How Do You Do Innovation?

 

Free Mad Scientist Clip Art - Science@clipartmax.com

As an IT executive, I constantly get asked questions about innovation, whether it be from board members, members of our executive team, leaders from other organizations, etc. In fact, back when I was looking for my next role 18-24 months ago, this came up a lot in interviews. What I thought was interesting was the perception that some have, especially outside of the IT space, about how innovation occurs. It seems that there is the misperception that most “innovative” IT departments have teams of individuals just working on innovative solutions or to borrow a term from defense contracting -skunkworks. Many are surprised and usually enlightened when I discuss my approach to innovation. To me, innovation isn’t something that you come into the office and work on as just another task in your day where you require yourself to try to be innovative. I see that as counter productive and a waste of time. Innovation to me is solving a problem in a new or novel way. Now, you will notice that I didn’t mention technology there. Innovation doesn’t necessarily require technology. In fact, numerous times I have worked with department leaders to create an innovative solution to a problem that didn’t require me to add any additional technology to the equation, just a different perspective on how to think through the problem and redesign the workflow. Too often, we think of innovation as some mad scientist creation that happens in the bowels of our IT departments waiting to be sprung on the organization. While some innovation might come about that way, the innovation that I think most of us are driving toward is innovation that solves a problem and not innovation that is looking for a problem to be solved.

So, when I am asked how I encourage innovation across my team, I typically walk through my approach to innovation as a leader with them which usually consists of the following:

I start with developing a mindset toward innovation in my team through coaching and expectation setting.

·         First off, whenever I conduct team meetings, large or small, I always have someone present a problem that they are working on. This is typically voluntary, and my teams have learned to trust each other and me enough to know that this is a safe learning experience and one that they may derive great benefit from.

o   We walk through the problem statement, any steps that have been documented as part of the current process, and then what my team member has done or at least their thought process around how they are going to approach the problem.

o   I usually go first by asking some questions, which is typically where I encourage the innovative process because it lets my team know how I would approach or try to bring innovation to the problem.

o   Now, I know that my answer isn’t always or probably not even usually the right answer, so this is where I invite the rest of the team to chime in and ask their questions and begin to provide their suggestions.

o   What the presenter walks away from the meeting with is usually a pretty decently fleshed out plan for how they might solve this problem, and it is typically much more innovative than if only one or a couple of us had come with it.

·         So, this is the second thing to keep in mind about innovation: it quite often requires more than one brain and one set of eyes to really work. While encouraging innovation I also encourage collaboration, and I think the two go hand in hand. And this collaboration doesn’t just stop with the IT team but should also include the person/department that raised the problem in the first place and any potential stakeholders.

·         The third thing to keep in mind about innovation is there are no heroes in innovation. Everyone that participates in the process is part of whatever innovative solution that has come up. No one should be keeping score or trying to get credit for something innovative. Once that happens, innovation is now stifled by individual glorification. Let’s look at an example of how this might play out in both a positive and negative way:

 

Take my earlier statement about how often times when I get involved in helping solve a problem, that solution is often not a technical solution. So, let’s assume for a minute that I have a purchasing department that is swamped and another department that they serve that is frustrated because purchasing is way behind on their orders. Let’s also assume that many of those orders are pretty small amounts, say less than $50, and are typically ordered from one or two vendors. Through me asking questions to try to facilitate brainstorming a solution, the two departments agree that for purchases under $100, the department can place the orders themselves as the control provided by the purchasing department in this case probably costs more than the items being purchased. The purchasing manager can review a report at the end of the month for those items purchased by the department to make sure that they pass a reasonableness test and everyone is happy. In this case, I didn’t create a solution, I facilitated a discussion that led to an innovative solution. Now, if I were looking to get credit for a solution, I might have suggested creating a digitized process that has a digital requisition that gets routed for approval and where everyone could see the status. This solution uses technology and may speed up the process somewhat, but it doesn’t really solve the true problem, the bottleneck in purchasing, especially during busy periods.

I guess in conclusion, what I am really trying to say is that innovation is much less a process or a function than it is an approach to problem solving. True innovation takes a problem and comes up with a way to solve that problem and hopefully makes some process much faster or easier. Innovation is all around us, you just need to learn to recognize it. So, keep this in mind the next time you press a technology leader on innovation and make sure that your perspective is set accordingly. Unless that person is the head of a research and development department, the answer that you should expect or hope to get is some version of innovation is part of the problem-solving process. Understanding that problems don’t always mean something is broken, but just that they are usually something that can be made better in some way. With this expectation and perspective, you will be ready to sit down with your technology staff and discuss the problems that you are facing and work with them to create an innovative solution.

