It all starts with a provocative question. Questions have been the enablers of innovation for centuries. Questions stimulate the brain and open the innovation pipeline. Asking questions is part of the innovator’s DNA. It’s a shame questioning is a rare behavior in most organizations!

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A common question I get for my innovation advisory is “How can we create an environment where employees feel empowered to innovate?” There are many ways. But, before answering this question a better question to ask is “What are we currently doing to stop employees from feeling empowered to innovate?”

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There’s a difference between an employee who shows up to do a job because he/she needs to make a living and someone who is fully engaged in the work, in the business. People who are fully engaged because they have high agency are rare, and you should do everything you can to keep them. In most cases, people who are engaged in their work are because the organization created the conditions for them to be fully engaged.

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We’ve all been there. As an employee, you take the initiative to fix or improve a process, or a feature and you get punished, ignored, or criticized for doing so. This, of course, demotivates you and stops you from even thinking about taking the initiative or proposing improvements ever again.…