When you are managing teams for innovation, everyone focuses on creating better and better solutions. Otherwise, you reinforce stasis, or reliance on whatever worked yesterday.
The concept and execution of managing for innovation is a hot topic in my keynotes, workshops and coaching.
First, by focusing on innovation you and your team create outcomes which continuously meet client expectations. As a result, you not only work on specifications created when you initially win the project. Also, you create outcomes based on predictions of where that design really needs to be upon project completion, to better serve that client’s strategic needs.
As a result, managing teams for innovation relies on design, development, implementation, and control of a constantly moving target. Too hard to wrap your brain around, you say? Not really. It’s like trying to land a space rover on a moving asteroid. You’ve got this.
Consequently, the most enduring, client-focused solutions are both robust and nimble. And not just one solution every now and then, but every solution your team tackles together. Why? Because managing teams for innovation causes you and your team to innovate, as well. Thus, members become both proactive and anticipatory of what is new and next. Just like the solutions and outcomes your team becomes known for creating.
So take your team’s pulse. Are your proposed solutions just a re-hash of whatever worked Yesterday? Or do you evaluate whether Yesterday’s solutions are truly valuable for where your client needs to go, today and tomorrow? Are you standing still in stasis or continuously positioning to hit that constantly-moving target? You can learn how to become more innovative.
All it takes is your decision to move one millimeter beyond what is professionally comfortable today. So everyone gets to where they really need to go, tomorrow. Together. Ready? Let’s take these next steps forward, together.
Planning your next team, corporate or association meeting? Searching for a one-on-one catalyst to get you unstuck? Engage me to present a One Millimeter Mindset ™ program! Delivered virtually or in-person. Contact me here.
Babette Ten Haken is a refreshingly extroverted STEM professional and skeptical thinker focused on intentional innovation. She helps people, teams and organizations make hard calls when designing products, services, careers and cultures. These are not easy conversations to have. Her ability to translate cross-functional conversations between left-brain and right-brain thinkers provides different pathways for behavior, response, insight and collaboration. Think of the strategic business and human capital value of moving beyond avoidance or group-think, together. Instead, let your creativity, critical thinking, and leadership skills co-develop together, one millimeter at a time. Her playbook of cross-functional collaboration, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Contact Babette here. Image source: Adobe Stock
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