Unleash the innovator within

Five key ways to unleash the hidden potential for innovative thinking in your business and achieve high levels of success:

THINK TWO GENERATIONS AHEAD

Envision your company 50 or even 100 years from now, even if you don’t foresee your product or service lasting that long. Such forward-looking reflection creates an umbrella for long-term innovation to occur. Working back from your 50-or 100-year vision plan in 10-year increments, ask and answer the critical “who, what, where, when, why and how” questions about your business. For instance, who will your target demographic be; what will your core products and business focus be; where will your office(s) and facilities be located ; when will key business milestones be achieved, why will your business matter 10, 15 or 50 years from now and how are you going to achieve your business goals.

CONFRONT & PARTNER WITH THE UNCONSCIOUS

Experts suggest that of all the experiences, knowledge and data stored in our minds, we are only “conscious” of and actively use just 10% of it. The other 90% resides in our “unconscious” — it’s this part of our mind we can tap into for valuable insights daily. For the next 21 days, write one paragraph about some aspect of your leadership process that you want to improve. The more you write about a problem, the more you’ll tap your unconscious for innovative ideas about solving it.

AIM TO INCREASE ENERGY, NOT JUST EFFICIENCY

Do a quick energy audit of your employees to understand what energises them and fuels their personal growth. If you understand what energises them, you’ll be able to implement actions that motivate your employees and increase productivity. Ask every employee to identify the three things that energise him or her the most about their jobs. Also ask them to identify the things they’re not currently doing that would energise them. Then match your employees to the energising activities that best fit their talents and skills and needs. Also ask your staff to identify the three things that steal their energy. Help your management team reduce the activities that de-energise the workplace.

ESTABLISH THE FREEDOM TO INNOVATE

Creativity drives change. So tap into your employees’ intuitive side by ritualising “ingenuity time” on the job. Utilising creative techniques can often help people see issues more clearly. Set aside enough money for your team to compete for an industry-related contest. It will keep your top people on their toes. Encourage people to draw a diagram or depiction of their business problem or challenge in the form of a character or situation. Then ask that they sketch the conclusion they envision that would resolve the matter. Seeing their problem put to life often helps people envision the best solution.

START TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

Any problem you’re directly involved and which you wish to solve requires reflection on your role and responsibility related to that problem. While you may not be the primary cause of the problem, reflecting on your role will help you better understand and acknowledge how you may have contributed to it. When you have a problem employee, start the fix by asking yourself: “What changes do I have to make in myself to help this person perform better?” You may not always identify something that needs changing, but the mere matter of asking and spending some time on reflecting will make you a better leader.

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(Adapted from http://www.entrepreneur.com/ )

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3.23 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."