InNOvate

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[Again, curvy]

Gijs van Wulfen (profile here) posted something elsewhere, which I bluntly copy:

Innovation is difficult. You are not the only one who thinks it’s a challenge. It has been a struggle for me the last 25 years as manager, consultant, facilitator and as founder of the FORTH innovation method. That’s why I love it actually. I love to do difficult things. My personal goal is to make innovation less complex so others will be able to innovate their product – and service portfolios and organizations – themselves.

As one of the first Linkedin Influencers I have written more than 80 posts about innovation the last sixteen months. Last week I reread them all to identify my most essential insights. Some are provoking. Others are simplifying. Here’s a list of quotes from my LinkedIn innovation articles. Please use them to lead your organizations in innovation:

  1. In the long run a company cannot survive on doing the same things better and cheaper.
  2. Most managers are like dogs. They bark at what they don’t know.
  3. Managers say yes to innovation only if doing nothing is a bigger risk.
  4. Continuous innovation is bullshit. You only innovate when you have to.
  5. Organizations frustrate innovative employees.
  6. Starting innovation is like a child starting to walk. Learn to love the struggle!
  7. If there’s no urgency innovation is considered as playtime.
  8. Most people only innovate when they have to. Pick the right moment.
  9. Innovators need the patience of a hunter to wait for a shot that you’re sure you can make.
  10. Never start innovation with an idea. You will fall in love with it. But love is blind.
  11. A big idea is a new simple solution for a relevant problem or dream.
  12. The best innovators are need seekers.
  13. The problem of brainstorms is the inability of people to let go of the old ideas.
  14. If you don’t get new insights you won’t get new ideas.
  15. For most companies evolutionary ideas are quite revolutionary.
  16. You can invent on your own, but in an organization you can never innovate alone!
  17. Think outside the box and present your idea inside the box otherwise nothing will happen.
  18. Innovators should bring back new business not new ideas.
  19. Nobody buys innovation from a clown so bring back a new business case.
  20. The voice of the customer is your best support for a new concept.
  21. Innovators should stop writing plans. Innovation is learning by doing.
  22. Innovation does not stop at the first “No”. That’s the moment it really starts.
  23. Less creative ideas are better because they have a higher chance of becoming reality.
  24. An organization is just like a herd. Focus on the slowest animals. When they start running too your organization really gets innovative.

So here were 24 of my essential insights about innovation. I hope some of them are helpful to you. As I promised 25 insights please do me a favor and share with us, as a comment, your own essential insight about innovation as number 25……..

And yes indeed, I’d like to hear your number 25, too.

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