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Innovation

Jul 06
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Doing It For You, To Doing It Together – To Now Doing It Yourself

By Agency Business Coaching Innovation No Comments

The vast majority of my clients run service-based businesses. This means that they sell time in some form or fashion – be it through consultants, graphics designers, or media specialists – and are quite used to taking a traditional approach when a client approaches them; “you need something done, we’ll do the work.”

But over the last couple of years, there’s been a large migration towards the productization of particular services; an attempt to convert a service into some kind of product or process for the client to be more involved in.

This new approach allows for the service provider to make the same amount of money according to the result, as opposed to the time it takes to provide the service.

It’s a clever new strategy that changes the narrative from ‘I, as the provider, do it for you’ to ‘we, the provider and client, do it together’ to ‘you the client, can do it yourself (with a bit of help)’.

Giving You The Tools To Do It Yourself

With technology transforming the way that we do things, especially in business, it’s safe to say that there will be newer and more effective ways to provide solutions to clients. Many service-based businesses are finding exciting ways to wrap their service into some sort of product that the end-user can use to produce results by themselves.

Traditionally, the provider would have to engage in manual processes that take up a lot of time, effort and engagement. However, over the last 10 years or so, we’ve seen technology involve the client in more and more of the processes required to get the job done – with the provider and client working together to save both time and energy.

Now with artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing becoming an integral part of our lives, we see these processes move into the hands and space of the client. This means that, with a bit of guidance, the client can do the work by themselves and have better control of the outcome.

One of the biggest questions that sit on the minds of these companies is “instead of charging time, how do we charge a flat price and automate some of the production within that service that the client is either aware, or unaware of?”

This has led to different companies discovering a loophole in the system and taking full advantage of it: Instead of the traditional approach of the provider doing the thinking, research and hard work, there’s a shift towards pushing the client to do most of the heavy-lifting with assistance from the provider.

An example of this is in providing the service of conducting interviews to gain insight that will later be put into a report. Instead of spending hours in a room asking the same repetitive questions and writing down a shit load of answers – making use of Google Forms to extract that information is far easier to do and brings about the same results.

Other than the ease-of-use, it’s a major time- and cost-saver for the provider.

With technology advancing these processes, instead of charging for time, you charge for the output – resulting in the same profits, but less work from the provider.

By adopting this method, service-based businesses are able to help guide and advise the client on the best route to take when they need a specific problem solved. It not only helps the customer create a more suitable solution for him/herself, but also makes the job far easier to do for the provider, while freeing up time to do more tasks and make more money.

Sure, it might not be suitable for every business, as some services need special expertise to execute a task, but this approach has certainly made a significant impact on the service-based industry as a whole.

And as a business owner, this is great news for you.

Making it a priority to determine whether or not your service is capable of a similar conversion will improve efficiency, productivity and overall profits.

With the ever-expanding landscape of technology, certain jobs will become far easier to do through automation and it would be pure sacrilege to not look into this new approach.

If you’re too conservative and prefer the traditionalist approach, then you might just lose out on these new opportunities for growth – as well as the advantage of being at the forefront of introducing new productised services to the market.

There are so many examples of these productized services, including: design-as-a-service, where you’re able to make your own custom designs through application-based tools and templates; marketing-as-a-service, where you can market and sell products/services through simple and effective features on the web; and even customer-support-as-a-service, where one company handles customers from different businesses, while still providing them with a great customer experience.

The world is quickly adapting to this approach and you should consider jumping on the bandwagon if you want your company to remain relevant in the years to come.

Let customers and clients do it themselves.  

Sure, there might be a few coaching-as-a-service companies out there, but none can quite compare to the way that I do things.

You see, technology hasn’t quite captured the essence of a highly-effective, caring, energetic and experienced business coach, just yet.

Maybe it will happen someday. But, all I know is that I’m here to stay and can make a superb difference in your business and your life.

Get in touch and I’ll prove it to you: +2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

 

Jun 28
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Capturing Vistas In The Three Horizons

By Business Coaching Innovation Strategy No Comments

As a proponent of technology, science and society, Bill Sharpe has come up with a powerful way to view the current, the potential and the future states of business and entrepreneurship, naming it The Three Horizons.

