Innovate, Don't Luxuriate.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is one of the most motivating speakers on innovation I have heard. I had the pleasure of hearing her in Boston at a SIPA event earlier this year.

Here is some of the advice I captured, interpreted or mangled: 1) Establish a budget for innovative ideas. It doesn’t need to be large, just enough to at least give an idea a push. 2) Create space and time for innovation, e.g. 15% of your staff’s time could be spent on new projects they choose. 3) Create a process and culture for innovation. You will find new ideas if your staff knows you want them, and they know what to do with them. 4) Consider an “innovation jam” or exposition where employees show off their ideas. 5) Don’t restrict innovation by measuring with the same old metrics. Be innovative about how you measure success as well. Your old metrics may no longer be valid. 6) Don’t consider only huge ideas. No big idea ever started out that way. A lot of small ideas add up. 7) Tap all employees for innovation. One of her clients, a food company, was anxious for market feedback. She reminded them that they have thousands of employees, and every one of them eats. 8) Know your goals. You may not have all the answers when you test a new idea, but you should know what you hope to gain from it.