Creativity, Innovation, and Execution

If this reads almost like the three Musketeers, you're not far from thinking in the right direction. Today more than ever it is necessary to look at things differently to succeed. A commitment to develop the creative side and work in collaboration with others are some of the building blocks to develop the respect of your peers and the community at large.

In my post at The Blog Herald I flesh out 5 Things You Can do Today to gain respect. Respect is a component of reputation and an ingredient of strong connections. Strong connections and respect for the environment are becoming the two main forces to fuel what's next.

Why Creativity?

Bruno Giussani just published his monthly post at Business Week online Innovation&Design. In it, he lists three challenges for creative minds. The immediate payoff? Your executable ideas may be worth some serious money. The secondary thought? He sees the rise of open, nimble and fast innovation methods over the Internet as drivers that challenge the future organizing principle for open innovation.

Back in February, I wrote a series of posts about creativity. The three-part series focused on generating ideas, building confidence while validating them, and executing.

• Where do ideas come from? They come from anywhere, the key is being in "what if" mode.
• Why didn't *you* think of that? Because you discounted the simple stuff before it had the chance to build up into something more substantial.
• How do you define ideas? Simulations and prototypes can help.

Ultimately, it's about not censoring your inner critic, going for it, and seeing the project all the way to its implementation.

Because Innovation

Is what makes average leap into great. And today we have even more tools and dynamics at our disposal to make the necessary jump. Innovation is a necessary ingredient to change and change is important to carve a new course for events, products, services, responses... you name it.

The awards Giussani lists are all potential catalysts for social change. Change can be uncomfortable, yet everyone loves a challenge, especially when the competition is broadcast as contest.

We were just talking about the revolution digital media is bringing to advertising a couple of days ago. One of the contests is to reinvent digital media for the purpose of informing and inspiring communities and improving people's lives. So a tool that is being perfected for marketing and branding purposes can also serve the community.

A few years back when I worked at a start up technology company, I learned a lot about the first steps on the Internet and the World Wide Web. What fascinated me most is that we are coming full circle on some of the original intent -- to share information on research and thought leadership for advancing knowledge and discovery. Except for now we are more than ever making it real.

Needs to Have Execution

The very nature of this medium where we can have instant feedback lends itself to iterative learning. Adaptive and iterative where the domain of software developers and company laboratories. Thanks to the abundance of free and low cost tools and the increasing traction of collaborative work, the whole Internet has become a gigantic open lab for testing ideas, tweaking and repeating.

A few weeks ago, I suggested how to build a social media strategy. If you want to tap into the knowledge, ideas and spirit of customers, partners and employees, it may be time to visit with your organization's readiness. Execution is much easier when done in teams -- there's a safety net factor as well as a validation component to it -- and selling your idea will be much easier if everyone is already vested in making it happen.

It all comes down to one thing: execution.

[A flock of doves soar against an azure sky as Pittsburgh's 15th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure kicks off in Schenley Park. Photo by Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette]

Comments

[Ellen Weber]

Great ideas to put feet onto creativity, Valeria. It reminds me that we become richer each time a gifted person nudges a terrific idea into tactics that improve some part of our lives - great inspiration to fire the weekend:-) Thanks!

[Mario Vellandi]

Looks like we're both on similar cruise ships here: ideation, innovation, and execution.
One of my previous posts was all about the breadth of discovery, albeit in the context of NPD. While yours is more expansive, I'm happy to see your mentioning the important aspects of group-based activities and execution.

As I delve more into my studies and writing on NPD, I'd love to discuss this topic more with you. Particularly in how social media tools can be explicitly designed for ideation, customer feedback, and testing. I think this is very much an emerging field and of particular value to companies with <$300 million/yr, and especially to ANY non-profit org.

[Jay Hamilton-Roth]

I'd suggest adding a fourth Musketeer: Attention. It comes before your other 3 (Creativity, Innovation, and Execution). You need to pay attention to business challenges, see what other solutions exist, and notice what the shortcomings are. Creativity will create new solutions to the problems, then you can innovate a major or minor process, and market your solution.

The best ideas solve burning problems.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Ellen -- absolutely! Imagine what dull world if the ideas people have did not get implemented.

Mario -- great minds think alike? I tend to think very big because I see the connection between ideas and people first, then I work out the stories to get down into the details, etc. I like the application discussion, let's keep in touch on that one.

Jay -- well put in the sense of being focused on solving existing problems as well. If you spend any time on this blog, you will see that attention, along with permission, are two considerations in our conversations. Thank you for taking the time to join in and welcome.

[Tiffany Monhollon]

This was just what I needed to read today. I'm working on a big idea and the innovation and creativity are there, I feel, but now I'm at the stage where it's execute or die (interesting pun, isn't that?)... for the idea anyway. It seems like for me, the first two are by far the easiest, but the last one is where most of the rewards and most of the challenges lie.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Tiffany:

I think I'm not going out on a limb when I say that we are all in the same boat. When it comes to execution, we need to engage a lot more, and be ready to fail as well. That's where simulation and prototypes can help, and why innovating in group may make execution a bit more regular.

I would be curious to hear from others, is that true?

[Charlie]

Great post. I also had a problem with execution. But the moment I learn how to face failures, the problem no longer become a big concern.

[Karen Hegmann]

Valeria

I love your comments on Creativity. Having worked for organizations in both the profit and not-for-profit sectors, I think there are two roadblocks to the implementation to great ideas: 1)People who claim they want change, but don't in the end 2) Process and rigid internal reporting systems.

Being a "creative" person (but also business-minded), I've often been in situations where I had an innovative (and realistic) solution to a business challenge, yet for some reason it fell on deaf ears. In some cases, I found out the people involved were not really risk-takers (although they claimed to be), and in others, the internal systems were so process-oriented that the idea died or became distorted before it even reached the upper echelons.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to overcome these obstacles, to be sure an idea gets implemented?

[Valeria Maltoni]

Charlie -- It was the President of NetApp, Tom Mendoza, who said that the key to risk taking is in how you handle failure. That was part of a live conversation I reported here a couple of months ago. You're spot on with your point.

Karen -- I am smiling broadly at your thoughtful comment. That is indeed what happens. Although processes are created to make things smoother and get everyone on the same page, they (the processes) need to serve the people, not the other way around. As for the people part of the equation, change is easier to talk about than it is to do. I would be very interested in seeing if anyone else wants to weigh in on this one. My observation is that often what makes us successful tends to keep us locked into place where we become very good at what worked. Some of the reasons are: rewards systems and perception of status that greatly reduce the appetite for risk.

The new generation, especially millennials, are placing a lot more value on collaboration. What do they think? If anyone is reading I hope they join in ;-)