The angle that he takes is to change our viewpoints from that of a one-dimensional perspective to a three-dimensional way of seeing the world.

As a business coach, I feel his insight is profound and enlightening for all those that come into contact with this way of thinking and engaging with both life and business.

The Present, The Potential and The Future 

It goes without saying that nobody is capable of seeing or predicting the future, especially after the impact that Covid has made on the many industries that have either suffered or succeeded during such an intense time.

But the awareness that comes with acting in a one-dimensional view of reality has become irrational, to say the least; there needs to be far more attention paid to the potential change that comes with time and the new paradigms that we will come into contact with in the future.

If there is one thing that we can all agree on being consistent, it’s that change is inevitable.

As a business owner or entrepreneur, you need to work on being inclusive of the thought-processes that come with widening your scope to include the possibilities of that which is to come and the guaranteed shift in worldviews that inevitably arrive with the future; allowing yourself to see the world in a more three-dimensional light.

Sharpe has divided and defined these three viewpoints as three horizons that should always be considered and adopted into your thinking process when running a business: with the First Horizon referring to the present moment and what needs to be done in the here and now; the Second Horizon pointing out the potential of the near future and what can be developed, innovated or grown to shape and move towards that point; and the Third Horizon being the unpredictable and unforeseeable future that will ultimately shape all that we know.

In your approach to the timelines that exist when building your business strategy, these three horizons should be implemented in your vision and considered at all points when navigating through the ever-changing circumstances of life.

Many of the clients that I work with run their businesses within the First Horizon; in a reactive manner that is inclusive of the present and without much interest paid to the short and long-term future that is yet to come. This certainly works, but when the Second and Third Horizons come into play, there often isn’t enough innovation or preparation taken to deal with the inescapable shift in gear.

Just as much focus needs to be given to the Second Horizon, as well. It’s a transitional period that sets our sights towards the potential of the near future, where infrastructure and technology shape innovation and bring with it a whole new set of circumstances that need dealing with. By opening your mind to the “what if” moments of several months or a year down the line, you’ll be surprised at what can be anticipated and developed to cater to these changes.

Taking a stroll through history, there are always patterns that repeat themselves and that should be worked into a means of predicting what’s to come and how to work with those predictions and possible circumstances.

With a keen eye and diverse mind, you can analyse, determine and form insights into what the future might hold and prepare yourself for endless possibilities; certain patterns are unavoidable, but predictable, with natural disasters, technological advancements and new innovations, we can see the Third Horizon open up and ensure that we take better control of the wheel.

Open Your Mind And Your Sights 

The Second and Third Horizons can certainly seem quite daunting when attempting to look at what the predictable and unpredictable future might hold, but by taking the time to let it simmer and by engaging with this thought process, you’re able to make better-informed decisions for your business.

You open the way to see what could be and innovate, accordingly. This gives your business and your vision a head-start in taking the future on, rather than being shocked and disoriented by any surprises that might come knocking on your door.

We are aware of the ever-growing potential of artificial intelligence, the unpredictable nature of diseases and pandemics, the direction that businesses are headed towards in learning the psychology of the customer, the leader and the employee; so by keeping well-informed and educated on such topics, you’re able to deduce and induce particular changes that the world will most certainly introduce to our civilization, as a whole.

Knowledge truly acts as a form of power in looking towards these new horizons, bringing with it innovation, adaptation and potential in sky-rocketing your business towards the beautiful vistas of the future.

Engage with that future and don’t focus too much energy on the single dimension of the present; open up your mind’s eye, view business and life in three dimensions and see the opportunities of the present and the future.

In my three-dimensional vision for the world, I can certainly see you as being a part of it. If you haven’t seen the testimonies, just yet – be sure to check them out.

With that, I’m able to predict the levels of growth and success that I can bring to your business and will provide the greatest level of coaching you’ve ever seen!

You can believe that.

