Draw the Lines…then Color Outside Them

The chance to build fresh, to innovate, to drive creative solutions gets me up in the morning. Leaders that I work with — extraordinary changemakers — feel the same way.

But I see a pattern in many of us. We’re ready to eat dessert…. and we move right past the vegetables!

In a world where we’re constantly pitching to investors, donors and potential supporters, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement. We are conquering new territory, doing it better than anyone else. We live and breathe innovation.

I’ve always found, however, that innovation is a process, not a moment. And for the leader of an existing organization, this process of innovation, by necessity, builds on an existing framework – an organizational launchpad that houses their team, funds, and experience.

In my work with these leaders, we spend a lot of time building and examining their launchpads, preparing for a new, game-changing effort.  We’ve learned a few things along the way:

·       Money makes the world go ‘round.  Get your financial house in order and you’ll be much better positioned to invest in innovation. Your Board and investors won’t second guess you when there are strategic reserves you can direct to new efforts. And you’ll be able to allocate time and resources to new efforts without anxiety.

·       Keep your eyes and ears open. As a leader, you should be spending at least 20-30% of your time engaging stakeholders, networking, assessing the market. You will always be your best strategy consultant. Use these moments purposefully to do your own competitive analysis, refine your plans, find the right partners.

·       Piggyback on current efforts. Money for R&D and other strategic investments is hard to come by – do your best to weave in relevant research, market feasibility studies, product development efforts into your existing efforts. Think of this as lean startup work, built on top of your existing engine.

·       Recalibrate your Compass: If successful, your new effort will shift the overall momentum of your organization. Make incremental shifts that don’t affect your current operations but will prove valuable when you launch something new. An easy example is replacing departing staff with team members well suited for what you are planning. That is just the beginning. A dynamic, learning organization will present plenty of opportunities for you to start cementing your vision.

·       Bring along key players: Finally, there will be a moment when you require approvals from your board, investors and others to move forward. Slow down enough to engage them early, build collective ownership over the plan. If you can’t survive their kick of the tires, that probably says something.

At a certain point in the process of innovation, you’ll strap in for liftoff and you’ll know you’re ready. Enjoy the ride!