May 8, 2018
When trying to be innovative, do you ever feel like you are just running in place, expending all this energy and not getting anywhere? It could be because you have bought into some of the prevailing innovation myths that are actually sabotaging your efforts. In today’s Q&A session on Inside LaunchStreet, we delve into the top four myths and how to avoid them. Listen in and I bet you'll find that you are probably engaging in one or several of them. No worries, after this podcast you'll get out of those innovation traps and into innovation that ignites impact.
Key Takeaways:
[:44] Maureen Berkner Boyt, of Moxie Exchange, asks, what are the biggest myths in innovation that we are all buying into that are sabotaging our work? Tamara believes that we are not only buying into them, but actively engaging in one or more of these myths.
[1:33] Join us on Inside LaunchStreet, as Connie Warden joins Tamara and they discuss four myths that sabotage innovation. First, you must think outside the box to be innovative. Second, innovation is for the select few. Third, innovation is for a certain time. Fourth, when you’re successful, keep doing what’s working and not innovate.
[3:44] Myth #1. You must think outside of the box to be innovative. Get introduced to Tamara’s term, ‘ridonculous’ as they talk about thinking outside of the box. Find out why innovation often goes nowhere. Connie talks about the term,”Houston, we have a problem.” Apollo 13, is a great example of thinking inside the box, shifting and rearranging what you already have.
[6:21] Tamara highlights examples of companies who have shifted and rearranged successfully. Anythink Libraries, has become a place of discovery. They have elevated the library experience.
[11:02] Tamara shares the book, How The Cadillac Got Its Fins: And Other True Tales from the Annals of Business and Marketing, by Jack Mingo. She tells about the successful rise of Greyhound Bus. Connie and Tamara discuss the image of taking public transport and the importance of flipping the box to bring public transport back into popularity. Domino’s Pizza successfully rearranged the box by owning their problems and innovating.
[15:18] Myth #2 Innovation is for the select few, Connie talks about her friend, Keith. He helped his dentist innovate while sitting in the dentist’s chair. The IQE ASsessment was created to bring to dispel the myth that only a select few can innovate. Connie’s IQE is a tweaker, continually making little shifts, until innovation is successful. Tamara’s IQE is an experiential risk taker. That means that she innovates by being uncomfortable. She must build things, to see things. It’s so important to work within your innovation strengths.
[19:47] Connie brings up the idea that most people want to conform. Humans want to be liked, so we conform too much. She shares her experience of a flight attendant. She could tell how people would behave depending on what city they were flying out of. It’s important to bring awareness to the role that we are currently in. Tamara challenges listeners to let everyone innovate in a way that works for them. Leaders need to motivate the team to show courage to innovate in their own way.
[23:29] Myth #3 Innovation is for a certain time. Tamara thinks that innovation is a mindset, it is not a point and time exercise. Our best ideas may already be created. We just need to find them. Tamara shares a personal story about the roadblocks of getting through her ‘to do’ list. In the process of working through the list, she had shut her creative brain down. We need to validate our brains and continually prime the pump.
[28:57] Intuition doesn’t happen just between 8-5. Connie shares an experience about buying coffee for her kids. It’s important to take the intuition from your mind and just deal with it. Tamara reminds us that when intuition flows, it flows. She has a small bucket on her desk that she uses to store her intuition. Be open to listening to your intuition.
[34:49] Myth #4 When you’re successful, keep doing what’s working and not innovate. Connie and Tamara discuss the demise of Sears, Kodak, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, Blackberry, Pan Am, and KMart. These were all once leaders in their category. The marketplace changed and shifted, and these companies did not. Connie chimes in that things are changing at a much quicker rate than before. Tamara share the success of Starbucks and that they recognized that they were getting complacent. You cannot rest on your success.
[38:02] Do you need to be constantly changing and innovating as humans?
Is it possible to change too much?
[40:45] Tamara recaps the four myths of innovation.
[42:00] Tamara challenges listeners to visit the blog and look for the ways you can engage today in smart innovation practices.
If you are ready to:
get buy-in from key decision makers on your next big idea
be a high-impact, high-value member that ignites change
foster a culture of innovation where everyone on your team is bringing innovative ideas that tackle challenges and seize opportunities...
Join us on LaunchStreet — gotolaunchstreet.com
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