But it’s not all blind luck. Instead the leaders of these successful companies create and nourish a culture of innovation from the very beginning. Here are some game-changing mindset shifts you can make to get the innovative juices flowing.
Anticipating and fulfilling the needs of the customer will often lead to meaningful and impactful product development or improvement.
Seeing how people in different countries and cultures live and use products can spark new ideas. Harvard research has found that if managers have just one international job before becoming CEO, their companies see 7 percent higher market performance, on average.
Never settle for, “This is how we’ve always done it.” Great inventors and innovators often simply observe things in everyday life and wonder, “What if?” This mentality can lead to great leaps forward.
After all, James Dyson spent 15 years, developing 5,127 prototypes, before he created his first successful vacuum cleaner. Dyson’s bagless vacuums transformed the industry and are now considered one of the best home vacuums on the market.
The road to innovation is paved with ideas that have little chance of financial success. Approach innovation through the lens of problem solving, not making money.
Don’t throw more money at something just because it’s already cost a lot. Sometimes ideas fail. Innovative companies take the lessons learned from the mistake and move on to the next big thing.
The most creative companies prioritize research and development, hiring the smartest people in their field and giving them the freedom to explore new ideas.
Would-be innovators have many of the tools they need at their fingertips to teach themselves what they need to know to bring their concept to life. The internet has also made the world smaller, making it easy to communicate and network with like-minded people.
Your work is cut out for you: book that trip abroad, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and tap into your inner Jeff Bezos.
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