Page 95 - Free the Idea Monkey

Sinnovation
Invariably, when we want to deliver a warning or even caution-

ary advice, we always cast it in the negative. “Don’t do this.”
It is a perfectly valid approach, one that is as old as the Bible.

After all, eight of the Ten Commandments are presented in some ver-
sion of “thou shall not.”

But you can get the same thoughts across using humor. So why
not consider the Seven Deadly Sins of the Innovator? (We’ve seen all
of these cause failures of biblical proportions.)

If she were a creativity consultant, I am certain Sister Nancy
would tell you not to commit these sins.

Lust: which in our world means innovating in a space you have
no business being in. Innovating outside your operational expertise
or brand footprint creates incredible inertia internally—“should I
be working on the things I should be working on, or the harebrained
scheme that someone else higher up on the org chart has conjured
up?”—and unhealthy confusion externally. “Wait,” the customer
says. “My long-time supplier of plastic molding ejection equipment
is now making iPhone accessories? What gives?” Most innovation
success involves complementary products, services and business
models because they are readily accepted by your team and make
sense to your customers. “Stick to your knitting” is excellent advice
until a solid business case proves otherwise. Mother Teresa said,
“Grow where you are planted.” She was really smart.

Gluttony: trying to do too many initia-
tives with too little resources. Innovation
takes emotional and financial capi-

tal and focus. Venture capitalists can
afford to back 10 companies, hoping
that payoff from one or two will cover
the expense of having the other eight or
nine investments fail, but odds are you can’t. Instead of making a
number of small bets, focus your team and resources on one or two
initiatives that have the greatest probability of hitting it big.

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