I believe that innovation is a skill.
And like any skill can be learn’t and improved with practice.
But like any skill there are some people that have a greater capacity than others (given the same level of practice).
As a leader do you know who these people are in your business or organisation?
If you do then you can harness their remarkable talent to improve your innovation results quickly.
If you don’t then perhaps you should try and find them.
They are often in the most unexpected places and roles however.
These innovators are often the ones that:
– Challenge the status-quo
– Seemingly create new, left-field possibilities at will.
– Often suggest ideas for other departments or business units
– May get bored easily with linear work and
– Often have a rich array of diverse experience either inside or outside work.
These innovators may also go by another name.
They can be called ‘stirrers’ or ‘non-team players’ or ‘malcontents’ because they want to change things and are independent thinkers.
As a result they are often not valued and are lost to corporate life.
However, if these people are identified and encouraged they can be a rich source of new, fresh ideas and innovation growth.
How to harness the innovators:
As a suggestion, why not try and find these people (across the business) and give them a project where the solution is difficult and requires some degree of creativity.
They will enjoy the challenge of working together and working from a blank piece of paper.
Innovators in organisations struggle because they don’t quite fit in.
But thank God they don’t because much of the future success of leaders might ride on their ideas.