If you’re a bit curious and want to know what exactly I’ll offer you (other than time, expertise, advice, strategies and the best insight) contact me for a one-on-one:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

May 24
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Sacrifice Versus Stimulus

By Business Coaching Consulting Innovation Strategy No Comments

I’ve come to find that within a growing number of industries, more specifically in  tech-dominated spaces, that more and more entrepreneurs are becoming reliant on the idea of finding investors, or some form of financial backing before taking their solution to market and starting a business.

This notion that there needs to be funding or some form of stimulus before making the decision to create a business is somewhat ridiculous, in my opinion.

I don’t know if hard-work, sacrifice and the due diligence required to prove oneself in the market isn’t as important anymore; or if I’m just outdated.

Doing Sales Versus Hunting Down Investors

 I’m finding it quite interesting that more and more potential entrepreneurs are avoiding taking a route to success through the sacrifice of time, effort and resources in order to get their company started and off the ground – instead they opt for some sort of external funding.

This sort of logic shows that it would be wiser to spend precious productivity on chasing down investment and financial support in search of someone to fund your dream business – when all of that drive and ambition could be spent on developing the product and sales strategy to achieve that goal through one’s own volition.

There’s a lot of conversation around the idea that starting a company without funding is far too difficult or strenuous to be achieved in this day and age, and that spending time on a sales deck to lure in an investor would be the right way to go about making this happen.

But very few start-ups need this type of external investment and I find it a bit lazy to avoid the more traditional route of sacrificing your own resources and pushing your hardest to achieve success on your own terms, without the need for that sort of intervention.

I’m not saying that investors are a bad thing, either, but when too much emphasis is placed on financial support, it can be somewhat problematic and hinder your growth as an entrepreneur.

If the time is taken to develop the product or service and some sort of financial sacrifice is made to put your solution out there, then it’s far more applaudable and attractive to potential investors that could provide funding further down the line.

By putting more ambition and drive into your product or service and showing that you believe in what you’re bringing to the world, you’re likely to achieve far more results.

Other than the achievement that comes with that desire to make the necessary sacrifices to start a great business, you’re granted far more autonomy and freedom in the decision-making processes and feel much more empowered at the end of the day.

As someone that has invested and provided financial backing to people and their dream businesses, I always consider certain criteria and would never blindly give away money without weighing out the attitude and character of the entrepreneur, first.

That being said, one of the biggest motivators that will attract me towards investing in a potential business owner is their ambition and the momentum they’re able to create in pushing their solution through sales, sacrifice and determination. There’s a certain level of reluctance I feel toward giving my money to someone that doesn’t show me that they have these qualities and don’t have enough belief in their solution to brave the storm themselves.

I suggest to anybody that wants to start a business and conquer the mountains that come with being an entrepreneur, to have enough belief in their product or service to first engage in the sales, marketing and make the sacrifices needed to brave that inevitable storm.

If your ambition is to be an entrepreneur, a successful business owner and believe that you have what it takes to take your solution to the market on your own terms, but require a bit of guidance and advice: as a successful business coach, I can help you with that.

Perhaps you’ve been putting in the effort and have a solution that you know is of real value to particular markets and industries, but can’t get past a certain point and might need some financial intervention: I can also help you with that.

It’s quite easy to grab my attention, as my phone is always fully charged and I’m constantly reloading my emails page, waiting in anticipation for a client just like you – so, let’s make something happen, soon: [small investment required]

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

 

Apr 16
Love0

Looking Through The Customer Window – What Do They Want?!

By Business Coaching Innovation Strategy No Comments

Imagine you could look at a magical window that would show you what to look for when dealing with your client’s satisfaction – one that would help you understand what your perfect client looks like and wants.

This mystical tool will help to ensure that you’re building your service around the needs and desires of your client and ensure that you remain competitive in the market.

In that case, you don’t have to keep imagining. I might just have the right trick up my sleeve for you. No sleight of hand, no smoke and mirrors – just a simple quadrant that will aid in the first stage of your strategy.

Introducing: The Customer Window

During the delightful process of building out your strategy (especially your product strategy) and in understanding what your perfect client looks like, one of the tools you can make use of is a very simple quadrant that I’ve come up with for business owners.

