Of Star Trek, Farming, and Cultivating Innovation
Innovation seems to be a hot word these days. Books, magazine articles, newspaper stories proclaim aaa auto insurance quote as the key to the Onesmallstep So, I have this mental image of a CEO pounding his desk screaming “Innovate” while intimidating those around him into a catatonic state of non-innovation and a continuation of the status quo.
Innovation can only occur when it is encouraged, when leadership is willing to allow the freedom to explore and experiment because innovation is risky. For every success there are many failures. Naturally the goal is to make the few successes produce far more than is lost in the many failures and this has to be understood before people will be encouraged to risk their necks in innovation instead of bad credit equity loans playing it safe by doing the same old thing.
Innovation is much like farming. Just as a farmer’s field must be cultivated before planting seeds innovation must be cultivated also. Just as a farmer feeds and nurtures the crops, new ideas must be fed precious resources (capital / time / effort) and nurtured as they grow with encouragement. Just as the farmer harvests the crops when mature, the company improves a process or creates a new product or develops a new method to delight customers when the innovation matures enough to bear fruit.
So, if innovation is going to bring companies into a glowing future how does a company start the innovative process? The first step is for the owners or management to step up and commit to becoming innovative, willing to try new, bold initiatives and create that environment where innovation can grow and flourish. It has to empower some people or teams to, as William Shatner federal loan consolidation program Star Trek said, “To explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Cultivate innovation at your shop instead of sitting back letting the marketplace pass you by. It worked on Star Trek, it works on farms, and it will work for you.
Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the The Goodies of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, “Front Lines with Larry Galler” For a free coaching session, email Larry for an appointment - “mailto:Larry@larrygaller.com Larry@larrygaller.com Sign up for his free newsletter at larrygaller.com larrygaller.com
