How often do we do things that don’t make sense? Are we aware that it doesn’t make sense? I’m not making a case for everything being rational? But come on, let’s at least be willing to “look at yourself” and eliminate the things that don’t make sense.
Take for example these directions at Yogurtland, do you think anyone has ever used these directions? If you were such a moron that you needed directions, would you look around? Would you be able to read?
I remember when there used to be directions on deodorant. I just looked and my deodorant no longer offers directions. Perhaps society is becoming more sophisticated. Naaaaaaa that can’t be it. Perhaps deodorant companies got tired of being fodder for stand up comics.
So what things do you do that doesn’t make sense?
Let’s examine communication. Do you use the word “like” every third word.
I was like ooooh…and he was like ahhhhh….and I was like whatever.
Self awareness is a the foundational skill of emotional intelligence. Perhaps, increase your awareness. Ask, why do I do the things that I do? Perhaps it will be like the matrix and open up new realities.
In organizations, how do we eliminate things that no longer make sense? Jack Welch at GE instituted “work-out” programs. These programs identified things to stop doing. Welch said that we tend to start projects much faster. Rarely if ever do we ask, what should we stop doing. Stop doing the things that don’t make sense. Then reallocate the time to your most important priorities.
I would love to hear examples of the things you do that don’t quite make sense.
You mean besides diet, fame, and probably 20 other factors? By the way, check out the Olympics Facebook page. Lots of good pics!
It has been estimated that it takes 10,000 of deep and deliberate practice to become world class. During those 10,000 hours, Myelin forms around the Axiom of a Neuron. This forms like a T1 line so that information flows easily and quickly. Body memory is formed for perfection (or as close to perfection as possible).I learned about this concept when I read The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown by Daniel Coyle and Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin.
Psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, a professor of Psychology at Florida State University, has been a pioneer in researching deliberate practice and what it means. According to Ericsson:
“People believe that because expert performance is qualitatively different from normal performance the expert performer must be endowed with characteristics qualitatively different from those of normal adults.” “We agree that expert performance is qualitatively different from normal performance and even that expert performers have characteristics and abilities that are qualitatively different from or at least outside the range of those of normal adults. However, we deny that these differences are immutable, that is, due to innate talent. Only a few exceptions, most notably height, are genetically prescribed. Instead, we argue that the differences between expert performers and normal adults reflect a life-long period of deliberate effort to improve performance in a specific domain.”[3]
One of Ericsson’s core findings is that how expert one becomes at a skill has more to do with how one practices than with merely performing a skill a large number of times. An expert breaks down the skills that are required to be expert and focuses on improving those skill chunks during practice or day-to-day activities, often paired with immediate coaching feedback. Another important feature of deliberate practice lies in continually practicing a skill at more challenging levels with the intention of mastering it.] Deliberate practice is also discussed in the books, “Talent is Overrated,” by Geoff Colvin, and “The Talent Code,” by Daniel Coyle, among others.
Behavioral versus Cognitive Theories of Deliberate Practice
Behavioral theory would argue that deliberate practice is facilitated by feedback from an expert that allows for successful approximation of the target performance. Feedback from an expert allows the learner to minimize errors and frustration that results from trial-and-error attempts. Behavioral theory does not require delivery of rewards for accurate performance; the expert feedback in combination with the accurate performance serve as the consequences that establish and maintain the new performance.
In cognitive theory, excellent performance results from practicing complex tasks that produce errors. Such errors provide the learner with rich feedback that results in scaffolding for future performance. Cognitive theory explains how a learner can become an expert (or someone who has mastered a domain).
So the first lesson from Olympians would be…..Practice…..Practice……Practice!
Psychologists who have studied Olympic athletes have identified common psychological characteristics that help them succeed. For example, Daniel Gould of Michigan State University has found the following:
1. Knowing how hard to push – Work hard but don’t overtrain.
As leaders, train hard, but don’t lose balance. Don’t burn out.
2. Optimism – Searching for solutions
My favorite book in this area is Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman. It’s all about how you define the causes of the good things and the bad things that happen to you. Optimists define bad things that happen to them in terms of causes which are temporary, specific, and changeable. So optimists may say things like, “This too shall pass” or “It’s always darkest before the dawn”. Pessimists define bad things that happen to them in terms of causes which are permanent, pervasive, and personal. So a pessimist might be heard saying, “It’s like the worst day of my life”.
