Getting Innovative @#!% Done

Editor's Notes

1. I’m talking about this through the lens of innovation but many of these rules are applicable to getting anything done in any organization.
2. It’s like a double rainbow... “It’s sooooo beautiful, what does it mean???”
3. It’s like a double rainbow... “It’s sooooo beautiful, what does it mean???”
4. Show New to world first... Then fill in others
5. Show New to world first... Then fill in others
6. Show New to world first... Then fill in others
7. Show New to world first... Then fill in others
8. Show New to world first... Then fill in others
9. The reality is more like this though… You need to temper expectations of “Innovation” – new to the world is a rare and wonderful gift that only comes to those who work for it. In a big company you’re going to find yourself spending a lot of time looking at “New To Us” & occasionally “New To Market”... You want a five year vision – look at the outside world.
10. Innovation is something that spins off from a healthy, productive environment that encourages ideas & exploration. Bad brainstorming phone call example < innovation will never happen there
11. Expecting spontaneous innovation is like telling someone “Be Funny” and expecting them to deliver a great comedy show. (Tell Jon Stewart anecdote)
12. It’s not enough to simply “have” the ideas... You need to be ready to capture and act on them too.
13. People hate change. Sure some of us like it and proactively try to create it but the general population doesn’t like it. Not only do they not like it… they’ll actively work against it. Status Quo is your biggest enemy once you’ve got your idea and often, the benefit is often hard to quanitfy
14. Get to a clean slate. You need to work to get people to shed their baggage, their “What if’s?” and other obstacles. THIS TAKES TIME! (Branch 3.0 example)
15. Get to a clean slate. You need to work to get people to shed their baggage, their “What if’s?” and other obstacles. THIS TAKES TIME! (Branch 3.0 example)
16. We routinely give meetings either too much time, or more often, not enough time… 1 or 2 hour meetings are the worst. For updates they just end up being repetitive, monotonous events where everyone sits, listens and thinks of all the productive things they could be done. If you’re trying to brainstorm or solve a problem 2 hours is just when the good stuff get going. Ideation takes momentum, it takes time to spin the machine up and get people in the right headspace. I’ve had countless meetings where just as the great ideas and discussion starts flowing the two hours is up and we have to defer discussion until the next meeting (where the same thing happens again).
17. We routinely give meetings either too much time, or more often, not enough time… 1 or 2 hour meetings are the worst. For updates they just end up being repetitive, monotonous events where everyone sits, listens and thinks of all the productive things they could be done. If you’re trying to brainstorm or solve a problem 2 hours is just when the good stuff get going. Ideation takes momentum, it takes time to spin the machine up and get people in the right headspace. I’ve had countless meetings where just as the great ideas and discussion starts flowing the two hours is up and we have to defer discussion until the next meeting (where the same thing happens again).
18. We routinely give meetings either too much time, or more often, not enough time… 1 or 2 hour meetings are the worst. For updates they just end up being repetitive, monotonous events where everyone sits, listens and thinks of all the productive things they could be done. If you’re trying to brainstorm or solve a problem 2 hours is just when the good stuff get going. Ideation takes momentum, it takes time to spin the machine up and get people in the right headspace. I’ve had countless meetings where just as the great ideas and discussion starts flowing the two hours is up and we have to defer discussion until the next meeting (where the same thing happens again).
19. People’s default mode is to ask “If” they can do something… Can anyone guess what the answer usually is when you ask if you can do this new, slightly risky but very exciting thing?
20. No isn’t an acceptable answer for a How question. “How do I get to the CN Tower?” “No.” “How do I … “ “No.” – It doesn’t work. By posing your question as a How – you’re starting a dialogue. You’re also inviting them to participate in creating a solution rather than having something forced onto them. Turn obstacles into enablers
21. No isn’t an acceptable answer for a How question. “How do I get to the CN Tower?” “No.” “How do I … “ “No.” – It doesn’t work. By posing your question as a How – you’re starting a dialogue. You’re also inviting them to participate in creating a solution rather than having something forced onto them. Turn obstacles into enablers
22. No isn’t an acceptable answer for a How question. “How do I get to the CN Tower?” “No.” “How do I … “ “No.” – It doesn’t work. By posing your question as a How – you’re starting a dialogue. You’re also inviting them to participate in creating a solution rather than having something forced onto them. Turn obstacles into enablers
23. You can generally assume the door to something new is closed most of the time. You really have two options for getting through it…
24. AKA The brute force method… Jurassic Park Raptor example. Keep asking until you catch the door open or it simply gives way and lets you through (web conferencing example)
25. AKA The brute force method… Jurassic Park Raptor example. Keep asking until you catch the door open or it simply gives way and lets you through (web conferencing example)
26. AKA The brute force method… Jurassic Park Raptor example. Keep asking until you catch the door open or it simply gives way and lets you through (web conferencing example)
27. Conversely you can play the game… Change is almost always a multi-step process. Viewed as a whole it freaks people out and looks like an insurmountable task. It’s like a chess game – you can’t win in one move and if you try to explain all the moves you need to make people will get confused/lose track. Figure out an incremental plan that keeps you continually moving forward and moving around obstacles. You may need to sacrifice some of your ideas “pawns” along the way. Work backwards from the goal and ask yourself “What needs to happen for this to become a reality” and continue working back. Check your idealism at the door.
28. Conversely you can play the game… Change is almost always a multi-step process. Viewed as a whole it freaks people out and looks like an insurmountable task. It’s like a chess game – you can’t win in one move and if you try to explain all the moves you need to make people will get confused/lose track. Figure out an incremental plan that keeps you continually moving forward and moving around obstacles. You may need to sacrifice some of your ideas “pawns” along the way. Work backwards from the goal and ask yourself “What needs to happen for this to become a reality” and continue working back. Check your idealism at the door.
29. Regardless of which approach you choose (if you choose) Figure out an elevator pitch for your idea. Share it with everyone you can, stay on message and watch for opportunities to throw it in the mix.
30. Regardless of which approach you choose (if you choose) Figure out an elevator pitch for your idea. Share it with everyone you can, stay on message and watch for opportunities to throw it in the mix.
31. Change is an uphill battle
32. In the real world, stakeholders don’t all grab hands and skip off down the yellow brick road towards Oz. People often make the mistake of treating consensus like it’s something where everyone agrees 100%. It’s never going to happen... What you should instead be asking is.
33. Innovative work is ambiguous at times – there will always be questions/concerns & doubts. But you don’t have to solve them all, you just need to get to a place where you can get people to agree enough that you don’t lose momentum. “That’s a great point – let’s add that to our considerations” – “Until we can analyze that more let’s make the assumption that it’s X”, People often jam up the process because they want to be heard. Acknowledge them and figure out how to get them happy ENOUGH to move on.
34. Innovative work is ambiguous at times – there will always be questions/concerns & doubts. But you don’t have to solve them all, you just need to get to a place where you can get people to agree enough that you don’t lose momentum. “That’s a great point – let’s add that to our considerations” – “Until we can analyze that more let’s make the assumption that it’s X”, People often jam up the process because they want to be heard. Acknowledge them and figure out how to get them happy ENOUGH to move on.
35. Innovative work is ambiguous at times – there will always be questions/concerns & doubts. But you don’t have to solve them all, you just need to get to a place where you can get people to agree enough that you don’t lose momentum. “That’s a great point – let’s add that to our considerations” – “Until we can analyze that more let’s make the assumption that it’s X”, People often jam up the process because they want to be heard. Acknowledge them and figure out how to get them happy ENOUGH to move on.