As Executives, Are We Really Listening?

 

As executives, it’s no secret that we’re all busy. I’ve often heard this used as an excuse when a colleague checks out of a conversation, interview, or meeting. While there’s no denying that our schedules are demanding, we also have a responsibility to remain engaged, especially when ideas are being shared that could benefit our organizations.

Let me pose a rhetorical question: If you’re in a meeting and someone is explaining an idea but isn’t being particularly concise, do you stop them to offer feedback, or do you simply disengage and tune them out? If the answer is the latter, I’d argue that you’re not fulfilling your role as an executive. That meeting was scheduled because someone believed the discussion was valuable (this is especially true for interviews, internal or non-sales meetings). By checking out, how can you be sure that you aren’t missing something crucial—an insight that could drive significant change or benefit your organization?

The Missed Opportunities

When we fail to provide feedback or simply "check out" of discussions, we miss valuable opportunities. Not only might we be missing key insights, but we also rob the speaker of a chance to improve. By offering constructive feedback, we help others communicate more effectively, which ultimately benefits the entire organization.

Too often, we allow our own preferences to dictate our engagement. If a presentation doesn’t align with our interests or feels overly detailed, we feel justified in mentally stepping away. But as executives, our role is to serve the needs of our organizations and our customers, not to cater to our personal preferences. I would also argue that our role is to help others in our organization or that we do business with, develop in their roles. This not only helps our organizations in the end but is also the right thing to do as experienced professionals and executives.

I recently witnessed this behavior in another organization. After a meeting, I heard participants express relief that the speaker had finished, citing a lack of conciseness. What struck me was that this wasn’t a large group setting where feedback might feel impersonal—it was a small meeting where immediate feedback could have been offered. I personally found the speaker’s insights valuable, and while they could have been more concise, I focused on the content rather than the delivery.

For me, this was a missed opportunity. Others in the room could have given feedback to help the speaker improve their communication, benefiting both the individual and the organization. By choosing to disengage, they missed out on a chance to help someone grow, which is a core part of leadership.

The Importance of Feedback

We often forget that those presenting to us or interviewing with us are likely nervous or not accustomed to presenting ideas to a group or may not have interviewed for a while. Instead of tuning out and discussing their performance behind their back, wouldn’t it set a better example to offer constructive feedback? Many of us can think back to a time when someone gave us helpful advice in our careers—shouldn’t we strive to be that person for others? There have been a number of times when I have stopped an interview because the candidate was giving longwinded answers and some of my fellow interviewers were beginning to lose interest. When I do this, I typically look at the candidate and let them know that the interview is on a schedule and what I would like them to do is take a moment and think of a way to summarize what they are about to say just like they would if they were going to put it on a PowerPoint slide that had to be seen in the back of a large room. Keep the points to the most important highlights that we need to know to get to know you and make a decision. These interviews almost always end well and more often than not, I have hired this person, and they turned out to be a great hire!

Feedback, when given respectfully and professionally, can transform both the speaker and the organization. I’ve found that when I offer feedback, whether in a meeting, interview, or informal discussion, the person receiving it is almost always grateful. Their goal is to communicate effectively, not to impress us with perfect delivery. The key is to offer feedback in a way that helps, rather than embarrasses.

Actionable Tips for Offering Feedback

Providing feedback isn’t just about pointing out flaws—it’s about guiding someone toward improvement. Here are a few strategies that can help:

• Be specific and timely: If someone is providing too much detail or going off-topic, politely stop them and ask if they can summarize their main points. Doing this during the conversation allows for immediate improvement and helps keep everyone engaged.
• Encourage clarity: Offer suggestions on how the speaker can simplify their message. For example, you might say, "I think this is a great point, but could you clarify it in a few sentences, so everyone stays on track?"
• Frame it constructively: When offering feedback, frame it as an opportunity for growth. For instance, "You have a lot of valuable information here, and I think it would be even more impactful if you focused on these key areas."

By doing this, you not only help the speaker improve but also ensure the entire group remains engaged and benefits from the discussion.

Conclusion

As executives, our job isn’t just to attend meetings or sit through presentations—it’s to actively engage in the discussions around us. When we check out without providing feedback, we miss opportunities to unlock valuable insights and help others improve their communication. By offering thoughtful, constructive input, we foster a culture of learning and improvement, which ultimately benefits both individuals and the organization.

Let’s strive to be leaders who listen actively, provide feedback respectfully, and seize every opportunity to drive progress. By doing so, we not only help others grow but also ensure that our organizations continue to thrive.