Innovation: In 8 Simple Steps

Innovation was a catch phrase a few decades ago.  You really didn't need to innovate that much to stay alive.  Today-different story.  The creative and innovative process is accelerating and if you don't keep innovating as an individual, as a team, and as a company you will dramatically shorten the life of your usefulness.

One mentor said, "Every business has a definite lifespan."  Some industries are longer than others but they all end-unless they innovate and change.  The same is true with your usefulness as an individual.  If you are not learning, growing, and implementing new habits you will be left in the dust by the next generation.

Here are some steps to innovating.

1.  What is a need that is not being met?  The customer may know the need or, as Steve Jobs demonstrated, they may not.  The other way to start is instead of a need to meet, imagine an ideal future.  Star Trek writer Gene Rodenberry imagined what Skype created.

He imagined cell phones,  along with wireless ear devises, 
and (sorry Mr. Jobs), the tablet market. 

2.  Identify trends that are impacting those needs?  These can be, but not limited, to cultural trends, business and trends, personal habitual trends, political trends, and mob mentality trends.  Whatever trends that impact you need-both positive and negative.

3.  Create a brainstorm team.  The team may be just yourself.  This team should be no more than four people.  More than that and the strong personality will drive the agenda of the meeting.  But create a team that comes from various departments, personality styles, but who have direct contact with the problem or customers.

4.  Add a person from the outside to the team.  This person can be from a separate department than others or from a different company.  For your personal innovation, get someone who does know the problem intimately.  This person becomes a fresh seed from which to germinate innovation.  WARNING:  If this becomes a longer project than 3 months, this person will become part of the team and you will need a new outsider.

5.  Have each member create a list of possible innovations on their own.  Earl Nightingale in his program, The Strangest Secret had an exercise of 20 answers.  He encouraged the listener to write a question at the top of a piece of paper.  Then create 20 answers.  No matter how ridiculous create 20 answers.  Many times the most creative is not in the first 10.  The first 10 are obvious ones that you either tried or discounted. 

6.  If you are in a group, have everyone give the three best ideas.  Put them up on something that everyone can see.

7.  Project plan the idea that has two traits:  (1) The most likely to succeed and make the desired impact and (2) the one that will have the best return on the money and efforts invested.   Check out my quick blog entry on Resource Planning.

8.  Implement the plan.  Continually revise the project and track the progress and set backs.  Keep the plan flexible for unforeseen obstacles that arise. 


Innovation is NOT just coming up with the idea.  We are all creative and can do that.  Innovation is the ability to both create the idea and create the reality of the idea.