41 Ways Business Leaders Can Foster a Culture of Innovation
Yes, we know you want your organization to be more innovative. And yes, we know you want to improve your organization's culture of innovation. The best place to start? With YOU.
1. Give up needing to be the smartest person in the room.
2. Seek out people who think differently than you do.
3. Reward new thinking.
4. When you delegate, delegate.
5. Listen more, tell less.
6. Create an environment where no idea is considered dumb.
7. Be a learner, not a know-it-all.
8. Require that 30% of all budget proposals include innovative
products, processes, strategies, business models, or management
approaches.
9. Celebrate failures and learn from them.
10. Don't rush to resolve differences. Tolerate ambiguity while
gaining a deep understanding of the thought processes underlying
all positions.
11. Surface conflict and support minority positions.
12. Let go of your way of doing things.
13. Explore the territory before seeking a destination.
14. Reward people who disagree with you.
15. Protect the new from the old.
16. Get feedback to test whether what you think you communicated is what people actually heard.
17. Do whatever is necessary to deeply engage employees in the realm of the possible.
18. Do whatever is necessary to create widespread understanding and commitment to a shared vision of the future.
19. Reward teamwork and unselfish effort -- not individual heroics.
20. Accept as much of yourself as you can.
21. Recognize the talents of those around you and leverage them to the max.
22. Pave the way for your subordinate's success.
23. Develop all your reports to be your successor.
24. Provide very specific, timely, behavior-based positive feedback.
25. Begin your feedback with what you like about a new idea.
26. Make the path to considering, evaluating, and deciding on new ideas clear and easy to navigate.
27. Look behind "wild ideas" for potential new directions.
28. Never write anyone off. Try to understand where they are coming from before judging them.
29. Don't forget that everything you do is scrutinized for meaning.
30. Spend at least 20% of your time in two-way communication with people at all levels of your organization -- and spend most of this time listening, not explaining.
31. Be intentional and deliberate. Be clear about what you are trying to achieve and test whether that is what you are getting.
32. Stick your neck out for what you believe in and value.
33. Acknowledge when you don't know -- and rely on others to help you figure it out.
34. Give the work back. Your job is to get the best that everyone has to give -- not come up with all the answers yourself.
35. Eliminate fear from the workplace. Foster excitement and commitment.
36. Acknowledge when you are wrong. Don't defend yourself. Just learn from your mistakes.
37. Engage others in the exploration of what is possible. (Don't create unnecessary limits).
38. Keep your organization in the zone of "productive disequilibrium." Resist efforts to revert to the "tried and true."
39. Increase freedom and accountability. Let employees experiment with whatever approaches they think are worth exploring while remaining accountable for results. Let them own the "how." You own the "what".
40. Provide timely feedback and data to everyone so they can identify what is working and what needs fixing.
41. Remember that the only person you can change is yourself.
-- Barry Gruenberg, Director of Leadership Development
Idea Champions
Photo
Cartoon
Photo
Photo
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:22 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2011VIRTUAL TEAMWORK CARDS
If you are looking for a simple way to improve teamwork in your organization, click on the "We're All In This Together" banner in the sidebar.
What you'll get is a series of 53 Teamwork Cards newly published by the writers of this blog, Idea Champions.
Each card describes a quality of a high performing team and then poses a question for reflection.
The cards spark dialogue, insight, and the kind of positive changes that increase a team's ability to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
If you want to license Teamwork Cards for your intranet, click here.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:26 AM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2011Water for the Thirsty
Here's a real-world innovation that inspires:
More than 180 bloggers from around the globe are uniting today (World Water Day) to raise $10,000 and bring clean drinking water, each year, to 3,600 people in India.
The project is a brainchild of four U.S. bloggers who want to make a difference -- and are doing so via this project.
They note, on their blog, that 1/3 of all hand pumps installed in the last 20 years in developing countries are now broken. Four thousand children are dying every day due to the lack of clean drinking water.
The money raised for World Water Day will not go to drill more wells, but instead will go towards training and employing hand pump mechanics. A brilliant idea.
The mechanics will earn a steady income (getting themselves out of poverty) and will save lives at the same time -- turning water back on for thousands of people in need each year.
