What would it take to be the innovation leader in your particular industry? When we talk about innovation, it’s easy to focus on looking for the one big idea or project that’s going to change everything. One piece of brilliant work that will redefine the company and make everybody sit up and pay attention. Except that it doesn’t really work that way. At best you turn out a great product and improve things for a little while. But almost immediately, you’re back to the question of “what’s next … can we do it again?”
If you’re serious about innovating, it can't just be something tacked on to key projects. It’s a mindset that needs to become a central part of the organization's culture. Every project is an opportunity to innovate. And to be successful, every one of those projects needs an element of innovation.
Each of them is an opportunity to make a product or service that better serves the needs of your customer. But keep in mind that innovations don’t have to be “big” things. Small things done with the right focus can have gigantic impact. Get in the habit of cranking out small innovations at every opportunity and you’ll be amazed at their combined impact.
Let's get practical: On the project you’re working on right now, how are you innovating? How are you meeting that customer need in new and better ways? If you’re not creating at least some small innovation with this project, pause to take a hard look at it. If the project is worth the time and resources being put into it, it’s worth making the effort to ship something innovative.
Let’s make the most of these opportunities and use every chance we get to make innovation a reality.