10 Innovation Proverbs for Leaders
I received this from Joyce Wycoff a long time ago. It's interesting that what many people claim as “innovation” would not qualify as innovation according to below.
- PEOPLE do innovation.
- Innovation means doing something that has not been done before. By definition there is risk involved. No risk; no innovation.
- Innovation is a win-win process. It creates new value for the customer and the organization.
- Innovation is a team sport. Teams are built around a common objective and trust.
- Innovation requires risk. Risk-taking requires trust. Trust requires honesty and openness.
- Innovation requires energy. Energy comes from challenges that excite the imagination.
- Innovation is about creating the future. Cost-cutting and downsizing are about fixing the past.
- Innovation is not just a rah-rah word or fad. It is an investment in the future that requires new processes, time, energy, commitment and resources.
- Innovation requires new information — from co-workers, customers, suppliers, competitors and from the world.
- Innovation requires time — time to think, time to tinker, time to talk about possibilities and ideas. Down-to-the-second controls can kill innovation.
by Joyce Wycoff
“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience.” Henry Miller