It’s a great tool that I make sure I provide my clients with for their business and should be used on a regular basis (at least once a year) to check on customer-satisfaction levels and to ensure that you’re building your service for the client and remaining as competitive as possible in the market.

This tool should be used during the first stage of your strategic planning, when you’re going through the research phase and trying to understand what your ideal customer, or client looks like.

Investigating your customer-satisfaction levels ends up becoming extremely important in developing a sound strategy and it can be done through the use of questionnaires, or even asking your team internally.

Not only will it help you in understanding the customer’s satisfaction/dissatisfaction towards your product solution, but will also help you measure the adequacy/inadequacy of that entire solution and provide a more complete picture of your business delivery.

1 Window, 4 Questions = One Happy Camper 

In providing a method of analysis that aids in strategic planning, it will also bring more insight into how you should innovate products accordingly.

Each quadrant has a specific question that needs answering:

 

  • What does your customer want and not get from you? Think long and hard about that question and then map out exactly what you can provide for them. It can be solutions or additions outside of the actual product, as well; it could be that he/she wants quicker turnaround time; he/she wants more, or less, detailed reporting; maybe more face-time; even better pricing options; or benefits with the current pricing. What does he/she want and not get?
  • What does the customer want and get? It doesn’t seem like a difficult question to answer and that’s because it isn’t. It is important however, to recognise what they want and that you’re giving them what they want; identifying whether or not they are happy with what you’re providing to keep providing it in the best possible way.
  • What does the customer not want, but gets anyway? As important as it is to provide extra benefits or services, it’s even more important to recognise whether or not they even care about the fact that it’s there or not; if the customer gets something that they don’t even care about, you’ll be far better off removing it and saving the time or resources that it takes to give them that offering.
  • What does the customer not want and not get? Seems stupid to even bother asking that question, but in seeking an answer to that question, you have more to gain. By compiling a list to ensure that you don’t start offering crap that they don’t want, you make sure that you don’t start offering it in future. Rather avoid chasing a shiny penny that the customer doesn’t want or care about. Save the trouble; save the time.

So there you have it – an easy way to get right into the first stage of your strategy by doing some simple customer research and evaluating what the customer is actually looking for.

You get an idea of your perfect customer or client; what they want or don’t want; and where you can save time, energy and resources doing unnecessary work.

What do I want, but not get from you? A call, an email, a meeting with you;

What do I want, but get from you? Your interest, engagement and attention;

What do I not want and get from you? Nothing. You’re simply perfect;

What do I not want and not get from you? I don’t want you to not see me as the best business coach you’ll ever have and I’m waiting on you to reach out and make me yours.

You know how to reach me, you know an amazing opportunity when you see one:

+2783 253 3339

brent@spillly.com

Now don’t waste another second answering questions. Be like Nike and “Just Do It”.

Oct 22
Love0

Social Truths – A Master Class on Social Media Strategy and Content

By Agency Business Innovation Social Media Strategy No Comments

“Transparency may be the most disruptive and far-reaching innovation to come out of social media.”

Many brands and business are on social media. Why? Because they feel they have to be. In this master class we will take a reflective view as to why you are on social media, what exactly you are trying to achieve and what does success look like. If you’re an agency running social media on behalf of brands, a brand running your own social media or a business with your own social media channels, then let us help you look at your social media truths and execute your social media according to a strategic plan.

Social Media is not just another marketing channel, but where you can have meaningful conversations with your customers, potential customers and people who are interested in your brand. Social media enables you to humanize your brand, drive brand advocacy and referrals, but can also open you up to risk if not managed properly.

COURSE OUTLINE

The HALF day hands-on practical Master class will feature sessions that include:

  • Why Social Media

○An overview of the landscape and best practice per channel

  • Structuring a social media team

○How to effectively set up a social media team and with what skill set

  • How to plan and deliver on campaign strategies

○A simple tool that will allow you to plan, deliver and measure results

  • Mapping out your social media strategy and content plan

○We will do a practical plan on how to map this out for your channels

  • Resources to help you manage and execute on your social media

○Accessible tools to help you manage your social media

  • When should you use influencers

○The good, the bad and the ugly

  • Paid media

○An overview of getting visibility beyond organic algorithms

Most importantly, this workshop shows how how to position yourself on social media, understanding how to structure and set up your team, as well as creating content that’s right for your brand.

