The Innovator's Mindset Series #1: Welcoming Change, Fresh Perspectives, and Iteration as Keys to Success

Innovation is the driving force of progress. Companies that continuously evolve and dare to explore new paths are the ones that succeed in the long run. But innovation does not happen by chance—it requires a certain mindset, one grounded in openness, flexibility, and the ability to learn from mistakes:

1. Embracing Change: The Power of Invalidating Ideas and Pivoting

No plan is set in stone, and no idea is untouchable. To be innovative, you must be willing to shift direction when new insights come to light. The ability to critically challenge ideas and accept when they no longer hold up is crucial for progress.

The concept of pivoting is not a sign of failure but rather of strength and adaptability. Innovators understand that navigating through alternative routes and rethinking strategies leads to long-term success. The ability to adjust course quickly in response to changing environments allows innovators to stay ahead of the curve. Holding on to a plan for ego reasons or out of principle, even after it has been invalidated, is a no-go in an innovation environment. When in doubt, you could ask ourself: What role do I play in the implementation of this idea?

2. Adopting New Perspectives: Openness and Flexibility in Thought

The best solutions often emerge when we break free from our usual way of thinking. Innovators excel in their ability to view things from multiple angles. This openness to new perspectives is key for developing creative and original solutions. Putting yourself in others’ shoes (whether they be customers, colleagues, or even competitors or people without business context) can spark fresh ideas and reveal previously unseen opportunities. Flexibility in thinking allows you to break through old patterns and create innovative concepts that others may overlook. Outside the box questions could be: How would a child, an artist, or a stranger approach this problem? What if I looked at the problem backwards from the future?

3. Making the Right Mistakes: Learning Rather than Repeating

Mistakes are inevitable, but they do not have to be the end of the story. Instead, they often mark the beginning of a valuable learning process. The innovator's mindset is about making the right mistakes: trying new things and learning from what did not work, rather than repeating the same errors over and over again. The key is to treat “mistakes” as valuable sources of information that offer insights into what works and what does not. The art lies in using failure analysis to make smarter, better-informed decisions in the future.

It is not the mistakes themselves that hold you back, but the lack of learning and adaptation that comes from repeating them. Try to ask the following questions in difficult situations: What new skills do I want and probably need to develop, and how can I actively work on them? What have I previously seen as a mistake that is actually a learning opportunity? 

4. Iteration: Continuous Improvement through Testing and Refinement

Innovation is not an one-time event but a continuous process. Iteration is the key to transforming a good idea into a great one. Each iteration brings new insights that inform the next cycle. Through ongoing improvements and adjustments, an idea matures over time. Companies that embrace this process understand that true innovation takes a certain amount of time and repetition. However, in today’s fast-developing world, we should not wait for perfection but rather try to come close to a very good solution in a reasonable timeframe. In order to reach your goals you could ask yourself what small experiments you can start to test your idea or what would need to happen for you to learn something valuable from this process, even if it does not work out.