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I’d innovate more but I’d get fired

09/07/24Posted in Career, Innovation, Management, Marketing

Do you wish your business or team were more innovative? 

Many managers and business owners do. 

Where does the problem lie? 

Yes, with those same people. 

How’s that? 

The day-to-day issues of running the business take up their time and thinking. 

In their eyes, innovation is a big fat RISK. 

A new process might not work. 

Worse, it will add to the day-to-day issues mentioned above if it doesn’t. 

Plus, failure carries BLAME. 

That’s a no-no for many employees. 

In the worst case, the scapegoat for the fail could lose their job, be demoted, or be passed over for future promotion. 

Who would step forward with new ideas in that scenario?

So, how can you be more “innovative” without risk? 

Innovate in small steps. 

Innovations can be small and progressive. 

These are the least risky ways to build change into a business. 

Japanese companies famously took this approach in the latter part of the last century. 

They practised Kaizen, or what we call continuous improvement in this part of the world. 

I like the Japanese description of “Change for the better.” 

This way, high-risk innovations that could jeopardise a business are avoided while product or service quality steadily improves. 

It’s much like the gardening example I gave last week. 

You makeover one small part of an overgrown patch one piece at a time. 

And you do so thoroughly. 

You can take the same approach to your trade shows. 

Take one aspect and make incremental changes. 

Measure what happens and move to the next thing. 

Ideas for innovations and improvements like these are in this course. 

It’s Kaizen delivered to your inbox. 

Buy it, and you can start making changes for the better today. 

Very best, 

David O’Beirne 

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