HOW WILL YOU BENEFIT?

On the day, you will be taken through a program that looks at your existing social media channels and how you can improve on them by taking a step back, rethinking your team, your resources as well as how you plan content effectively.

This investment should enable you to run your social media effectively, which in turn drives benefits for your business whether it being positive sentiment or driving leads.

This will be an informal but interactive day. All participants are encouraged to participate,

ask questions and make observations from their own perspectives and experiences. There will also be practical activities to ensure you walk way with useful implementation plans on running and executing your social media effectively and efficiently.

IDEAL NUMBER AND PROFILE OF PARTICIPANTS

Maximum 20 participants

The course content is universally relevant to all businesses, regardless of industry or size and will help a freelancer, community manager or a corporate marketer come to grips and plan their future social media requirements.

COST OF WORKSHOP:

The total fee for this process is R4699 per participant INCLUDING VAT. This includes refreshments, breakfast, as well as any materials provided on the day.

WHO IS DELIVERING THE CLASS?

Elena is a seasoned publishing, content, social media and digital marketing professional. Previously head of social media and content at Aqua (now Wunderman) she now consults to numerous agencies and brands. At the forefront of social media marketing in London in 2010, Elena has gone on to clock up career highlights such as establishing the MTN Group’s social media policies, guidelines and strategies across 22 Opcos; as well as creating a social media command centre for a global beverage company.

Known locally to many agencies as a secret weapon to bed down new clients (on-boarding teams, setting up policies and guidelines, writing strategies), she is also adept at working direct with clients to manage their agencies.

Brent Spilkin over the past 7 years has helped over 150 advertising, media, marketing, PR, digital, software, branding and content businesses and their owners develop, manage crisis, strategize and flourish. He has clients throughout South Africa, Israel, The United Kingdom and The United States that now generate over two billion Rands worth of annual sales revenue. His mini-MBA text book is now lectured through reputable private tertiary colleges. He is a loud-mouthed, tech-adopting, motorcycle-riding business coach who won’t settle for mediocrity.

He has an endless supply of hope when it comes to the resurrection of a beautiful, successful South Africa in which he wants to live and thrive.

BOOK TICKETS HERE:

https://qkt.io/WsjJPD

Mar 20
Love0

Innovation and disruption labs exposed.

By Business Business Management Coaching Innovation

At first Google ruined our perception of culture and set standards so ridiculously high that most business in South Africa doesn’t even attempt to fix their culture because the bar has been set so high. Now with their skunkwork’s “Solve for X” and the acquisition of Idealab Google have outsourced the smart thinking and can afford to hire the best minds in the world to help solve problems most of us don’t even know are problems yet. This should not stop even the smallest business from being innovative and disruptive in their immediate space. But what is Innovation and disruption besides the trendy terms that are thrown around and leadership conferences?

 

Its important to get your head around that fact that all disruptors are innovators, but not all innovators are disruptors. A disruptive technology or idea literraly changes the way we think, behave and buy and can influence countless people to experience something new in their lives. Innovation can do the same thing but more often than not, is incremental and has a smaller impact on the general populus but does simplify, speed up and improve something to justify the change.

 

The next imporant fact is that you are more than likely not going to be the ground breaking innovator in your industry and your opposition will be first to market. And thats perfectly okay. In Adam Grant’s book “Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World” he beautifully explains how marketing researchers Peter Golder and Gerard Tellis compared the success of companies that were either pioneers or settlers.

 

The pioneers were first to market: the initial company to develop or sell a product. The settlers were slower to launch and waited until the pioneers had created a market before entering it. When Golder and Tellis analyzed hundreds of brands in three dozen different product categories, they found a staggering difference in failure rates: 47 percent for pioneers, compared with just 8 percent for settlers. Pioneers were about six times more likely to fail than settlers. Even when the pioneers did survive, they only captured an average of 10 percent of the market, compared with 28 percent for settlers. Feel better?