Optimists define good things that happen to them in terms of causes which are permanent, pervasive, and personal. So an optimist might be heard saying, “I got this” “I’ve got this figured out”. Pessimists define good things that happen to them in terms of causes which are temporary specific and changeable. So a pessimist might be heard saying about a bad boss, “It’s not just my bad boss, it’s management at this company. In fact, it’s the world we live in today”.
3. Self-awareness – Knowing what you need to work on
An awareness of self and your impact on others is an important component of Emotional Intelligence. Self Awareness is a foundation skill and enormously important.
4. Intrinsic motivation – Personal quest for excellence
An Olympic athlete like a great leader must “Want it bad enough”. Before you can dedicate the 10,000 hours to becoming world class, you must have a burning fanatical desire to be great.
5. Adaptive perfectionism – Focus on achievement, with low concern for mistakes
Mistakes are merely opportunities for learning and improvement.
6. Plans to deal with distractions – Helps keep focus during performance
Michael Phelps coach intentionally stepped on his swim goggles and cracked them before one of his practice sessions. Phelps learned to swim with bad goggles. Then in 2008 during an Olympic swim, Phelps goggles failed and filled with water. Phelps counted his strokes and won the gold medal with goggles filled with water.
7. Having a routine and sticking with it – May be the most important strategy for long-term success
Do you have a leadership development plan? Do you have a coach that can give good feedback? If you need some help with your plan, let’s talk!
Ask your team to close their eyes and point North. Are they all pointing in the same direction or are they pointing every which way but loose?
Ask your team, “What are our most important priorities?” Are they talking about the same stuff or are they all over the board?
Ask your family, “What is the purpose of our family?” Listen to what they have to say.
The number one reason that teams flounder is because they don’t understand what is important.
23,000 US residents were surveyed asking questions about their perception of the organization that they work for. Here are the results.
37% said they have a clear understanding of what their organization is trying to achieve and why.
1/5 is enthusiastic about team’s and organization’s goals.
1/5 have a clear “line of sight” between tasks and team and organization’s goals
Half are satisfied with the work they have accomplished at the end of the week
15% felt organization fully enables them to execute key goals.
15% felt they worked in a high-trust environment
17% felt their organization fosters open communication
10% felt that their organization holds people accountable for results
20% fully trusted the organization they work for.
13% have high trust, highly cooperative working relationships with other groups or departments.
If a soccer team had these same scores
If a soccer team had these same scores:
4/11 would know which goal was theirs
2/11 would care
2/11 would know what position they play and know exactly what they are supposed to do.
All but 2 players would, in some way, be competing against their own team members rather than the opponent.
The number 2 reason teams have difficulty is conflict among the team.
It’s important to create some ground rules about how you want to work together. Team members can then hold each other accountable to the ground rules which they have created.
The number 3 reason teams fail is: A lack of clarity around roles and responsibilities.
Here’s a quick activity that can help clarify roles and responsibilities. Put flip-chart paper around the room. Have each individual go to their own flip-chart and write down what they see as their major roles and responsibilities. Then, have other team members wonder around the room and add things to others’ charts. Then each individual returns to their chart.
What do you agree with? A
What do you disagree with? D
What do you need clarified? C
Facilitate a discussion until you agree on the majority of roles & responsibilities.
When building a team always
1. Clarify direction
2. Agree on how we are going to operate (rules of engagement)
3. Agree on roles & responsibilities
When you are “playing in the zone”, perhaps your team will look like this choir team that Sister Mary Clarence has created in Sister Act.
Sister Mary Clarence Teaches Important Leadership Principles
In this video clip, Sister Mary Clarence (Whoopie Goldberg) is hiding out from the mafia in a convent and is “disguised” as a Catholic nun. After breaking some rules, Mary Clarence has been relegated to the choir.
Watch this video clip and observe what Sister Mary Clarence is doing.
Here are the key elements.
1. Mary Clarence was first recognized by her peers. She already had some credibility. It helped that the rest of the choir had grown frustrated with the status quo. They knew that things could be better and felt that Mary Clarence could be helpful.
How Many?
How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
One….but the light bulb has got to want to change.
Have you ever tried to resolve a problem, purchase when the other person didn’t think that a problem existed? Pretty tough wasn’t it?
