I’ve learned a behavior that really helps me find business innovation. Try putting your ego aside and accept, in fact, assume you don’t have the answer. Doing this allows you to listen without prejudice and carefully consider what is being said, rather than putting your mental energy into defending your opinion. By assuming that you are wrong, you will see problems from a new, fresh perspective. This will open up new avenues to business innovation.
Business innovation isn’t found by doing the same old things the same old ways. It’s found by taking a fresh approach. It comes from the outside in. It comes from taking a new perspective, from looking at problems from the knowledge base of others. It comes from forcing yourself to accept that you don’t have an answer.
Try it. The next time you need to make a recommendation assume you don’t have a solution. This isn’t natural behavior. Your instinct will be to form an idea, and then have your colleagues try and poke holes in it. Nothing wrong with this approach but it’s an incremental approach that doesn’t typically lead to business innovation.
Instead, explore the issue with some colleagues and listen to what they think should be done. You will find your ability to listen improves markedly. Then you can apply your experience and knowledge to what your colleagues said. This is bound to bring you to a solution you would normally have missed.
Photo credit: Lady-bug
Follow me on Twitter