 

When you see disruptive innovations coming from outside your organization you have 3 options:

1.     Option 1: Chase the market

2.     Option 2: Find new markets based on your expertise

3.     Option 3: A non-productive approach, to deny that the disruptive innovation will affect you market at all and continue business as usual. Lets all bury our heads in the sand, shall we?

 

When you learn of a radical new invention that threatens to disrupt your business and market, do not ignore it and don’t “insulate” against these disruptive threats and try preserving your current business model. Don’t be afraid to educate the market if the move is happening especially if you are leading the charge.

 

So how should you bake innovation into your company?

 

At the pharmaceutical giant Merck, CEO Kenneth Frazier decided to motivate his executives to take a more active role in leading innovation and change. He asked them to do something radical: generate ideas that would put Merck out of business. His executives worked in groups, pretending to be one of Merck’s top competitors. His team developed ideas for drugs that would crush theirs and key markets they had missed. Then, their challenge was to reverse their roles and figure out how to defend against these threats as Merck.

 

This is referred to as a “Kill the company” exercise. Its super powerful as it reframes a gain-framed activity in terms of losses. When deliberating about innovation opportunities, the leaders weren’t inclined to take risks. When they considered how their competitors could put them out of business, they realized that it was a risk not to innovate. The urgency of innovation was apparent

Running an innovation lab or disruption session in your business is a great starting point. Start with some hard-hitting questions that address what actions might your competitors take tomorrow that would keep you awake at night. Other questions you can pose your team are as follows:

 

 

a.     What new technology could potentially destroy our business model?

b.    What new legislation/law could potentially destroy our business model?

c.     What’s happening in another part of the world that you could adopt and adapt in your environment?

d.    What are some of the disruptive changes in your industry that might serve as the source of innovation for you and your company?

e.    What are the key emerging technologies, and how are they being used inside and outside your industry, company, and region to create proprietary advantage?

f.      Is there new business models emerging that you can adopt or adapt to deliver radical improvements in the way you and others do business?

g.     Can you expand not just your “share of market” but also your “share of wallet” by adding new business models—for example, if you currently have a product business, can you add information, services, or solutions?

h.    Can you expand into adjacent businesses by either taking over activities that used to be done by someone else in your industry, expanding into new markets, or adding new products?

i.      Are there fragmented industries where significant value can be delivered through consolidation?

j.      Are there shifts in power with an entry or exit of a key player or consolidation of several players, which threaten your existing position or create opportunities to partner in your existing business or enter a new one?

k.     Are new markets or businesses emerging in other parts of the world that create opportunities or threats?

l.      Are there opportunities to create value by outsourcing or offshoring activities that you currently perform inside your organization?

m.   Is there activities that you currently source from outside that you should be doing inside to create proprietary advantage?

n.    Is there impending or shifts in regulation, political power, or society that threaten to disrupt entrenched power bases and provide opportunities for new entrants?

o.    Where is the greatest complexity now?

p.    What are the most “emotion-generating/engaging” service attributes you can offer that you could never satisfy?

 

It is never a bad idea to throw in a PEST or SWOT analysis into the mix to thicken out the risk elements. Always think of worst-case scenario first and work your way towards a winning strategy. Successful entrepreneurs are able to recognize patterns before an opportunity takes shape and search for ideas at the intersection of markets, industries, and emerging technologies. Look for business models that work well in one market and can be adapted and applied in another.

 

An innovation workshop is never the only step to creating disruption in your business or market place. The stages you should try including are:

 

a.    Problem identification (customer journeys for anywhere between 1 month and 1 year)

a.    Clarify and challenge the biases and business models in your firm and in your industry

b.    Analysis and research; always have facts and figures as the basis for decision-making.

a.    Listen to—and learn from—the market: Identify sources of significant problems that cannot be solved using today’s product and service offerings. Focus first on the problem—not the solution. Be sure that you don’t just listen to your current customers.

c.     Design thinking stages (internal and collaborative); this helps you discover new product ideas.

d.    Unpacking the designs into options, road maps and feasibility.

e.    The decision making process.

f.      Assessment of capability and resource gap analysis.

a.    Identify important global and local trends that signal potential revolutionary shifts in customer behaviour

g.     The case for a business plan with revenue and value potential.

h.    The narrative for staff and the market.

i.      Design and implementation (includes assigning all your required resources)

j.      Testing the ecosystem.

k.     Launch and iteration.