And, as an extra bonus, the Prem Rawat Foundation will provide a matching grant for the funds that are raised -- doubling the amount of people who will be receiving clean drinking water.
My request to you? Please donate $20 to this worthy cause today. Click here to find out how.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2011Peeking Into the Future...
Idea Champions
Innovation Keynotes
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March 20, 2011Einstein on Mistakes
"Anyone
who
has
never
made
a
mistake
has
never
tried
anything
new."
- Albert Einstein
Idea Champions
The Idea Lottery
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2011Products of Our Imagination
We now interrupt this highly inspiring, thought provoking, mostly unmonetized innovation blog to pay the bills.
If you are looking for a simple way to think outside the box and spark some real innovation in your company, take a look at two cool products from the people who bring you this blog -- our Silver Innovation Kit and our Platinum Innovation Kit.
And, because we're in a really good mood today and our CFO is on vacation, we'll kick in an annual subscription to our highly regarded Free the Genie if you place your order before April 15th.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2011Here's to the Crazy Ones!
Find the "crazy ones" in your organization. The mavericks. The fools. The flakes. Start listening to them. Give them room to move. They are the future -- even if they make you feel uncomfortable.
Free the Genie
Idea Champions
Awake at the Wheel
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 09:02 AM | Comments (2)
March 16, 2011Trying to Establish a Culture of Innovation With Limited Resources?
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)
Be There Then
"You can't just
ask customers
what they want
and then try to
give that to them.
By the time
you get it built,
they'll want
something new."
- Steve Jobs
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:35 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2011Funny and All Too True
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2011Music to My Ears
"I
can't
understand
why
people
are
frightened
of
new
ideas.
I'm
frightened
of
the
old
ones."
- John Cage
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2011The Creative Personality
Here's an informative and inspiring article on the creative personality by the lifelong creativity researcher, renowned author of Flow (and the man with the hardest last name to pronounce in the world) -- Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi.
The aforementioned Professor C. offers deep insights into the complex and often polarized personality of creative people.
Recognize yourself in any of his descriptions?
Awake at the Wheel
The Creative Mind Keynote
Illustration
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2011The 30 Most Popular Blog Postings
In case you haven't noticed it yet, the Heart of Innovation's most popular blog postings (as rated by Postrank) are now conveniently at your disposal in the sidebar under the creatively named headline "Most Popular Postings."
So, if you are in traction, are snowed in at an airport, are a prisoner in a Turkish jail, or are simply a big fan of Idea Champions' blog, check it out.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 02:18 PM | Comments (0)
March 08, 201110 Ways to Help Left Brainers Tap Into the Best of Their Creativity
If your job requires you to lead meetings, brainstorming sessions, or problem solving gatherings of any kind, chances are good that most of the people you come in contact with are left-brain dominant: analytical, logical, linear folks with a passion for results and a huge fear that the meeting you are about to lead will end with a rousing chorus of kumbaya.
Not exactly the kind of mindset conducive to breakthrough thinking.
Do not lose heart, oh facilitators of the creative process. Even if you find yourself in a room full of 10,000 left brainers, there are tons of ways to work with this mindset in service to bringing out the very best of the group's collective genius:
1. Diffuse the fear of ambiguity by continually clarifying the process
Most left-brain-dominant people hate open-ended processes and anything that smacks of ambiguity. 
Next time you find yourself leading a creative thinking session, make it a point to give participants, early is the session, a mental map of the process you'll be using. Explain that the session will consist of two key elements: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
In the divergent segment, you'll be helping people consider non-traditional approaches. In the convergent segment, you'll be helping people analyze, evaluate, and select from the multiplicity of ideas they have generated.
If participants are going to get uneasy, it will happen during the divergent segment. Your task? Periodically remind them of where they are in the process. "Here's our objective," you might say. "Here's where we've been. Here's where we are. And here's we're going. Any questions?"
2. Get people talking about AHAS! they've had in their own lives
No matter how risk averse or analytical people in your sessions may be, it's likely that all of them -- at some time or another -- have had a really great idea. 
"Creativity" really isn't all that foreign to them (although they may think it is). All you need to do to get them in touch with that part of themselves is help them recall a moment when they were operating at a high level of creativity.
