
Electric Authority (JEA) has BHAG ("Big, Hairy Audacious Goals").
GE utilizes BOFAB ("Bust Out For A Billion") at the regional sales
levels. Taco Bell's charge is for "Total Share Of Stomach." More
general slogans include: "Swing For The Fences," "No Boundaries,
No Limits" and "Bold Belief."
In creating these mottos, you are energizing your employees and
channeling their energy in the same direction. It challenges your
staff to question long-held beliefs, practices, processes and procedures;
to become barrier busters, and to soar to new heights. It establishes
a curiosity to see the world through a fresh pair of eyes and to
see its unlimited possibilities.
Wouldn't it be great if you had a technique to find out what is
blocking creativity and innovation within your organization? Sun
Microsystems (Palo Alto, California) sends out an e-mail (the Employee
Quality Index) to find out what is getting in the way of their employees
doing their jobs. Similarly, you may wish to pose some of the following
questions in a monthly e-mail to your own employees:
- "What's the dumbest, stupidest things we are doing in our company
or in your department which is impeding innovation?"
- "If you were just starting out today, what would you do differently?"
- "If you could write the script for your career and your company's
success in the next 2 -5 years, what would it look like?"
- "Is what I am doing, necessary?"
- "What am I doing to challenge conventional wisdom and the status
quo."
Now that you've acquired these innovative ideas and suggestions
from your employees, what do you do with them? The answer is to
develop a Statement To Implement Innovation. It should be
in 15 words or less, and made up of the Three Clarities:
- Clarity of Direction (Where do you want to take these
innovative ideas?)
- Clarity of Structure (Who do you need within this organization
to make these ideas happen?)
- Clarity of Measurement (What are the quantifiable benchmarks
that you can institute to measure the progress?)
A Statement To Implement Innovation should apply to all
areas of the business. For example, yours might read: "Utilize the
database to profile the needs of your customers to increase market
penetration." Now you've got a real-world working blueprint to turn
innovative ideas into action!
Ultimately, the successful businesses and their leadership will
be those who champion innovation and adopt the wisdom of Leonard
Reggio, CEO, Barnes … Noble and self-styled "Head Muckity Muck":
"I am a possibility maker. I am an inventor of concoctions and thing-a-ma-jigs."
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