Improvement or Innovation?

Saw a thought provoking comment from Matt Bloom on the idea of innovation.  Matt is the Associate Professor of Management at Mendoza College of Business at Notre Dame.

"Innovation is about thinking differently about those very things we know well that are deeply habitual in our lives (or company) and then dramatically changing them.  So part of innovation begins with a caveat. Innovation leads to radical change. Do we want to make radical change? If not, then let’s just improve things….You hope to have radical change, but you really aren’t ready to embrace this idea of thinking differently….So you’re better off just trying to improve what you’ve got.”

This is where leadership has a big challenge.  Many leaders are in their role because what they have done or tried has worked well and they want to duplicate the success.  We might tell our teams that we want them to be creative – but put too tight of restrictions on them to allow new ideas to transform the situation.  We frustrate our team giving the illusion of openness when we really already have in mind what we want.  A much more positive environment may be created by asking our teams for improvements to the process or idea instead of innovative solutions.

I think it also ties into the clear vision and expectations we share with our team.  The continuous improvement model is built on incremental changes that enhance existing services, products, and models.  We need to support and encourage ideas that improve what we already have.  The innovation model requires thinking differently at a high level and being prepared to take calculated and sustainable risks – even when it might challenge our own prior innovation.  Our teams need to know the expectation in advance.

Both models are valid and can claim successes – and we can also find times they were utilized in the wrong situation.  The key is knowing which one to communicate to your team to keep them engaged, focused, and on the right task.

What is your comfort level and what does your organization need – improvement or innovation?  How are you going to communicate the need? 

High Speed Trust

My favorite event to watch in the various bike races is the team time trial.  It takes what is typically seen as an individual sport and turns it into a team race against the clock.  All nine riders start at the same time and quickly form a line of riders with each rider taking turns at the front while the rest of the team drafts behind.  It allows each rider to take advantage of the slipstream in front of them to conserve energy and recover from leading the team.  The space between each biker can be inches to maximize the draft.  

It’s a great example of a high performing team.  And it only happens with complete trust.

·        Whoever is in the front has to be able to pick the line to take on road with minimal bumps and debris.  The team members behind have to trust that whoever is in the front will lead them in the safest and fastest line.

·        The riders are within inches of each other in the race against the clock.  They have to trust that the person in front of them is maintaining a consistent speed and cognizant of what the next rider is doing.  A lack of concentration for a split second can end in disaster with a pile up of bikes, a spin out, or a break in the line.

·        There has to be complete trust that everyone on the team is giving 100% at the front through the entire ride to maximize the potential of the line.  There will be a chance to recover as leadership rotates to the front.

Similarly, our teams have to have a solid foundation of trust to be successful long term. Each person needs to know their leader is going to do what he/she can do to remove obstacles to be successful.  The individuals need to know that their team members are watching out for them and will share their strengths when needed.  The team needs to know the vision and plan to get them to the finish line.

·        Have conversations with your team about obstacles to success.  Ask them what you can do to help them be successful.

·        Create the opportunity for each person on your team to share what they do best – we assume what it is sometimes by experience, but it is important for each individual to share it.  You might learn something new and uncover a talent gone into hiding.

·        Communicate.  Tell people where you are going and how you see your team getting there.  Don’t make them guess.

·        Give each team member opportunities to lead various projects.  It builds your team and also gives you a chance to recover from hectic times.

What's Your Cause?

What do you do?  Not just the title bestowed on you by the HR department, but what do you do? 

Jason Jennings puts it well - Great leaders turn what they do into a noble cause and purpose.  It’s beyond the financial impact.  They are able to state what they do in such a way that it inspires action in themselves and others – and they act in such a way that it is about more than the bottom line or themselves.  They have framed their work in a way that it is tied to improving the quality life for their team or their customers – it’s an outward focus.

Those of us working in nonprofits may have an easier time defining our noble cause, but we are just as susceptible to losing sight of it in the middle of busyness as with any leader in any career.  The urgency of a budget, the crisis with the business plan, the HR issue that arrives without an appointment, or the personal issue that becomes a professional issue – they all have the power to derail the most passionate commitment from its cause driven perspective.

Three things help leaders stay connected to their noble cause and purpose.

• Share your cause and purpose with others.  It creates understanding.  It creates accountability.  It creates support from others.  It cements it in your own beliefs and values.
• Connect stories and situations to your cause.  Stories are emotional and illustrate the noble cause in a manner that helps people understand the cause even better.
• Prioritize your time with activities and tasks that are most connected to your noble cause.  Spend the maximum time on those things that score highest on the alignment scale.  Block the time on the schedule for those things – turn down those things that are not connected.

These are not new things.  If you take a look at the life of Jesus in the Gospels, you will find that he did these three things.  He shared the cause of why he came and what his purpose was on earth -- and wasn’t shy about it.  He shared stories in parables that helped people understand the message better.  He prioritized his time and committed it to activities that were in sync with his cause.  Two thousand years later his actions are still changing lives and he is the model of a servant leader.

What is your noble cause?

Be Safe

Time for a soapbox and a short detour….If you don’t wear a bike helmet when you ride its time to get one.

I grew up in a time when bike helmets really weren’t talked about or considered.  We did some pretty crazy stuff – and it is pretty incredible I didn’t spend anytime in an ER room or worse.  Plywood ramps on cinder blocks, jumping off the boat docks into the river, dirt trail rides through the woods through a variety of obstacles, riding on highways  – they all provided a lot of fun and we did it all without helmets. 

But now there are great lightweight helmets.  Statistics are published about bike accidents and fashion, denial, or apathy still take center stage.  I can sympathize with some of the adults that still live in the past with this – but its time to accept the fact that you are much safer with a helmet.  The cyclists that blow me away though, are the ones I have seen in the past couple of weeks that are just flat out…..well….stupid.

• The rider that hangs the bike helmet off the handlebar by one strap and the other strap dangling and swinging right next to the front wheel asking to get hooked in the wheel. 
• The rider that has it loosened to the point of sliding off the back of their head like a cowboy hat.  
• The one that has it looped over their arm so it looks like a makeshift elbow guard.
• The one that has it strapped on their pack rack. 
• The parent with a bike helmet on and the child in the bike seat without.

Be a leader that will lead another day and lead by example.  It is more than a good idea and the kids are watching.  Put the helmet on – it’s fashionable, it’s cool, and more importantly you will be able to make a difference a little longer.