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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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