Until there’s a readiness for change and improvement, people aren’t ready to be led through the valley of death. The valley of death in the change curve moves from the old to the new. The valley of death progresses through areas such as denial, anger, resistance, acceptance, before moving to “search for solutions”.
She lists the stages as including:
1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
I would suggest that during times of change, many employees go through these same phases. Probably the biggest disconnect occurs when leaders who are in “Search for Solutions” communicate with employees who are in denial. The leader starts giving a “Rah Rah” speech about an inspiring vision. The employee’s reaction is often, “What planet are you from?” Employees who are in denial need to know the reasons for the change.
If I were to give one piece of advice it would be….Always communicate based upon where the follower is at, not where you are at. If you give people what they need, they will continue to move through the valley of death. As one person said, “When you are moving through Hell, keep moving!”
2. The second thing that Mary Clarence did was deal with resistance from the establishment. This video is a shortened version, but at one point the senior choir director said, “I knew that”. Mary Clarence responded, “As soon as I walked in here, I knew that you knew that”. Then, she began to win over the resistance.
3. Mary Clarence then organized the choir by having the basses, the altos and the sopranos standing next to each other.
4. Mary then discovered what she was dealing with, which was quite shocking.
5. Important feedback was given. For some, the voice needed to be toned down. For others, voices needed encouragement.
It’s important for leaders to understand how to effectively give feedback. For some, you will be able to be honest without pulling any punches. With others, you will need a kinder gentler approach. Consider the self -esteem and sensitivity of the follower.
Keep it Between the Ditches
My philosophy is to say what needs to be said, while preserving a good working relationship.
Keep it between the ditches. The ditch is a metaphor for a dangerous place to drive. One dangerous ditch is not to say what needs to be said. The other ditch is to damage the working relationship.
6. Sometimes people need a wake- up call. “Alma, check your battery”. Clear, concise, and easily understood.
7. Sometimes people need a translation in order to teach them important skills.
“Visualize yourself in a room, full of people, lots of silverware, people dropping things, talking loud, drunks, women with trays saying, ‘What are you gonna have’….You’re voice has to carry over the din. You have to get up over all of that to be heard in the back of the room where I’m sitting, listening, straining to hear you. Keep that in mind as we do this.”
I remember a story that Kenneth Blanchard tells of his experience teaching a tall awkward basketball player how to avoid being faked out. He advised the player to watch the belly button, to guard the belly button, because the belly button doesn’t move. The player may fake with the hands or feet, but if you are watching and guarding the belly button, you will always be guarding the player.
Good leaders need to translate skills into behavior that is easily understood by the follower.
8. Leaders instill purpose in the follower. “You have to put attitude into what you sing, you have to think about what you’re singing. It’s not just quacking. This is rejoicing. You are singing to the Lord.
I’m Building a Cathedral
It reminds me of the story of 2 bricklayers. One of them is working slowly and somebody asks him what he’s doing. He replies, “I’m laying brick, what does it look like.” The second bricklayer is working 90 miles per hour. Someone asks him what he’s doing….he replies, “I’m building a cathedral.
Look for ways to encourage followers toward a purpose that is a noble one.
9. Continue to improve performance. “Listen to each other; you must listen to each other if you are going to be a group”.
The Chinese word for learning is a symbol that means to take in and practice constantly. There is no arrival. When we arrive at the end of our journey, we see the place for the first time, and realize that we’ve just begun.
As you consider this lesson on leadership, reflect on the following questions.
A. What is your group’s readiness for change or improvement?
B. Have you developed the skill of influencing without authority?
C. Can you say what needs to be said while preserving a good working relationship?
D. Have you built sufficient trust within your team?
E. Can you give clear concise feedback when needed?
F. Can you translate skills into language that is easily understood?
G. Are you driven by a purpose that is a noble one? What is that purpose?
H. Are you always looking for improvement opportunities?
Steven Covey was “discovered” in the 80’s and encouraged to package the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in a way that could be broadly distributed to business leaders. I attended the course in 1987. The course I attended was taught by an early mentor named Doug Roberts.
Doug was retired from the US Army. He had been exposed to leaders such as Steven Covey, Edward Deming, and Kenneth Blanchard. I had only read about these people. But he had met them! I was a 24 year old kid and we were teaching a group of leaders who were in their 50’s. I had such passion for making a difference and we were working for a defense contractor who was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an attempt to give away the pension obligation to the PBGC (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.)
