It’s true that the rate of change in business is speeding up. And market disruption is getting stronger and more frequent. Does this mean that to stay ahead and win the race, you need to be superhuman? No, you don’t have to become a superhero. You can be yourself. You can be yourself because no one is asking you to outrun a speeding bullet, stop a locomotive, or leap tall buildings in a single bound. You only need to stay just one step ahead of your nearest competitor, who is an ordinary mortal just like you. You’re already very good at what you do. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be in the race. All you have to do is take your good performance and step it up a notch. Squeeze out just a little more speed. Take a slightly longer stride. Don’t stop for a latte macchiato quite so often. Focus a little more at work. Make an extra effort to engage your employees. Do the things that anyone could do if they chose to do them. In business, winning is a choice. You can choose to be an innovation leader, or you can choose to slide back into the pack with the others. If you choose to stay ahead, then keep reading—this book was meant for you.
Take Action!
To maintain innovation leadership, you need to:
- Recognize the increasing rate of change. Too many leaders operate under a set of assumptions they may have formulated earlier in life when the pace was slower; or they may not see that change can impact any industry, no matter how ubiquitous it may be. Make sure your view of your industry is accurate and timely!
- Cultivate your customers. Consumers are plugged into social media and review sites and don’t hesitate to express their displeasure with a product or service. You need to respect their growing power and use it to your advantage.
- Set the goals that work for you. Remember, it’s okay if your company isn’t a massive disruptor or isn’t going to make headlines with a new innovation. As we’ll see in the pages ahead, staying ahead isn’t just about rolling out new technology or a splashy new product. You can stay ahead in human resources, your supply chain, operations, financial management, employee relations—all the functional areas that drive an organization forward. For information on innovation consulting and training visit https://mylearnlogic.com/innovation/ for information on innovation speaking visit https://www.nickwebb.com/innovation/