Get them talking about how it felt, what were the conditions, and what preceded the breakthrough. You'll be amazed at the stories you'll hear and how willing everyone will be, after that, to really stretch out.
3. Identify (and transform) limiting assumptions
One of the biggest obstacles to creativity is the assumption-making part of our brain -- the part that is forever drawing lines in the sand -- the part that is ruled by the past. Most people are not aware of the assumptions they have -- in the same way that most drivers are not aware of the blind spot in their mirror. 
If you want people to be optimally creative, it is imperative that you find a way to help them identify their limiting assumptions about the challenge they are brainstorming. "Awareness cures," explains psychologist Fritz Perls. But DON'T get caught in a lengthy discussion about the collective limiting assumptions of the group. This is often just another way that left-brain dominant participants will default to analyzing and debating.
Instead, lead a process that will help participants identify and explore their limiting assumptions. Then, time allowing, help them transform each of these limiting assumptions into open-ended "How can we?" questions for brainstorming.
4. Encourage idea fluency
Dr. Linus Pauling, one of the most influential chemists of the 20th century, was once asked, "How do you get a good idea?" His response? "The best way to get a good idea is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away."
That's why "Go for a quantity of ideas" is the first rule of brainstorming. You want to encourage people, early and often, to go for quantity. This will short circuit participants' perfectionistic, self-censoring tendencies -- two behaviors that are certain death to creativity.
5. Invite humor
The right use of humor is a great way to help people tap into their right brains. Indeed, "haha" and "aha" are closely related. Both are the result of surprise or discontinuity. You laugh when your expectations are confronted in a delightful way.
Please note, however, that your use of humor must not be demeaning to anyone in the room. Freud explained that every "joke" has a victim and is used by the teller to gain advantage over the victim -- a way to affirm power. And when a group finds itself in the realm of power (and the yielding of power), it will undoubtedly end up in left brain territory.
You don't want to feed that beast.
Instead, set the tone by telling a victimless joke or two, or by your own self-deprecating humor. But even more important than "joke telling" is to allow and encourage a free flowing sense of playfulness.
6. Do the right brain/ left brain two-step
Brainstorming for 3, 4 or 5 hours in a row is unusually exhausting, resulting in the "diminishing returns" syndrome. Creative thinking, like life itself, follows natural laws. Day is followed by night, winter by spring, inbreath by outbreath.
That's why the design of your creative thinking session needs to alternate between the cerebral and the kinesthetic -- between brainstorming and some kind of hands-on, experiential activity. By doing this two-step, participants will stay refreshed and engaged.
7. Periodically mention that chaos precedes creative breakthroughs 
Left-brained, logical people are rarely comfortable with ambiguity, chaos and the unknown. It seems messy. Disorganized. Downright unprofessional. Indeed, much of the Six Sigma work being done in corporations these days is to reduce variability and increase predictability.
Paradox alert!
If you want to get really creative, you will need to increase variability and help participants get more "out of control." Picasso said it best, "The act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." Tom Peters said it second best, "Innovation is a messy business."
So, when you sense that your session is filled with ambiguity-phobic people, remember to mention how it's normal for ambiguity to precede a creative breakthrough. You may even want to mention how you will be purposefully infusing the session with moments of ambiguity, just to prime the creative pump.
8. Establish criteria for evaluation
The reason why ideas are usually considered a dime a dozen is because most people are unclear about their process for identifying the priceless ones. That's why a lot of brainstorming sessions are frustrating. Tons of possibilities are generated, but there is no clear path for winnowing and choosing.
Let's assume, for example, that the session you facilitate generates 100 powerful, new ideas. Do you have a process for helping participants pare the 100 down to a manageable few? If not, you need one. Ideally, the criteria for selecting ideas will be clarified before the session and introduced to participants early in the session.
Please note that there is some debate amongst brainstorm mavens as to when to offer the criteria. Some say this should happen at the beginning of the session (to help assuage the left brain need for logic and boundaries). Others suggest delaying the identification of criteria until just before the idea evaluation process. Either way will work. Your call.
9. Be a referee when you have to
No matter how many ground rules you mention about "suspending judgment" or "delaying evaluation," you are going to have some heavy hitters in the room just waiting for a moment to doubt your approach or "the process."
