in Innovation, Leadership
Organizations don’t resemble their early years as they become successful and establish themselves. They shift from playing to win to a playing not to lose mindset. The organization matures and puts more effort into short-term thinking and maintaining the status-quo; they put more focus on protecting and maintaining what they have.
The Next Economy will be driven by 10 key emerging technologies, which are being deployed at scale by GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon) and Microsoft; among others.
This is a new world, where you’re either a digital business or a dead business; and requires a different type of leadership.
What does a culture of innovation look like? Last week I gave a talk at an event on the foundations of a culture of innovation. Instead of telling you what a culture of innovation looks like (they’re all different but share habits), I focus on what all organizations do to impede it.
In the innovation space, too much focus is placed on methods, not enough on mindset. Tools are the methodologies, mindset is the habits. One of my colleagues recently told me he’s learned about mentality, not processes, in the time he’s spent working with me. He’s right! I can give you the methods, but they don’t matter if you don’t have the habits.
To inspire and drive innovation business leaders and entrepreneurs need to be, not just collaborative, radically collaborative. But before you embrace “radical collaboration”, you have to understand and put in practice habits that lead towards it.
Expertise is valuable. To be successful, you want to be seen as an expert. Being an experts validates your worth, and provides a sense of certainty. In terms of innovation, expertise leads to incrementalism; or sustaining innovation.
“I give you permission to slap me in the face if I’m micromanaging you.” I told my colleagues recently.