innovative culture

Three of the questions I get asked most frequently by innovators

These are the three broad types of questions I get asked most frequently by innovators and that you might wish to dedicate time to researching:

  1. TRENDS – What is happening? What new trends are emerging? What could the next big thing be?
  2. PROCESSES – How can I make the most of that trend? How can I implement it? How can I make the transition that is needed?
  3. ATTITUDE – What is the best attitude to manage the uncertainty, opportunities, new interactive structures?

Specially as “there is no time” it is vital to create the time (a weekly moment? the Monday meeting? …) when you stop to research all three areas.
Interestingly it is the third area (attitude) that is most important to either success or failure of innovation. It is also one of the least addressed.
Understanding how to substitute fear, stress, anxiety, uncertainty … in your team, with curiosity, open exploration, trust in each other, positive feedback, developing adaptability … just some of the fundamental traits that CAN be added / developed in the people of your team and in yourself.

Without these, your best processes and innovation will never work at its full potential.

Why you should bring a painting at work with you, to accelerate innovation

We are definitely living in crazy times but why should we do something crazy like … bringing a painting, ideally a physical one into your workplace? Not only bringing it there but then ask everyone in your team to observe it and ask “what do you see?”

What will surprisingly happen will be:
1. make us all better at observing,
2. make us better at analysing,
3. make us freer to creatively innovate

The painting is not the next crucial strategic decision you need to make, instead it is a surprising and non-threatening object that “does not belong” that lands in your office. This situation will open possibility and permission, curiosity and creative thinking. If you make this painting-observation / commenting session a habit, you will find that your own team will start to take decisions in a new way. They will be more observing before acting, they will be more creative in the useful options they will offer. The mood will feel freer and lighter; things will happen with less burden and effort.

It’s because you are opening more of your senses.

With most of our days, specially our working days, focused on productive tasks, your other all important senses are left dormant.
To be truly innovative you need to awaken all the latent abilities.
Ideally awaken them in all the people you work with.
Making the experience together with all the people you are interacting with will ensure that not just one or two people but that the full team will be moved to this new place. Behaviours and interactions will never be traditional, old, and obsolete anymore.