December 19, 2010
The Top 10 Reasons Why Some CEOs Sabotage Innovation

BusinessQuestion Man.jpg

There's a huge gap between CEOs saying they want their companies to innovate and actually acting in a way consistent with what they say.

This lack of congruence drives internal change agents crazy, catatonic, or out the door. At the very least, it makes them cranky and unwilling to go the extra yard required to turn their inspired ideas into reality.

And so, as a public service to all of you out there whose CEOs are not walking the talk, here's my TOP TEN reasons why not.

Choose one, align with some fellow change agents, and kick start the process of actually doing something about it.

1. Innovation sparks dissonance and discomfort.

2. Innovation is all about increasing variability. Most CEOs want to decrease variability and increase predictability.

3. Results only show up long-term -- not next quarter.

4. CEOs conserve resources. Innovation requires more resources.

Manshrugging.jpg

5. Innovation flies in the face of analysis.

6. Imbalance of right-brain and left-brain thinking.

7. It's not in the job description.

8. Over-reliance on cost-cutting and incremental improvement.

9. Inability to enroll a committed team of champions.

10. Insufficient conviction that innovation will really make a difference.

Idea Championshttp://www.ideachampions.com
Contact us
A book for your CEO to read on the beach

Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at December 19, 2010 11:47 PM

Comments

Yes! Excellent post.

I would also add that really fostering and driving innovation requires leaders to do a lot more of the "soft skill" stuff than they are comfortable doing. Innovation means listening. Innovation means ambiguity at times. Innovation means asking big open-ended questions. Innovation means relaxing our reliance onj hierarchy and authority. Innovation means that it is not all about me (the CEO).

Thanks!
-joe

Posted by: joe gerstandt [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 10, 2009 04:34 PM

Hey Mitch,

Well articulated! I must confess though that I don't agree to point 6. To me innovation isn't about more resources. It's about resourcefulness. And the simple solution to this tricky challenge very often is to kick start an intervention starting from the top and cascading it across levels.

Makes sense? Cheers - Sujit

Posted by: sujitsumitran [TypeKey Profile Page] at June 11, 2009 05:48 AM

Post a comment

Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)


Remember me?


Who Are We?

Idea Champions is a consulting and training company dedicated to awakening and nurturing the spirit of innovation. We help individuals, teams and entire organizations tap into their innate ability to create, develop and implement ideas that make a difference.

MitchDitkoff.com
Click here for the simplest, most direct way, to learn more about Idea Champions' semi-fearless leader, Mitch Ditkoff. Info on his keynotes, workshops, conferences, and more.
Storytelling for the Revolution
Storytelling for the Revolution is Mitch Ditkoff's newly published book about the power of personal storytelling to elevate the conversation on planet Earth. Provocative. Evocative. And fun. YOU have stories to tell. This book will help you tell them.
Storytelling at Work
"The world is not made of atoms," wrote the poet, Muriel Rukeyser. "It's made of stories." Learn how to discover, honor, and unpack the stories of yours that show up "on the job" in Mitch Ditkoff's award-winning 2015 book, Storytelling at Work.
Top 5 Speaker
Mitch Ditkoff, the Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions, has recently been voted a top 5 speaker in the field of innovation and creativity by Speakers Platform, a leading speaker's bureau.
Authorized Reseller Logo – GoLeanSixSigma.com
Workshops & Trainings
Highly engaging learning experiences that increase each participant's ability to become a creative force for positive change
Brainstorm Facilitation
High impact certification training that teaches committed change agents how to lead groundbreaking ideation sessions
Cultivating Innovation
Your "best and brightest" are the future leaders of your company, but unless they know how to foster a culture of innovation, their impact will be limited. A one-day workshop with us is all they need to begin this journey.
Our Blog Cabin
Our Heart of Innovation blog is a daily destination for movers and shakers everywhere — gleefully produced by our President, Mitch Ditkoff, voted "best innovation blogger in the world" two years running.
Team Innovation
Innovation is a team sport. Brilliant ideas go nowhere unless your people are aligned, collaborative, and team-oriented. That doesn't happen automatically, however. It takes intention, clarity, selflessness, and a new way of operating.
Awake at the Wheel, Book about big ideas If you're looking for a powerful way to jump start innovation and get your creative juices flowing, Awake at the Wheel is for you. Written by Mitch Ditkoff, Co-Founder and President of Idea Champions.
Face the Music Blues Band The world's first interactive business blues band. A great way to help your workforce go beyond complaint.

"In tune with corporate America." — CNN
© IDEA CHAMPIONS