Doug was a great leader and taught me that you come to work every day willing to be fired. When he made this statement, it shocked the Status Quo. Mainly the Status Quo consisted of spineless corporate types who were more concerned with preservation of kingdoms. Doug’s courageous style was exactly what this company needed. Sometimes our circle of influence was microscopic. Our executive education program consisted of designing the overhead transparencies (before PowerPoint) of senior management. Doug explained, “If they are forced to present something that they don’t quite believe, and are forced to defend it, their perspective moves more in this direction”. Wow! How purposeful! No longer was I designing transparencies, I was shaping leadership!
One day in 1989, Doug was late to a meeting. I remember opening up his office door. It opened slowly and the door hit him on the foot. Doug lay in the floor. His color was pale. I yelled for security. A security officer attempted CPR, but Doug (my beloved and respected mentor) had died. Doug had suffered from a massive heart attack. Doug was so driven by purpose, he didn’t go to the doctor when he wasn’t feeling well. I was asked if I knew where Doug lived. I said yes. I was asked if I could drive. I said, probably not. I was given a driver and they asked me to pick up Doug’s wife. The drive seemed to take forever.
When we arrived at Doug’s wife’s door, she said, “What is it Dale? Is he dead?” I said, “I don’t know Bessie, but it doesn’t look good”. (I had been instructed by my management not to tell her his condition. I was told, “you are not a doctor”.)
I remember at the hospital, hearing the screams of his daughter as she learned of her father’s death. That was my first loss of a mentor. Despite the pain, I took Doug’s rolodex and called his contacts.
I then was thrust into responsibility. I began teaching the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People because somebody had to do it. The first course I taught was in 1989.
I attended the train the trainer in 1990. By that time, Covey Leadership had grown and Steven Covey no longer taught all of the train the trainer sessions. I attended the training at Sundance Utah. I remember seeing Robert Redford at his restaurant. I was kind of his stalker since my favorite movie was Three Days of the Condor. I pretended not to see him and asked for seating near the fireplace, hoping to sit right next to him. It didn’t work, but at least we caught a glimpse of him.
Well I taught the 7 Habits as an employee of Arco Oil and Gas Company and then in 1994 as an independent contractor began teaching the program to Johnson & Johnson companies. Well it’s 2012 and the instruction has run it’s course for me since the J&J School of Personal and Professional Development decided not to offer this course.
It’s been a great trip.
Steven Covey: You Will Be Missed
Yesterday, Steven Covey passed away. He had a bicycle accident in April. Despite wearing a helmet, he passed away from complications.
I only met Steven Covey on one occasion. I was considering Phd programs. I sought counsel from him after one of his keynote presentations. He told me that the activity that has most shaped his education and leadership was his daily time spent reading the bible and praying. Wow….did this great leader actually say that to me? I told him that I would like to talk to him further. He said, “Call me at home”. I never took him up on his offer. However, I was impressed with the down to earth nature. He really seemed to model everything that he talked about.
Steven Covey, you shared some great information with the world. Here is a great audio interview.
I take it upon myself to nominate you as the top leader of the past 25 years.
I’m 49 years old now and it’s been 25 years since I first learned about you. I’ll miss you and I’ll always remember the the impact you had on me and those who attended the thousands of programs that I have taught. Everything that I teach seems to be impacted by the 7 Habits material.
Leadership isn’t about position or authority. Leadership is anyone who has followers. Here’s a little test. If you think you’re leading, but you turn around and nobody is following….YOU’RE JUST GOING FOR A WALK!
So, to a large degree leadership is about influence.
In this final video clip from Dead Poet’s Society, Mr. Keating has been blamed for the suicide of one of his students. He is being fired as a teacher from the school system. Watch the student’s reaction and feel the impact of Mr. Keating’s leadership.
http://youtu.be/UJsjNNp0foE
In future blog posts, I’ll cover numerous strategies of influence without authority.
The last several blog posts have dealt with Innovation. This blog post continues with movie clips from one of our favorite movies, Dead Poet’s Society. In this clip, Mr. Keating challenges his students to view the world from a different perspective.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about innovation.
The word paradigm comes from the latin word paradigma. It was originally coined by Thomas Kuhn in his book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. You can download this book in PDF format here.
Thomas Kuhn found that expectations of scientific results were just as powerful a determinate of the outcome of an experiment as the experiment itself. That’s why we have double blind studies today to win FDA approval for new drugs.
