CEO: “Walt, there is no innovation in my company, we seem stuck, in a rut, we need to get better at innovating, I was thinking about installing an innovation initiative.”
Uncle Walt: “Does it feel like you have lost momentum and want to get it going again? Is that what you are saying, is that what you are feeling?”
CEO: “Yes, that’s exactly right, we have lost momentum and need to get the spark back.”
Uncle Walt [Smiling]: “Well good news, that means you are normal, and you can do something about it.”
I think the CEO’s word innovation, is the right word.
Innovation - Verb: “To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.”
Corporate innovation initiatives are a great idea and establishing a Discipline-of-Innovation inside the companies we work with is one of the big results 7Q7P™ delivers.
“But how do we go about doing that Walt?” This becomes the question, and I will share a little insight and a framework you can use below.
The quote 99% Perspiration 1% Inspiration captures the reality. Perspiration is the result of focused human energy. To change the future, two areas we can focus human energy upon are iteration and innovation. Together, iteration and innovation form the perspiration, the sweaty caldron of creativity that we are looking for.
Iteration - The repetition of a process. The repetition of a procedure applied to the result of a previous application, typically as a means of obtaining successively closer approximations to the solution of a problem.
So, let’s iterate and break the (99% / 1%) formula down to reality:
(70% Iteration sweaty hard work + 29% Innovation sweaty hard work) = 1% Invention/Inspiration (Maybe). (note: %s are approximate.)
Fact: We do not need the 1% to be wildly successful in business. Look at amazing profitable HVAC or Plumbing service companies, they are not inventing anything, but, they are iterating and innovating like crazy, and taking it to the bank and creating very stable jobs. That is winning in my book.
So How? We learn to ride a trike.
When we master tricycle riding we will become strong at Iterating and Innovating - locking in the 99% that will make us fierce, wildly successful competitors.
Refresher: The three wheels of the 7Q7P Perpetual Momentum Framework™ - AKA: The Innovation Trike for this article, are Operational, Structural and Cultural.
- The 70% big front wheel - How we focus our Iteration energy is thru Operational Clarity and Consistency.
- The 29% two smaller back wheels - How we focus our Innovation energy is thru Structural and Cultural Clarity and Consistency.
I like to explain the steps to achieving perpetual innovation with clients like this.
First we must install an iterative approach, then we must empower our people with the domain and authority to innovate, and then we need to reinforce this iteration and innovation with a guiding star that constantly paints the future, the why. This creates the cycle we are looking for.
- Operational is where we focus on iterating as an organization. (Method: Entrepreneurial Operating System®)
- Structural is where we focus on innovating as individuals. (Method: Organizational Cognizance Model™)
- Cultural is where we get aligned and focused on innovating as an organization for the future. (Method: 7 Question 7 Promise Framework™)
Three quick shares - mini nuggets.
Operational - Quick Share - Mini Nugget - Meeting Pulse™
In the world of EOS® there is a term Meeting Pulse™ - where the intent is to have just the right meeting pulse to keep the “circles connected”. The EOS® prescribed pulse is this: Every year we have a 2 Day Annual Strategic Planning Retreat - this is where we go into the Ten Year future and map a path back to the present through a 3 Year Picture and a One Year Plan. Every 90 days we have a Quarterly meeting where we review the work we did in the Annual and set priorities (aka Rocks) for the next 90 days (often there are Innovation Rocks inside this Rock pile) every week we meet as teams in a Level 10™ meeting where we review iterative Scorecards, Rocks and solve Issues as a team. Every 90 days each employee gets 15 minutes with their direct boss to get clarity around values, roles and individual rocks, this meeting is called the 555™.
This Meeting Pulse™ forms an iteration backbone our companies innovate from.
Structural - Quick Share - Mini Nugget - Accountable vs. Responsible
One important teaching point inside the Organizational Cognizance Model™ is the understanding of Responsible vs. Accountable. One is Responsible for doing, i.e. iterating, and one is Accountable for Thinking, where innovating mostly is done. Yes, some employees will have higher expectations of being Accountable for Thinking, for Innovating while also iterating.
Having clear Accountability creates consistent innovation.
Cultural - Quick Share - Mini Nugget - The second question of the 7 Question Framework - Believe
If people do not understand or are not bought-in to the vision of the company’s future and can not see themselves in this future, then they will not innovate. Effective innovation requires clear direction that employees Believe in. Creating and reinforcing this belief is actually tied to your iteration cycle too. In our world we recommend a company reminder every 90 days where the CEO reinforces the 7 Questions that describe the future each employee can see themselves in.
It is critical that we are able to paint a picture of the future that our employees believe in so they will understand why they are constantly iterating and understand why they are working to innovate.
Conclusion: Competitive Innovation is sweaty often boring work. We might feel like we are turning the same crank every day. However, if we know that the crank we are turning is an iterative crank that is constantly grinding on the same problem, and we know we are accountable for looking for the pieces of gold that come out of this grinding, and we know why we are doing this work, then the magic will happen. Yes, we will be sweaty and tired but we will not be hungry.
Reminders:
Innovation - Verb: “To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.”
Iteration - The repetition of a process. The repetition of a procedure applied to the result of a previous application, typically as a means of obtaining successively closer approximations to the solution of a problem.
