Innovation is For Everyone
When I meet new people and they ask me what I do for a living, I usually say, “I am an Innovation Consultant,” or “I am an Innovation Process Designer.” Typically, quizzical looks follow and I explain further with something along the lines of “I help companies come up with new ideas for their business. Usually, products, services or marketing ideas.” Many people continue to look confused.
So I’ve started asking people what they think innovation is. And as it turns out, many people, particularly people under the age of 40 or so, think that innovation is about technology. Or STEM. At my son’s high school, the “innovation lab” is closely connected with the robotics program and aspiring engineers and scientists can be found in there. Sometimes, I will hear about AI, 3D printers or “innovative” companies and brands like Apple or Tesla. It’s all enough to leave me with the hypothesis that innovation, at least in the US, is currently inherently linked to technology in most people’s minds.
The next question for me is, if innovation is synonymous with technology, what does that mean for how we view ourselves in relation to innovation? There’s a cliché story about all the small children in kindergarten raising their hands when asked if they are artists but few to none who will agree to being artists by high school. As tired as that parable is, I bet if you asked a group of five-year-olds, “Who in here has a lot of good ideas?” there would be a ton of excited hands to go up. And if you asked high school students the same question there would be many, many fewer hands in the air. I see professional adults every week who tell me, “I am not the most innovative thinker on the team. I don’t think I will have much to add today.”
I am going to tell you my definition of innovation. What it is, why it can feel elusive, and how to get to be great at it. Yes… great!
Innovation is…
COLLABORATION.
Collaboration is a fancy word for talking to other people. And that is all it takes to start innovating. When we talk to other humans, we start inventing things, making plans, embellishing our stories to make them extra interesting. Think about kids on the playground pretending that they are superheroes, or parents to their stuffies and dolls, or on an adventure safari. That is collaborating to make new ideas. Think about getting together with a friend or family member and talking about vacation plans, party plans, holiday plans, what to do about your spouse’s annoying habit, what do to about your ENTIRE FUTURE, or anything else under the sun. This is collaborating to make new ideas. Sometimes we are forced to collaborate, like at school or work, but the reality is we’re joyfully collaborating all the time. Making new ideas. That’s innovation.
How to get better at collaborating: ITG’s Forness® Mindset for creativity and collaboration is really helpful here. When another human shares an idea with us, whether it’s a restaurant suggestion, family holiday activity, solution for sleeping better at night or so on, it’s our initial instinct to first evaluate why this suggestion will not work well. So the tip here is to focus on building on what’s good in the idea by forcing yourself to think about what you like and then what you would do to make the idea even better. Other humans will be delighted to talk to you if you are the kind of person who responds with “here’s what I like about what you’re saying…” and then “here’s what I would add to it…” Practicing Forness® mindset can really help anyone become a better collaborator.
Innovation is….
SOLVING PROBLEMS.
Some problems are very obvious and lots of people are thinking about solving them. Some obvious problems are small, like mosquitoes, and some are big, like homelessness or plastic in the ocean. All of this thinking is absolutely innovation. There are also less obvious problems – minor annoyances and irritations – that are around us all the time. And we are constantly coming up with ideas to work around them. As an example, we have a Little Free Library in our neighborhood that I walk by nearly every day. A few years ago, I began to get annoyed at how messy and disorganized it always looked. So, I “hired” my 10-year-old son to ride his bike up there every day over the summer and straighten and alphabetize the books. I paid him extra to take books from his own shelf that he had outgrown up there when it was starting to look empty. I killed a few birds with one stone solving that minor irritation. Innovation!
How to get better at identifying and solving problems, minor annoyances and irritations: Think about what you wish for. Write out a list of sentences that start with “I wish….” Or “It would be great if…” Try and write several, really dig deep and be honest with yourself. Pick one that feels really important to you. Think about it while you’re out on a walk, at the gym, or doing the dishes. Give it some space – it might take some time, like a few days, or a week, or even more. Inspiration will eventually present you with one solution, or more. If not, move on to another wish.
Innovation is….
DOING COOL SHIT.
This is the one that is probably the least day to day. Most normal days we don’t feel cool or do Cool Shit. There’s no aha moment or lightning strike of inspiration. But sometimes, once in a while, you think “Oh my gosh, I HAVE A GREAT IDEA!” And then you go on Shark Tank. Or get a patent. Or start a business and sell stuff to other people who think it’s amazing. There’s no real formula for this one, you really only have to be open to it. My friends’ teenage son started doing lemonade stands when he was a little kid. Eventually, he saved enough money to buy a little boat. Started going out on the lake on the weekends and selling ice cream, soda and water to boaters. Saved up and bought a bigger boat. Sold more ice cream and cold drinks. Bought a truck to tow the boat. All because he one day thought, “I bet hot adults who are poor planners would pay a premium for cold drinks and ice cream.” Innovation!
How to do more Cool Shit: Get inspired. Go see a movie, play, or live music. Spend the afternoon at a museum. People-watch at a busy coffee shop. Have dinner with someone you find especially thought-provoking. Set aside some time for yourself to let your mind wander. Start with the first thing that pops into your head. Write it down so you don’t forget it. Then think about how you might make that idea even better. Write that down. Then think about how someone else you know (or a famous person) might do it even better. Write that down. Before you know it, you’ll have several possible ideas. GENERATE ANOTHER IDEA GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TO THIS. Start with the most outlandish idea you can think of – something that is crazy, difficult to execute, or would cost a lot of money. Then think about what you love about that crazy idea. And noodle on ways to achieve the same thing without the craziness. Consider collaborating – invite a friend or family member along for a walk, either in person or on the (gasp!) phone. Doing Cool Shit can be fun with a co-conspirator or a few. Make time for Cool Shit. Make doing Cool Shit purposeful. Put in on your calendar.
Innovation is…
FOR EVERYONE.
No matter what you do during your day to day, you can collaborate, solve problems and do cool shit. Innovation is a practice. As a naturally physically inflexible person, I would roll my eyes so hard when a yoga teacher would start talking about yoga being “a practice.” Sure, Steph. Sure, Chris. (Shout out to two of my fave yogis.) But it’s truth. The more you practice the steps above, the more skilled you will become at innovation.