Mission statements also serve as helpful guides when you develop new ideas. Coming up with an innovative idea can be intimidating when you’re staring at a blank sheet of paper. A mission statement puts something on that paper for you to work from, which can make the brainstorming process easier. When it’s time to brainstorm a new idea, turn to your mission statement and ask yourself if there are facets that have not yet been adequately addressed. Start working from whichever aspect of your mission is currently weakest.
Try looking at something you do each day. Ask yourself who else does it and how they might do it differently. There are many ways to approach most tasks, and if you assume that yours is the best, you’re taking a fairly big risk. When analyzing different methods, ask yourself why the person who started the method chose to pursue it. Consider whether other alternatives were considered and rejected. Also ask yourself if other assumptions or constraints limited that source’s actions. Concerning both familiar and unfamiliar methods, ask yourself what your complaints are about those methods and what your friends’ or colleagues’ complaints might also be.
Keep in mind that the knowledge available in books was first discovered by people who didn’t have such books to work with. They were people who experienced matters for themselves, and their experiences brought about information that would last beyond their own lifetimes. No two people see the world in exactly the same way. By viewing or experiencing something for yourself, you bring your own unique set of questions and beliefs to the table. As such, you might be able to make observations no one else has made yet. Some unique observations may lead nowhere, but others can lead you toward new innovations within the field.
Get to know your customers as thoroughly as your resources will allow. Try not to rely on secondhand accounts provided by consultants or research. Instead, connect with your customers directly. When you start from scratch, your official market doesn’t exist yet. You’ll need to spend time getting to know prospective customers in your target market, as well as prospective partners and suppliers.
If you’re working with others in a shared space, try posting an idea board in an area everyone passes by. The people in your team can post problems and ideas to the board. Other teammates should respond to those issues as they see fit. This continual exchange of knowledge can lead to new and exciting ideas. Listen to others and hear what they have to say about some of the issues you’re working on. You don’t need to directly ask them for help with your project, but by observing the complaints and concerns they express, you might gain a better perspective on how to approach the matter.
Customer surveys and product tests are both great ways to collect data on your ideas. These tools provide you with data specifically tailored to your project and your target market.
“Option A” and “Option B” might be standard procedures that are hard to break from. In that case, question why those procedures are standard. Point out any weaknesses or flaws in those options and suggest ways to address those issues.
Give tangible form to abstract ideas as quickly as possible. Create a prototype of a project you’re working on. Improve the actual prototype instead of trying to make all of your improvements only on paper. Major innovation is even harder to pull off during tough economic times since your resources are slim and your customers are more resistant to change. Investing everything you have in a major innovation without approaching it in a few minor, cautious steps can be a waste of resources you need to manage more effectively. Taking small steps will allow you to change direction along the way as needed.
Don’t let yourself be blinded by short-term gains. If those gains will come with unsavoury long-term consequences, it is usually best to pass them by.
Never expect immediate perfection. When you introduce something new, wait for feedback. The entire thing might be a failure, but more often than not, there are at least redeemable aspects that will be worth preserving and building upon in the future.
Small teams are more focused, so they tend to get work done faster and more effectively than large, mismatched groups can. If a new venture requires expertise from several fields, consider creating multiple small teams to handle each of these aspects separately. For instance, one team might handle quality assurance while another might handle the legalities. Representatives from the teams will need to meet occasionally, but most of the work can be done separately.
Information that can benefit other teams within the larger group should be shared freely. If one team has to search for an answer another team already knows, they end up wasting time that could have been spent better elsewhere.
The key is to constrain without suffocating or starving your team. Introduce specific problems that need to be fixed and outline the sort of approach you’re looking for. Do not pressure the team with unnecessary restrictions on time and funding. Additionally, if someone figures out a way to approach the problem that differs from your outline but still works effectively, take that concept into consideration rather than rejecting it outright.
Pitch ideas in a manner that minimizes the perceived risk of trying them while emphasizing the risk of not trying them. Make your teammates (and, by extension, your customers) believe that they will be making a big mistake if they don’t jump on the idea you’re presenting.
Monetary incentives can be quite effective. When you’re in a position that allows you to make the decisions about how to funds are distributed, start by giving each group the finances it needs to overcome some of the initial risks and uncertainties. As these risks are cleared, grant the group more funding to work with.
