Extra-Ordinary Leaders: The Innovation Conundrum

How can we, as leaders, delve into the realm of innovation to transform our teams into people of productivity AND innovation? Innovation is the key to staying competitive, especially in a world where change is constant.

The Innovation Conundrum

Many leaders face the challenge of inspiring creative thinking. As a Leadership consultant, I am amazed at the lack of innovative energy in the room when I open up fresh thinking approaches. According to McKinsey, innovation is more critical than ever, especially in a post-COVID world where consumer needs are evolving rapidly. The ability to adapt and innovate is crucial for future revenue.

We need to distinguish between productivity (business as usual) and innovation (the balcony view). While productivity focuses on day-to-day operations, innovation takes a wider perspective, encompassing strategy, team dynamics, and visionary approaches to business.

I have been so inspired by Rod Adner’s book, "Wide Angle Lens." Adner encourages us to seek inspiration from unrelated sectors. For instance, a luxury handbag retailer might gain innovative insights from the towel-washing operations on a cruise ship. Unconventional? Yes. Effective? Absolutely. Remember the breakthroughs in the '90s when companies looked to animals for design inspiration? Speedo, inspired by sharks, revolutionized swimsuit design and shattered records. What spaces are you exploring to infuse creativity into your team, and as a small footnote, this isn’t about product innovation per se, but operations and processes too.

Beware the Culture of Permission

What often hinders our innovative edge is the permission culture we may accidentally be propping up. To move away from permission in our teams, we need to measure and reward innovation as a KPI. We need to insist that we spend time differently, away from the productivity of BAU and create allocated spaces for wide-angle lens discovery. Another hindrance is that innovation can be messy — it requires play. Breaking free from a controlled environment and introducing elements of play is easy on paper but harder in practice. It's not about turning the office into a playground or an advertising consultancy but creating an atmosphere where creativity can flourish.

To make room for innovation, I did a video a few weeks ago on the need to “quit” certain things as a leader. We must quit spending time the same way every week. Ring-fence time for play and invention. Consider creating rotational tactical teams, from different areas of the business to infuse fresh perspectives.

If you want to take your innovation culture to the next level, let me know. Be the extra to the ordinary,