As it relates to paradigms, I remember a quote from Joel Barker in his early work video, The Power of Business Paradigms.
What is impossible to do today in your business, that if it were possible would dramatically change and improve how we do things?
As you answer this question for yourself, you are now on the edge of your own paradigm…..perhaps ready to discover the future.
Joel Barker also says that major innovation usually doesn’t come from people heavily invested in the old. New paradigms come from people who are not heavily invested in the old. Therefore, ask people who don’t know any better. Value the perspective of people on the fringes that are not heavily invested in the old paradigm.
Joel Barker’s latest work is related to looking for opportunities at the Verge. Here is a recent video clip describing the Verge.
To quote an Apple ad where Richard Dreyfuss voiced the following narration:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
If you are interested in speaker’s or workshops on innovation, contact us.
Here’s an article that Dr. Jerry Newman and myself (Dale Perryman) wrote. This is the third in a 3 part blog post. Click on either of the first two highlighted titles to read the prior articles. The three parts include:
3. Innovation Leadership Development (This blog post)
The Lions of Innovation program is focused on creating individual leaders who are architects and builders of significant innovations. Generating change, a CREATIVE culture, or new ideas requires both vision and hard work. Although a Lion may in some cases be an inventor, the focus is not on inventors. This program has been valuable in creating a culture of commitment and responsibility that is driven by empowered people.
The Lion program is an effective development tool that encourages leaders who want to make the transition from a compliance culture to a commitment culture. Lions of innovation often lead without organizational authority. Understanding how to influence without authority is a challenge for individual leaders and for organizational leaders as well. Since most organizations are over-managed and under-led (according to John Kotter in his book, A Force for Change), they are more comfortable with compliance than commitment (2). Compliance-focused teams feel that formal authority is the only way to get things done. They need to adjust their mind-sets to accommodate influence without authority.
The program as currently implemented by the authors includes: a two-day session with follow-up; a commitment to practice the principles on a current project; individualized development plans; coaching sessions with sponsors; and forums/workshops on focused topics. The program is intended for potential Lions and their would-be sponsors. The training program is not intended as a “spray and pray” program where you spray employees with information and pray that someone uses it. Lions are expected to actively practice and apply new skills on current projects and sponsors are expected to serve as coaches and mentors.
The program focuses on conveying principles and providing tools to implement learning. Follow-up activities reinforce the importance of individual leadership and teach participants that this is not a program-of-the-month that will go away. More importantly, organizational leaders must be involved in teaching the material. Involvement of these leaders will help the material “stick” within the culture, and leaders who are forced to defend certain concepts will be changed in the process. Follow-up workshops bring in specific subject matter experts to discuss such topics as networking, new product finance models, influencing without authority, systems thinking and meeting facilitation.
Within almost any change or development program, there are generally three types of individuals:
1. Those who ‘get it’ and are able to practice the skills,
2. Those who will ‘get it’ with reinforcement
3. Those don’t ‘get it’ and are not willing to put in the hard work to become Lions.
While we have observed a small number of individuals in the third group who don’t pass the follow-through test, we know that most individuals regain the ‘spring in their step’ after going through the Lion program. Through this program we have found a way to tap into more of the passion and creativity of the many individuals who participate in innovation processes.
REFERENCES
1. Pinchot, Gifford. 1986. Intrapreneuring : why you don’t have to leave the corporation to become an entrepreneur. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc.
2. Kotter, John P. 1990. A force for change : how leadership differs from management. New York: The Free Press.
3. Markham, Stephen K. 2002. Product champions: Crossing the valley of death. In The PDMA toolbook for New Product Development, edited by A. G. Paul Belliveau, Stephen Somermeyer. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
4. Newman, Jerry L. 2008. CREATIVE Lions of Innovation. www.creativeNPD.com.
5. von Oech, Roger. 1983. A whack on the side of the head: How to unlock your mind for innovation. NewYork, NY: Warner Books.
6. Newman, Jerry L. 2009. Building a CREATIVE High Performance R&D Culture. RESEARCH-TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, pp. 21-31.
7. Heath, Chip and Heath, Dan. 2007. Made to stick: why some ideas survive and others die. New York: Random House; Shell, G. Richard and Moussa, Mario. 2007. The art of woo: Using strategic persuasion to sell your ideas. New York, NY: Penguin Group.