 

Labs like these should take place on a set agreed frequency and adding external people for a unique POV adds a rich layer of brains that doesn’t have the same industry bias’ that your people do and broaden your perspective.

 

Here are a few tips on Innovation ideas and disruption workshops that spark original ideas:

 

·      Run an innovation tournament.

o   Welcoming suggestions on any topic at any time, doesn’t capture the attention of busy people.

o   Innovation tournaments are highly efficient for collecting a large number of novel ideas and identifying the best ones.

o   Instead of a suggestion box, send a focused call for ideas to solve a particular problem or meet an untapped need.

o   Give employees three weeks to develop proposals, and then have them evaluate one another’s ideas, advancing the most original submissions to the next round.

o   The winners receive a budget, a team, and the relevant mentoring and sponsorship to make their ideas a reality.

·      Picture yourself as the enemy.

o   People often fail to generate new ideas due to a lack of urgency.

o   You can create urgency by implementing the “kill the company” exercise [Stolen from Lisa Bodell, CEO of Futurethink.]

o   Gather a group together and invite them to spend an hour brainstorming about how to put the organization out of business—or decimate its most popular product, service, or technology.

o   Then, hold a discussion about the most serious threats and how to convert them into opportunities to transition from defence to offense.

·      The Pitch:

o   Invite employees from different functions and levels to pitch ideas.

o   At DreamWorks Animation, even accountants and lawyers are encouraged and trained to present movie ideas.

o   This kind of creative engagement can add skill variety to work, making it more interesting for employees while increasing the organization’s access to new ideas.

o   Involving employees in pitching has another benefit: When they participate in generating ideas, they adopt a creative mind-set that leaves them less prone to false negatives, making them better judges of their colleagues’ ideas.

·      Hold an opposite day.

o   Since it’s often hard to find the time for people to consider original viewpoints, one of the smart practices is to have “opposite day” in the boardroom and at conferences.

o   Executives and staff divide into groups, and each chooses an assumption, belief, or area of knowledge that is widely taken for granted.

o   Each group asks, “When is the opposite true?” and then delivers a presentation on their ideas.

·      Word Banishment

o   Ban the words like, love, and hate.

o   At the non-profit DoSomething.org, CEO Nancy Lublin forbade employees from using the words like, love, and hate, because they make it too easy to give a visceral response without analysing it.

o   Employees aren’t allowed to say they prefer one Web page over another; they have to explain their reasoning with statements like “This page is stronger because the title is more readable than the other options.”

o   This motivates people to contribute new ideas rather than just rejecting existing ones.”

·      Welcome criticism.

o   It’s hard to encourage dissent if you don’t practice what you preach.

o   When you receive an email criticizing your performance in an important meeting, copying it to the entire company sends a clear message you welcome negative feedback.

o   By inviting employees to criticize you publicly, you can set the tone for people to communicate more openly even when their ideas are unpopular.

·      Shift from exit interviews to entry interviews.

o   Instead of waiting to ask for ideas until employees are on their way out the door, start seeking their insights when they first arrive.

o   By sitting down with new hires during onboarding, you can help them feel valued and gather novel suggestions along the way.

o   Ask what brought them in the door and what would keep them at the firm, and challenge them to think like culture detectives.

o   They can use their insider-outsider perspectives to investigate which practices belong in a museum and which should be kept, as well as potential inconsistencies between espoused and enacted values.

 

In summary, throwing innovation and disruption workshops may be seen as a cool new thing but they stand for ground zero in change for big business and can be leveraged to unlock creativity for youur business and for customers and their wider community. Build an innovation lab to make sure you do not underestimate the value it can deliver.