Indeed, one of the favorite (often unconscious) strategies of some left-brainers is to debate and question the facilitator every step of the way. While you want to honor their concerns and right to speak their truth, you also want to hold the bar high for the intention behind the brainstorming session -- and that is to challenge the status quo, entertain the new, and create space for imaginations to roam.
Don't be afraid to be firm with participants who want to control the session. At the very least, ask them to suspend their need for "convergence" (i.e. evaluation, judgment, decision making) to the end of the session when there will be plenty of time to exercise that very important muscle.
10. Consult with the tough people on the breaks
Every once in a while, a really opinionated person shows up in a session -- someone who is probably very smart, competent, experienced, with a big BS detector, and just enough arrogance to make you feel uncomfortable. These people can really affect the group, especially if they hold positions of power in the organization.
In the best of all worlds, these people would always be on your side. They won't be. Be careful about playing to these people in a neurotic attempt to get their approval. You won't get it. But DO seek them out on breaks and engage them. Get them talking. Pay attention. See if you can pick up any useful feedback or clues about revising your agenda or approach.
Even though you wouldn't choose to be trapped on a desert island with them, these folks may turn out to be a huge blessing -- because they are carriers of a particular sensibility that needs to be honored. More than likely, some of the other people in the room are feeling the same thing, but have been too polite to show their true colors. So, don't be afraid of these people. They can be a very valuable resource.
* Excerpted from 32 Ways of Working with the Left Brain, part of Idea Champions' Platinum Innovation Kit
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:43 PM | Comments (2)
March 06, 2011The World's Most Typical Person
Before you watch this, pause a few seconds and see if you can guess what the world's most typical person looks like...
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2011Cut-to-the-Chase Coaching
Every once in a while a really good deal comes along. Like the one described below, for example...
If you're committed to "living the life of your heart's desire," could use a little coaching, but don't have the moolah to pay for it, read on.
For the merry month of March, the extraordinarily kind Lynn Kindler is offering complimentary 15-minute Cut to the Chase coaching sessions on a first-come, first served basis (10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Austin, Texas time.)
What is "Cut-to-the Chase" coaching?
Explains Lynn: "Each of us has the knowledge and wisdom inside of us to live the life of our heart's desire. CTC coaching begins there and asks each person to step up to who they are and get moving towards what they really want in their life -- both personally or professionally."
Think of Lynn as the fulcrum to help you move the rock that's been blocking your path.
And if you've been moaning about not being able to afford coaching, cease and desist! Lynn is offering her sessions for free -- no strings attached.
lynn@lynnkindlercoaching.com or 512.775.4260
Lynn's website
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 04:04 PM | Comments (0)
March 03, 2011What, Exactly, IS the Box?
"Innovation" is the holy grail for most organizations. Everyone wants it. Everyone talks about the need to "get out of the box" and do something different. But there's a huge gap between the rhetoric and the reality.
The reasons are many -- but the biggest reason is this: No one really knows what the so-called box really is.
And because we don't, we end up shadow boxing imaginary monsters -- coming up with untold processes, protocols, and pep talks that don't really get to the heart of the matter. Not a good idea.
So, dear aspiring innovator -- what do YOU think the box is?
Next week, in this space I will share my current understanding of the box, name all six sides -- and kick start the conversation of how you, your organization, and the rest of world can get out of it.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2011Got the Process Improvement Blues?
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March 01, 2011The Hole In the Soul of Business
If there was an Oscar to be given out for Management Revolution (or better yet, Management Revelation), I would award it to Gary Hamel, author of The Future of Management, Leading the Revolution, and a truckload of other leading edge materials on how to reinvent management.
Gary is the real deal -- a great combination of head and heart. He's got the in-the-trenches experience to know what he's talking about and he's got the head-in-the-clouds aspirations of a true visionary.
Here's a recent blog posting of his that rings very true for me.
I like to think of Gary as the Eric Clapton of management consultants. Go, Gary, Go!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)
SNEAK PREVIEW: The President's SpeechApparently, a sequel to The King's Speech is already underway. According to my sources, it should be in theaters by June. Here's the trailer.
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at 12:31 AM | Comments (0)