8. Seligman, Martin E. P. 2006. Learned optimism: How to change your mind and your life. New York: Vintage.
Excellence in Product Management
Effectively uses implementation processes
The program curriculum provides innovators with a detailed review of the principles behind the concept as well as the specific knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the principles. The program proceeds through the principles in a stepwise fashion offering interactive discussion of real-life examples and tools for improving skills related to the principles.
Although the CREATIVE model has been successfully applied to develop high performance cultures within an R&D organization (6), the CREATIVE principles should also apply throughout the corporate enterprise to anyone involved in innovation leadership. It’s worth the effort to introduce the CREATIVE model to all participants during the Lion development program.
To identify ideas that have the potential for true product innovation, Lions of Innovation need to understand the corporate business strategies and financial models. They also need to know the Customers and target market(s). To build a business case they need to know how to estimate critical numbers (based on specific assumptions) and understand the tools used to generate new product financial models.
While risk is an important part of the model, it is important to select projects that have a high probability of success. Lions should select projects that:
• They feel Passionate about
• Customer will value
• Fit the mission and business needs of the corporation
• Are based on differentiated and sustainable technologies
Once Lions have chosen a project, they need to be able to sell the idea to others. Tools such as those in Made to Stick or the Art of Woo help these individuals understand methods of conveying their ideas in memorable ways (7). These techniques help Lions learn how to sell their innovations to appropriate stakeholders. No matter what business function each Lion belongs to, he/she should be able to translate technical advantages into potential customer advantage. When selling an idea, presenting a prototype, picture or drawing can make it more concrete for the audience. Furthermore, total immersion in a subject can give a Lion credibility (one of the Made to Stick principles), which is also important when gathering support for an idea. Presenting data that support the technical, marketing or manufacturing feasibility also builds credibility. Finally, gathering customer feedback is one of the best but most neglected ways to gain concrete support for an idea.
Lions use selling skills and other influence skills to find the best supporters and sponsors for their projects. Thus, the skill of networking is an important art for Lions. For some R&D personnel, networking does not come naturally and is not a highly valued skill. Lions often have talent within their own corporate networks. Leveraging internal resources can be easier than purchasing support from external sources. There is also a proprietary advantage in using these bounded networks for sharing information. Many potential internal supporters are inclined to lend their expertise, especially if they can be convinced of the value of the innovation. Lions can also trade their services for the internal support they need to make progress on their projects.
Sponsors can influence others at higher levels in the company. In fact, influencing upward is one of the major roles of a sponsor. Lions should select sponsors who have the ability to influence critical stakeholders.
Intrapreneurs and Lions of Innovation should be willing to do whatever it takes to keep ideas moving towards commercialization. In order to be this tenacious, the would-be Lion must be willing to step out of his/her normal functional duties. Even though the organization’s immune system may try to squelch initiative, telling Lions, “That’s not your job,” a ‘technical’ Lion might collect customer or market data, for example. Lions can also build relationships with representatives of other functions in order to influence supporters to complete activities that move the project along, or to acquire the tools and permission to complete the tasks independently.
While empowerment is important in building commitment, Lions need to understand the concept of ‘respecting the waterline.’ Keeping sponsors and bosses aware of project status and potentially risky actions is an essential part of this concept. Passionate individuals often need guidance from sponsors to assure that these actions do not go out of bounds. While some risk is always an element, successful implementation of innovation generally requires boundaries as well.
Since the process of commercializing new products is complex, a working knowledge of systems thinking is a definite advantage. It can help a Lion to navigate the internal corporate processes and their political and organizational minefields. The Lion will also need to apply contingency planning skills to anticipate problems and potential failures.
Obstacles can often be overcome with hard data, which many idea champions don’t have available. It is the Lion who must anticipate obstacles and be prepared to generate data. He or she uses this data to make modifications to the idea. Lions must have a flexible vision that allows them to deal with the unexpected. While others may look at unexpected results as a failure, the Lion bounces back and revises the idea or goes underground for a period. Knowing when to go underground is an important part of dealing with obstacles. Changes in the project, company strategy or leadership may necessitate letting a project lie dormant. The wise Lion knows when to do this either from his own intuition or by following the advice of mentors or sponsors.
