Your success depends on the ability to generate ideas, create and produce those ideas that lead to innovations. Companies must know they cannot do things the way business was done in the past. They need to up their game and shift gears into thrive in order to move forward. Companies often struggle to see beyond their own world view.
One of the most profound challenges is that of driving innovative thought particularly in corporate environments. In order to generate great ideas then create and produce them, organizations need to change with regard to how business gets done. The following can help you move your organization to higher performance and get your employees more engaged in their work.
In changing to a different work style format, you may have some employees resist change. These are those who are not as engaged in their work as others. On the other hand, those who prefer to have a routine way of doing things and need structure with direction and instruction of what to do and in knowing how well they are doing as well.
Asking Questions
Approach your challenge to see things differently. Break-away from your past and begin to ask questions. Learn to ask more “Why” or “What If” as various questions in order to probe beyond the surface for greater understanding and breakthrough curiosity.
Change Your Mindset
Having a “Growth” mindset helps you be open to possibilities and opportunities. By having a “growth” mindset, you learn to improve how you work and grow in the process.
On top of this, “Entrepreneurial” mindset shifts not just your thinking, but the work you generate ideas, create those ideas and produce those ideas. You actually begin to think more like an entrepreneur than an employee.
Empower Employees
To engage your employees, you need to empower them. This goes beyond having employees give input into the work they will be creating and producing. In doing so, you allow employees to also generate ideas, and discuss any obstacles, difficulties and challenges they encounter along the way to achieve their end-goal.
Thinking in Box Terms
When you think of creativity, you most likely think of the clique of “Think-Outside-the-Box”. Many people have not exhausted their “Thinking-Inside-the-Box” entirely. Yes, Thinking-Outside-the-Box will help you generate creativity.
I believe you need to combine both “Inside-the-Box-Thinking & Outside-the-Box Thinking in order to look at both the traditional or of what you have currently and how you can improve as you look Outside-the-Box. Combined they give you a greater result from all sides of the solution you are looking for.
Everyone typically has used the clique, “Think-Outside-the-Box. I believe you need to exhaust inside-the-box thinking and combine it with thinking-outside-the-box. This way you are able to think
Allow Time to Work on Own Creations
The scariest thing a leader can do is to give their people the freedom to make mistakes. While mistakes allow individuals to learn and grow, they can also be very costly to any company. As John Wooden once said, “If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything.”
“If we aren’t making mistakes, then we likely aren’t trying enough new things outside our comfort zone, and that itself is a mistake.”- Amy Rees Anderson
Just like many companies, 3M, Google did until 2013, and HP employees are allowed to explore their own projects- time for “unofficial” activity; that is set time to work on creative ideas.
When your employees take a break from work in the form of a vacation, many work on their own creative innovations.
Employees are given anywhere between 10- 25 percent of their workweek to generate their own ideas and create and produce them. Various companies do this to achieve generated ideas as well as to engage employees in what interests them.
On top of this, giving recognition to the employees for their contributions gives them higher self-confidence and
Generating and executing great ideas is the key to staying ahead in a rapidly changing world. It seems so basic. Why is it so hard to actually get right? Lead from beyond what’s possible—to achieve unprecedented results. That’s what’s needed, and what’s happening, to be successful in today’s business landscape.
Innovators have a tendency to think big. With this in mind, be open to possibilities, opportunities and this requires you to do things that are not routine. Start looking where you are and where you really want to be – and begin your journey.
interested in generating your ideas and creating them to achieve higher breakthrough performance, contact us at: nburgis@successful-solutions.com, or call us at 602-405-2540.