One thing is certain: behind any innovative company is a team allowed to take risks and test. And this team, in turn, exists only because their leaders one day decided to invest in a visionary team management, that forgives failures without worshiping them. When you bet on what is the more secure or get satisfied with what you already know, you can achieve solid results in the short term, but never excellence. If this is not your style, or at least, is not in your plans for 2015, you should read this post to the end:
What innovation is, by experts
Dieter Kelber, executive director of INSADI (Advanced Institute of Intellectual Development) says that the innovative professional “can look for a task that is done the same way for years and turn the process into something faster, more productive, more value for the customer”. According to Felipe Scherer, professor of ESPM/Brazil, “some companies have created positions like ‘managers and directors of innovation’, but the role of contributing to innovation should not be restricted to these positions. Everyone in the organization should contribute to this process.” With another approach about innovation, Sílvio Celestino, coaching expert, warns that a company must first ensure that the basic functions are working, that is, that the team is trained and qualified to work, because only then will be able to receive successful innovations.
Now check out the six steps for you to become the innovative professional you have always admired:
1. Innovators are, first of all, questioning
Want a hint? Watch beyond your product or service’s audience. Note the apps they use, the hobbies they have, and whom they are fans of. Simulate their reality and you will have insights. Another way is to look for complementary activities, reading with certain consistency, and traveling. Or simply choose a weekday to change your routine, opening up to new experiences. Do not get accustomed to what the others in the team are. Question constantly, no matter how good your product is doing in the market, or how satisfied your customers are. You never know what release can attract all eyes tomorrow. Questioning is vital to see chances to change what is already done, often automatically.
2. Innovators recognize needs
The professional who innovates is the one who, in the middle of rush, you can see where the gaps are: in the way the team communicates and acts in the workflow, or feature of your product or experience with the service your company sells. After recognizing the need, it is up to you to accumulate knowledge to seek alternatives. Study it. Make tests, if possible. The point here is: it is not enough to know what everyone knows, and this is where comes in creativity – the ability to associate ideas that until then had not been associated.
3. Innovators develop and sharp a solution
If your will is in fact to become the most innovative person you know, you may get to the point of defining your Innovation Strategy. Create a document where you will explain the topics and types of innovations you propose. Once you recognize the needs, you will work tirelessly to find the solution the most practical possible in the shortest time you can. After found the best solution, now anticipate future needs. My reminder is: you can be sure that the 1st iPhone did not come from the first solution proposed. And you can also be sure that the addition of the camera and 3G had been thought long before the launch.
4. Innovators venture to restart
It can be hard to hear, but you, deep down, you know that there is no other way. You have to get out of your comfort zone, for instance, leaving your ego aside and becoming a beginner again. You need a lot of willingness to see things from a new perspective and that is why it is so important to have an open mind to discuss all possible issues, from feminism to reincarnation, from holographic technology to the presidential race. Flexibility is a legitimate trait of this type of professional.
5. Innovators work in team
In creative processes, the owner of the idea is the team. After all, is an essential part of any project, after creating, to know how to perform. No company survives only with innovators, but depends on those who work daily to develop workaday, systematic processes or just put into practice the projects that you, the future innovator, will bring. However, not all professionals work in places with opening for the development of different projects and, if this is your case, and you are a professional who performs, do it with questioning. Think of how to do better and better, to give more results, because this is also innovating.
6. Innovators look for simplicity
Great innovators are not just people who have created something. These people are there to make an impact. They may not be trying to heal the world’s problems, but they are at least trying to simplify things, to make life easier for people, providing them pleasant experiences, because they know the hostilities of everyday life. Do you know the life course of some innovator? Make a comment, because we love to know these stories.
Innovators who are leaders care about team management. This means investing in simplifying the way the team works and communicates, including fewer emails and meetings and a priority order to the demands. With Runrun.it, you can do all this and track the performance of your business through automatic productivity reports. Try it for free: http://runrun.it
Recommended for you:
- Team management: CEOs talk about the difficulties of their role
- Team management: skills you must have
- Human and Machine in team management
