“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but building on the new.”
-Socrates
As with many of our colleagues and collaboration partners, we enjoy reading about 2016 plans and future insights.
We have the same desire to review the past year, figure out what went well, what didn’t go as planned, and what did we learn.
The trick is to look back only briefly, so you don’t drift into oncoming traffic or onto the side of the road.
We must focus all our energies looking forward…with a purpose.
Looking back, What did we learn?
Innovation Education and Systems is a game changer.
If you want to build your team’s internal innovation capability, innovation lab, innovation team, or become more innovative in your personal life, there is a massive potential to do so and succeed. It is not a simple proposition, with “no risk”. The big risk you must take is to be open to learning something new.
One recurring comment from our client deployments is how the systems approach provides a framework.
A framework that frees up the senior leaders creativity, providing a space to think and create clear strategies. This clarity is essential in helping their teams ability to execute.
We have great case stories to share on how this system approach works, the mindset needed, and most importantly, the measurable and significant outcomes of the organizations that have chosen to engage and enable their teams.
Asking for help is important.
If you’re stuck, ask for help. Recognizing that you don’t have the subject matter expertise and asking for some help takes the pressure off. The pressure of trying to know all the answers for everything. Because you simply can’t know all the answers.
It’s liberating to draw your team in to help create an idea or solve a challenge. In 2015, we did this in the form of multiple business collaborations and by creating an advisory board with very smart people.
Now for some unknown reason, this asking for help concept is easy for business, but harder for me in certain personal situations. Especially when it comes to asking for directions (in the car when lost and the GPS goes wonky, or where to find something in any store) just ask my wife and kids.
Collaboration and partnering will help you with speed, outcomes, scale, and keep you focused on your mission.
If you want to go fast, collaborate. If you want to learn quickly, collaborate. Take note that collaboration is not for the faint hearted.
Trust and mutual benefit must be top of mind for each party. If trust is low, or one party continues to deliver and the other party fails to reciprocate, the collaboration will fail. Learn quickly where you can collaborate and with whom.
We have insight, data and practical advice on the steps and mindset necessary to rapidly increase collaboration, open innovation, and deal flow for great mutual benefit. Reach out and we’ll share.
Looking forward to 2016 and beyond, what will we do?
Our simple mission is:
Make Things. Make Things Better. Teach Others.®
We’ll continue to work our mission in helping our clients with world class education, systems and consulting that builds innovation, design, project management and supply chain capability.
We’ll expand a bit in three very important services directions:
Continue working with world class education and technology providers.
Encourage and build up our “lead from the front” clients that are looking to change the game for themselves and their teams.
Deliver more specific education content on collaboration and open innovation with key customers and suppliers.
Including Supplier Enabled Innovation™ for global teams. Watch for refreshed education programs, webinars, updated website content apps, and related technology.
Deliver on patent acceleration services.
Meaning, that we can help file and submit both provisional and full patent applications to help quickly monetize and build a patent portfolio for our clients.
All helpful and forward steps for the innovation journey.
Looking Forward!
At The Innovation Garage®…
We build strategy. We build ideas and coach innovation capability of teams. We design products, services and supply chains. We guide leaders from startup to the Global Fortune 500 to intentionally self-disrupt their offerings and companies. We provide world class education, tools and technology on how to craft innovation operating systems focused on long- term profitable growth.
Make Things. Make Things Better. Teach Others.®
Reach out to us here or visit our website at www.the-innovation-garage.com to learn more.