Top 7 Ways to Prepare for Innovation

In business as in life it is those who can stay open to the possibility of change and evolution who will quickly rise to become the best of their professions and out survive the others. Where would the world be without technology and science, to create this technology? Businesses are a collection of interests and biases. This is good, except the degree of success a business will realize, however measured- in terms of cash flow or worker morale- will be the degree and ease with which a corporate structure can take in new ideas and filter out those that are just right for a company's specializations. This requires corporate courage, or at least corporate confidence, because real change can be scary, sometimes, especially when it threatens vested interests. It need not, and it need not be. Change can be embraced. Here are seven suggestions for raising your awareness and getting and keeping the company ready, getting the fires going, for corporate innovations.

1. Realize "the map is not the territory". Our perceptions of the world "out there" are not the world itself.
   
   
2. Start listening to your junior level workers, start listening to their complaints and suggestions.
   
   
3. Invest in some product or technology that is not expected to pay off for the long term, years down the road. This will balance out emphasis on "quick reward" thinking.
   
   
4. Build or reassess/recreate your company's timeline. What is on your timeline? Employ the technique of creative visualization. Add something far out.
   
   
5. Subscribe to a publication or newsletter that goes "against the grain" of who your company is or what your company does. See if this helps make it more clear whether you should "branch out" or whether you should "specialize further".
   
   
6. Keep close connections with leading scientific and artistic universities. See if you can syngergize and spread ideas.
   
   
7. If you believe you are an established company, mature, not much room for growth or change, imagine this is just your perception. Try adopting the idea for one week that as far as you have come, there is no limit to how much farther you can go. Therefore, as far as you have come, you are essentially still somewhat of a neophyte. See if you can hold onto this label for one week and note all the different signals you begin to pick up from your environment, either at work in the office or at home.

recent college graduate ready to get into the work world. just calling it like i see it. email me at if you like my article. thank you