Innovation is the Engine & Your Company is the Vehicle

I drew my inspiration to write this blog while reading “The Rational Optimist” by Matt Ridley. If you haven’t read this book, you should. It offers a positive perspective, rather than the ever popular “doom perspective” which we, as humans, historically tend to cling to. The specific line I drew from was, “Nothing endures but change.” Innovation is defined in the dictionary as, “A new idea, device, or method” or “the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods.” I want to explore innovation as a mechanism for prosperity in a profession, business, and people. As you read on, think to yourself:  Am I constantly applying innovative techniques to both my business and personal lives? After finishing this article, I hope that you will understand the need for innovation.

“Equilibrium and stagnation are not only avoidable in a free exchanging world, they are impossible. You limit exchange, and you kill innovation.” Matt Ridley

What is he really saying in that statement? The way I read it is that if we simply remain in our comfort zone, we cannot grow and explore new horizons. To me, innovation is not just a buzzword, but it is a dynamic verb that categorizes what it means to be on the forefront of your industry, leading the way, and clearing the path to prosperity. Innovation can be as simple as changing something about your morning ritual that allows you to feel better throughout the day, or it can be as complex as a new process that completely changes an entire market. I view innovation as identifying the need for a change, then changing the method or process to induce positive results. Seems pretty simple, right? Well, what is one of the hardest things to break — HABITS. If we fall into a perpetual cycle of “bad” habits, before long we are so captive in our own universe, that it’s not easy to see the negative nature of that habit or behavior. It perplexes me as to why we have such a hard time embracing innovation. Is it our fear of change, is it our human nature, is it stubbornness, is it our innate beliefs that an established process must continue to be viable just because it has been in the past? I really don’t think I am qualified to pinpoint why innovation can be put into a strong-hold by the status quo, but my belief is that we don’t focus on foresight, rather we focus on hindsight. It’s always easy to appreciate innovation after it has come full circle, but it’s really hard to see innovation from the beginning. Stephen Covey says, “A good leader will lead from the right side of their brain and manage from the left.” I think that is true as it applies to innovation. Too many “leaders” and decision makers are hyper-focused on left-sided leadership and miss the boat on the opportunities presented through the right-sided looking glass. Being a change agent is not easy and it can be incredibly frustrating at times. Some of the lessons I’ve learned are:

1. Communicate your innovation vision clearly, simply, and completely
2. Relate your innovation idea/concept/proposal in a manner that the recipient can see value
3. Hold fast to your innovation, for if you waiver, you lose credibility, don’t be afraid to walk away
4. If the recipient of your innovation can see that it will bring a positive impact, your chance of implementation is far greater

Having a method or a process is imperative when you’re looking to drive positive change. FlexPAC’s Operations Maximizer is an amazing tool to organize an innovative idea and change to an operation that could benefit from the process, product, or technology innovations. It is a simple 6 step process that has proven time and time again to positively impact an organization’s overall operational costs.

1. The Meeting Blueprint
2. The Operational Analysis
3. The Return Report
4. The Validation Process
5. The Strategic Rollout
6. The Elevation Review

Through this process, there are 9 metrics that are held as deliverables to produce accountability, and these 9 metrics are discussed up front, a value is placed on the amount of benefit, and then during the “Review” step, accountability is measured. I am of the frame of mind that prosperity will always outpace stagnation for over the billions of years our Earth has existed, prosperity has won. There have been and always will be setbacks, but the big picture perspective is that life will continue to win. The speed at which we grow is where innovation has its most profound impact. Remember when I discussed hindsight, well posterity can be positive when it supports growth as learning from our mistakes is imperative.

When we evaluate spending, whether it be time, capital, or resources, we must allocate that accordingly to make the future better/ Innovation is the engine that drives us to prosperity, we are the fuel that will keep the engine running. That is the beauty of the human dynamic, we are always striving to reach new heights, and that is why we will continue our upward climb both as a species and as a collective society, contrary to the mainstream rhetoric that promotes the opposite. Collaboration encourages and accelerates innovation, it does not discourage it. If you look at the growth rate of the human race, the common innovation that has driven this is our ability to share and exchange information.

If you’re not growing, you’re dying, be the change agent and challenge yourself to grow your business, yourself, and your circle of influence as often as possible. If you are ready to innovate your process, contact us to learn how to gather data, gain insight, and optimize profit.