Ok that’s a pretty obvious fact, but then why do so many innovators create solutions without really understanding and involving the people whose problems they aim to address?

I have seen this so many times: a really cool group of people come together in an amazing ideation, design thinking process, come up with an outstanding solution they are really passionate about, make it happen and then … are perplexed at why no one “buys” it.

If we agree that in essence, the company is and has always been the way to solve other people’s problems (the 1st good news is that people will always have problems and therefore companies and jobs will always exist) and then we first need to be with those people we wish to serve. We have to really understand them, understand what causes those problems they are having, what are the consequences of those problems for those people, what is their perception of the problem (often very different from the reality of what the problems actually is) and – only then – can we think of the idea solutions that will be “bought” most eagerly.

That is the only innovation that will actually work, be useful, and be successful … and make your team proud for having address the problem (or desire) that pained people so much.