Innovation is the opposite of what people think it is; it’s messy and there’s nothing glamorous about it. Anyone who’s been in the trenches will tell you that they don’t really know what’s going to happen. That’s because experience is not a prerequisite for innovation; it’s not. What you gain from venturing out into the unknown and trying to figure out a way forward is grit; you get comfortable with ambiguity.
How do you determine who you choose to follow? What plays into your decision? Sure, likeability is one thing. But the main thing is trust. Trust is the starting point for leading others; trust and leadership go hand in hand.
Leadership is influence. Though that influence is constant, there comes a moment where every organization must disrupt itself to change the times or change with the times. When this moment comes, an organization’s culture is either a catalyst or a hidrance to change; most of the time it’s a hidrance.
Oftentimes the biggest obstacle to change is the leader her / himself. Yes, you are a blocker because you may not be up to the challenge to shift course for your company. For many, this is a hard pill to swallow because their ego will take a hit. I’ve heard it before, “I have loads of experience; I can’t fail”, “There’s a reason why we’ve gotten this far, we’ll double down on what we know and continue to succeed”.
When I was an employee, I was never a part of a culture where people were empowered to act on ideas without asking for permission. Anything out of the ordinary I ever did as an employee happened because I acted on my instincts without considering whether or not I was going to get in trouble for doing so; I just did it.
When you celebrate failure, you encourage innovation. Does your organization celebrate failure? If your answer is yes, I’d like to know what that looks like and how that’s going for you. If your answer is no, read on.
Results don’t happen on their own, and you can’t do everything yourself. You have to collaborate; with insiders and outsiders. And mastering this unique skill in a world of work that is becoming more remote is essential. Think about people with whom you collaborate a lot, what makes them great? Why do you keep coming back to them? What is it that you enjoy about collaborating with them? I know this is an open ended question, and subjective to people’s own preference but let’s give this a shot.
