Ehem…. Innovation creates success and being innovative in your business is one of the keys to being successful. Innovation is the introduction of new processes, new ways of doing things and revolutionising how things have been accomplished previously. Innovation isn't just about improvement; it's much more than that. Improvement is taking what you have and making it better - doing more of the same but better, whereas innovation is about discovering new methods and making changes.
Innovation requires you to think and come out of your self-perceived box. As an individual your box will differ from other people's and the edge of your box is where you start to experience limiting thoughts and beliefs. You'll need to step beyond these in order to be innovative.For instance, the edge of your box may be that "There is no way this can be achieved in these time restraints", whereas stepping outside it is "What new ideas and methods can we utilise to get this done?", or "What can be done
differently?" and "To get this done what shift do I need to make in my approach?".Perhaps the shift you need to make is to be more focused, inspired or challenged. So visualize yourself as this person. This will stretch you beyond the limitations of the situation and create a new experience.
Being innovative requires you to think and be wacky and tactfully as well. The ideas you generate may seem ridiculous or even outrageous, but keep going and make them even more far-fetched (always remember why Superman remain as super hero for decades). Then you'll find some gems of inspiration, even if they're only small to start with. Be willing to move beyond the way it's always been.
To be innovative you need to be willing to give it one more go. When some things don't work out and may be seen as a "failure", you need to rise above this and not let it dampen your spirits. Innovators are not satisfied with the status quo; they're ready to shake it up and be outrageous.
One aspect that holds people back from being innovative is they don't see themselves as such. They believe innovation is reserved for the elite few. This isn't necessarily true. Most people have the potential to be innovative. They may not have experienced this before or been willing to see it and play with it.
You can be innovative if you choose to be so. The first step is often to give yourself freedom to be innovative. Enjoy this freedom and allow yourself time for this innovation to surface. You may need to loosen up before your innovative juices really start to flow.Aside from self-belief in your innovative powers, a strong compelling vision for your business allows innovations to come to life. Your business vision is your dream, what you 'see' as possible. It's an out of the box, unrealistic, inspiring, idealistic and possibly outrageous statement for your business.Your vision opens up a new paradigm, a new level of thinking and being which encourages your innovation to grow.
