Innovation and Failure

There is a good relationship between innovation and failure. As Monica Harrington shares, Microsoft Bob gave plenty of very smart people a run for their money - and lessons to take to their next project.   Those are familiar lessons. Building on Harrington’s:

1. Never underdeliver against expectations - if you work in a sales-driven organization, common especially in B2B, you will know that there is a tendency to overpromise to get in the door. That might not be such a good idea.

2. Consumers don’t care about strategy - that’s right, your customers won’t care if you have a vision. All they want is for your service or product to make their life easier.

3. A small marketing budget can do wonders - believe it or not, I do think that the potential of social media will be realized most by B2B companies. After a career spent working with them, I know how small their budgets are and how creative teams get with them.

4. If you start to get feedback from customers that your product is anything but great, don't forget that you only get one chance to make a first impression - this point is really hard because it feels like you need to keep backing a decision made to invest time and effort in something.

5. Don’t be afraid to take risks - one of the worst habits organizations get into is that of not taking any risks, which translates into not supporting individuals who think outside the benchmark. If it’s not been done before, there are no benchmarks.

6. Place the bet on smart people who push the envelope - why do so few organizations do that? Why do so few individuals do that, too? What are three ways you can bet on smart people in your network and company today?

7. Never forget the crucial role influentials play - every industry, type of service, and product has them. Go find out who they are and engage them in the process - testing, providing feedback and input will save you from your internal conversation with additional context.

8. If it doesn't work the first time, be open to the idea that it might work down the line - sometimes it does pay to be persistent, to go back and fix the bugs or undesirable product features.

9. Don't be afraid to poke fun at yourself - loved the video of Bill Gate’s last day at Microsoft.

The times when I've learned the most, were those when things didn't go exactly as planned. What lessons have you taken from failure?

[reposted as written for Fast Company]

Comments

[Brian Driggs]

For betting on smart people, I like to think that fostering an environment that supports the sharing of information is a good start. Think about social media and what makes it so popular.

People like to share what they know... right up until they run into the big, brick wall of indifference. By demonstrating that people are listening, there is encouragement to continue sharing down the line, even if this particular idea isn't a winner.

And if it doesn't seem like a winner at first, rather than just saying no, express the reasoning behind wanting to say no. Convey the concerns with the idea and the reasoning behind why things need to be different. It can be the difference between someone feeling blown off and feeling like they could be part of the thought process/solution.

[Jeff Gibbard]

First of all, I LOVED this post Valeria..LOVED it.

Second of all I would love to hear your take on company cultures where it is encouraged to take on something enormous as a method for getting "the best" out of people, even if the outcome isn't achieved. Some organizations use this as a way to grow their people by having them struggle with what they said they'd do and what they actually do.

I loved your point about placing bets on smart people. It's the old saying "if you've got a good horse, run him." The question is, often at what point is someone trusted as "smart" to the extent that leadership would put faith in that person's decision. First year associates may be brilliant but how would they be able to enroll the existing leadership, convinced that their ideas are the right way to do things?

Thanks for putting together such a great article. I'm going to spread this one.

[Rich Becker]

Valeria,

Valuable insights that will surely help people temper what they "plan" to do. One of my clients always hounds me, believing that I am often inclined to allow perfection to stand in the way of progress.

Certainly there is a balance. Personally, I love #3 because the challenge of small budget often leads to better ideas. It's one of the reasons I've become passionate working with nonprofit organizations. They help keep you honest, whether they have a small budget or force you to invent one by rounding up the generosity of others.

All my best,
Rich

[Valeria Maltoni]

@Brian - I think you get the very essence and opportunity of social media. People don't like to fail for two main reasons (ok, I'm being reductive): a) they don't want to look dumb (very human); b) cultural signals that say you're now in a place of disadvantage compared to your colleagues (not true of all companies). See if this resonates - we follow what the analysts say, what competitor xyz is doing... There is rarely the willingness to try the idea out for long enough to fail into success. Many entrepreneurs know this very well.

@Jeff - does the company offer coaching, support, mentoring, resources? Does it encourage collaboration? Because otherwise they're just setting people up... large endeavors are great ways to see collaboration at work, along with individual ingenuity. Did I start addressing your questions? Warm?

@Rich - I empathize with your customer, I tend to prefer rapid prototyping and field testing to too much planning ;) There's a point where speed trumps more - resources, details, planning, etc. Experience is being able to say "when".