Innovation is an intentional commitment to designing solutions for real problems. It requires the thoughtful processing and execution of ideas that both your leadership and those you hope to serve can embrace. Here are some questions to ask yourself and your team that may help to shape your work in innovation:
1. How does your organization define innovation and embed that understanding into its own narrative?
2. How does your organization measure the input, workflow and output of innovation? How do you measure success?
3. What are some of the key perspectives, processes and praxes that help to shape your culture of innovation?
4. What mindsets, qualities or talents do you look for in team members for innovation, and how do you cultivate these attributes?
5. How does your organization embrace “disruptive innovators,” and who defines (or redefines) leadership in this dynamic?
6. How do you deal with a staffer who may be a growing distraction or who appears to be working against the culture of innovation?
7. How do you view failure as it relates to innovation? When is it part of the process, and when is it unacceptable?
8. How does the legacy of your organization enhance or deter your ability to lead innovation?
9. What is the most important thing innovative leaders should do regularly to stay effective and fresh in their work?
What questions are you asking to guide your efforts in innovation?
