10 LESSONS OF INNOVATION

Innovation strategist & marketing expert Idris Mootee, writing in his 'Innovation Playground' weblog, shares his experience from the field through his insightful presentation, '10 Lessons of Innovation':

1) A big part of innovation is about selling, not just inventing;

2) Innovation needs brainstorming & brainstorming needs rules;

[IDEO's Rules: Defer judgement; Build on the ideas of others; Only one conversation at a time; Stay focused on the topic; Encourage wild ideas;]

3) Creativity is not innovation. Innovation is built upon creative assets;

4) There is no clear path or clean solutions;

5) Innovation occurs at the intersection of previously unconnected & unrelated planes of thought;

6) Innovation is like fencing. You need to learn to fight like a gentleman;

[Innovation happens when people respect each other but fight crazy over their ideas.]

7) Innovation requires a few grumpy people;

[They are good at finding flaws & better at pulling the plug & stopping organisations from throwing good money on bad stuff.]

8) Innovation requires its own visual verbal lamguage;

[A picture or sketch speaks a thousand words. Thus, a visual journal allows you to think about your ideas from various angles & fosters clarity of thought.]

9) Prototype a lot; fail often & fail early;

10) Money should never come first;

If you have enjoyed reading this piece, I recommend readers to go to this link to read his other piece, 'Use The Next Six Months To Invest In Innovative Capacity & Strategic Agility'.

I like his Spitfire analogy for speed & agility - it reminds me of the great war movie 'Battle of Britain' in the sixties.