An important part of being a Lion of Innovation is anticipating and dealing with failures. It is extremely important to have a resilient approach to handling setbacks. Highly proficient Lions take the optimistic attitude – they make opportunities out of obstacles. Martin Seligman in his book Learned Optimism describes optimism as being how a person defines the causes of the good things and the bad things that happen to him (8). Good things are defined by the optimist as permanent, pervasive and personal. Bad things are defined by causes that are temporary, specific and changeable. “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Optimism is not denial, however. Optimists can fully acknowledge reality and be willing to do whatever it takes to create the desired future .
Communication is important in handling unexpected results. If contingency plans are not implemented, the champion can be perceived as having a “deer in the headlights look” and the project will be in deep jeopardy with supporters. Good crisis management principles apply: get out in front of the issue; quickly communicate problems in a positive manner; and discuss options. These responses can overcome potential negative backlash. By anticipating potential difficulties, the Lion can turn lemons into lemonade.
Skilled Lions can also drive early cross-functional project leadership. This is a major advantage for innovation projects, but is difficult to achieve because there’s usually a lack of formal structure at the beginning of these projects.
Finally, timing is everything when it comes to innovation, so use it wisely. Sometimes it is important to keep ideas quiet. Conversely, sometimes the Lion needs to seize the opportunity to bring an idea to light. It’s important to be prepared for that time with the right data to support the idea.
Here’s an article that Dr. Jerry Newman and myself (Dale Perryman) wrote. This is a 3 part blog post. The three parts will include:
1. A Framework for Personal Innovation Leadership (Today’s Version)
2. Rules and Skills of the Jungle
3. Innovation Leadership Development
Lions of Innovation
Lions of Innovation: A Framework for Personal Innovation Leadership
By Jerry L. Newman and Dale Perryman
Individual leaders are important drivers of product innovation. In the book Intrapreneuring, Gifford Pinchot describes one of the first models for personal leadership in innovation (1). Pinchot defines intrapreneurs as dreamers who do.
Individual leaders of innovation or intrapreneurs are not unlike other business leaders. Much of the leadership literature is focused on the topic of leaders as change agents. For example, John Kotter has said, “The fundamental purpose of leadership is to produce useful change, especially non-incremental change” (2). Since innovation is largely about change, change leaders and innovators face many of the same roadblocks and obstacles.
Innovation efforts often suffer not so much from the lack of new ideas, but rather from a shortage of leaders with the passion and skills to deal with the obstacles to executing successful product innovation. In fact, most organizations have a strong portfolio of ideas that need capable leadership to drive them to commercialization. Political, technical, bureaucratic and marketing impediments may block progress. Political obstacles are referred to as the corporate immune system in Intrapreneuring. These and other barriers often result in a project ‘Valley of Death’ (3).
Leaders of product innovation emanate primarily from the marketing, operations and R&D organizations. In fact, many R&D and marketing organizations look at product development as their primary focus. Yet few organizations provide a personal leadership model or development program for personnel in these roles. We have developed and successfully implemented a framework for innovation leadership development.
The Lions of Innovation (4) program is based on elements of several leadership constructs such as Intrapreneuring, the Warrior role as described by Roger von Oech and the CREATIVE R&D Culture (1, 5, 6). This combination represents a comprehensive leadership model for developing an innovation culture and a program for development of individual leaders of innovation.
A Lion of Innovation is defined as a leader who fiercely moves product innovations through corporate processes and minefields towards commercialization using passion, determination, courage and skill (4). Lions, like intrapreneurs, immerse themselves in the process of commercializing innovative concepts. Lions may or may not be the inventors or creators of the idea. As in the case of intrapreneuring, sponsors and other stakeholders are also an important part of the model. True empowerment derives from permission, skills and passion.
But what if your organization is deficient in these categories? The program addresses ways to overcome these deficiencies.
Self-selection of Lions is a critical part of the individual leadership program. The program is not meant for all members of the marketing, operations or R&D staffs – it is for those who are highly committed to innovation. The foundation of the Lions of Innovation program is based on the logical progression that an innovator goes through from mind-set to commercialization.
A successful innovator needs to cultivate an understanding of the company’s general market and business strategies but also needs to understand the strategies of individual business units. Linking technology to value creation provides a pathway for innovators to identify projects they can passionately drive and that have the potential for successful product innovation.
Once the Lion’s project is selected, he/she needs to develop a sound business case. This leader will then marshal resources and manage the complexity of keeping a project moving forward through the multiple Death Valleys that typically occur during commercialization of significant innovations in the corporate environment.
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