I have been thinking a lot about innovation strategies. I am reminded of two Albert Einstein quotes that seem appropriate:
"The same thinking that has led you to where you are is not going to lead you to where you want to go."
"Creativity is intelligence having fun."
The first quote has always been a favorite of mine. I have usually relied upon it when people ask for career advice - if you want to advance your career, you have to go beyond what got you to this point. However, when thinking about our innovation challenges, it really drives home the point that we can’t just think about small incremental improvements or product tweaks if we want to make dramatic changes in our business trajectory. That would be relying on what got us here to define the innovation for what is next. This is not to say we have to completely reinvent and start over - to use another quote, “Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.” (Edmund Burke). I think about the innovation challenge as requiring us to be willing to break with the way things were done in the past, and focus on how they will - or could - operate in the future. Instead of just improving how our customers do what they are doing today, think about how to lead them to a better way to achieve their goals.. “Play it safe and you will always end up with mediocrity” (Simon Sinek). Taking bold actions can sometimes lead to failure, and sometimes lead to greatness. It rarely leads to mediocrity.
Innovation requires creativity, experimentation, and a degree of risk taking. It requires us to take bold steps, and maybe to tolerate some missteps. To be the dominant force in our market, playing it safe is not a long-term strategy for success. One of the guiding principles I have followed for years is “always question the status quo.” Every time somebody says something like “that is the way it’s always done” or “this is how everybody does it,” I immediately question the premise. Like a little child that just keeps asking ‘why,’ I want to know the root reason for the status quo, and usually that leads to an opportunity for innovation and change.
At the turn of the 20th century, most transportation was by horse and carriage. A few innovators created automobiles (or horseless carriages as they were originally called). The first few cars were pretty inferior to the carriages, but early adopters shaped the industry and cars quickly displaced carriages. Focusing our innovation on the ‘way things have always been done’ feels to me like focusing on making a better and better carriage. If we want to innovate effectively, we have to move our industry and deliver different and better solutions. Let’s not become the best carriage maker in a time when the market is moving to autos.
That takes me to the second Einstein quote ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun.’ Every company has smart people with creative minds. You may need to listen for them and strive to find them in your organization. They may be hiding under the proverbial ‘rock’ of their current role. Innovation will be fundamentally driven by creativity, find the creative souls and start having fun creating the next big thing. Making a dent in our universe (Steve Jobs) is not going to be easy, so make the hard work fun.