Are you Innovating at the Edges?

Welcome to the latest edition of the World’s Top STEM Leaders LinkedIn Newsletter for those leading what’s next within organizations. 

There’s much to be said about the increased need to innovate given the accelerated pace of change many of us are experiencing.

More of the same way of innovating isn’t working. And innovation on top of high turnover and business uncertainty is at times ineffective.

Successful #change leaders of the future will need to excel at a set of qualities including agility, adaptability, collaboration, customer centricity, and #innovation.

Innovation efforts in companies have tended to center around two main areas, with a third that is newly emerging.

 1.     In many organizations, innovating process improvements is an active and ongoing process. Improving existing business processes is just good business and immediately benefits profits.  New team members are a wealth of insight with a fresh set of eyes. Looking at problems in new ways is the way forward. As a leader, be on the lookout for the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality as it will kill these new ideas.

 2.    Many organizations also have dedicated efforts that are innovating for new growth. Pairing solid customer/consumer understanding with existing or accessible capabilities creates new opportunities. The shifting environment or shifting needs of end users create a gap that equals opportunity. Creativity and open minds allow teams the flexibility to move forward quickly to address growth opportunities. As a leader, be on the lookout to sync the company's WHY with new paths. It can be equally as damaging to lose your WHY as it is to leave a great opportunity on the table.

 Innovating on the edges will be a relatively new concept for many who haven’t spent a substantial amount of their careers around innovation teams. Simplistically it’s putting together two ideas that haven’t previously been connected. 

A recent example is the acceleration of TeleDoc services. The opportunity to see your doctor on your computer has revolutionized medicine. It’s not for all cases or situations but enables a whole host of opportunities.

Meal delivery in the food industry is another. The opportunity to get quality, pre-portioned ingredients delivered to your door so you can cook at home. While this initially started as a way to extend your ‘chef’ skills, it became essential when restaurants shut down.

Connecting systems, or #systemthinking, is happening at a very strategic level to identify solutions to some of the greatest problems of today. You don’t need to wait for those connections to be shared with you.

What examples from other industries can you combine to create a desirable offering for your customers? What can your team create when you ask them to think bigger than they have before?

Plant the seeds and open the doors. 

If you can dedicate efforts to this approach along with the other types of innovation, wonderful. If you can’t dedicate your efforts now, just declaring that you’re open and interested is enough for a passionate team member to bring something amazing your way.

Get ready for those amazing ideas. They will come.

 Thanks for reading and subscribing!

I’m Charlotte

I take teams from frustrated and stuck to communicating seamlessly across boundaries, influencing for success with unique ideas, and confidently leading change with ease.

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