5 Techniques To Innovate For Business Leaders

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all businesses have been treading lightly to make sure they can stay afloat and that their employees can work efficiently and safely. Yet, we cannot deny that every business has been impacted in one way or another, on a very small or even large scale. Innovation was the last thing on their mind, rightfully so.

However, as we slowly emerge from the pandemic, now is a perfect time for business leaders to consider innovation. Looking to innovate in your business will be the key to seeing growth in your endeavors. While during the coronavirus outbreak, everything in this area was put on the back burner, now it is high time to bring it back to the forefront of the leaders’ minds as it may be the only way to see further development for their businesses.

Of course, change cannot be made overnight, and success is never guaranteed. Despite this, we cannot just rely on small increment innovations as, while good, they will not bring our businesses to the next level. Today, we present you with some key innovations that experts in the field swear by when it comes to coming up with bigger, better ideas. And some of them might involve thinking outside the box and getting out of our comfort zones!

#1 Sparks of insight

These golden ideas can come from working with customers or looking at what they have to say. While keeping an eye on general trends and patterns is good, you will not find any outstanding ideas there. It is in the abnormal points that are outside the line where you will observe the most important data: it shows what isn’t going as expected.

Most of the time, the most innovative ideas come from one random comment someone said. But to make the most of it, you have to listen and be opportunistic, rather than think about it logically like a statistician! To have a breakthrough, you need to look for such ideas, as if such brilliant ideas were found in averages, it wouldn’t be so hard to innovate.

#2 Deconstructing ‘truths’

One of the keys to having a big breakthrough with innovation in business is when they can pinpoint certain fundamental truths about their business and then remove them. Occasionally, these overarching truths can become contained, and this will limit the way in which you can innovate, or think about making innovations. By removing these ideas that are thought of as key strengths, you can stop them from holding back the thinkers in your teams.

It doesn’t mean getting rid of them; it means that you have to deconstruct them, see what works and why, and then apply them differently. You will be surprised at how many levels these ideas can appear, from single defining words to organization-wide behaviors! Give this idea a try and you might just find your next big step around the corner.

#3 Opposite viewpoints

If you rely too much on data and logical analysis, the path that you are going to walk down will be rational and work well, yet it will also be the same one that your competitors are going to walk on. A good way to make sure you can bring something new to your strategy and innovate in that area as well is to make use of contrarianism.

As humans, we place emphasis on logic and norms. However, our brains are wired to look for opportunities everywhere, even outside the accepted norm, or general practice. You can learn to stop looking at the most obvious, beaten path (that is bound to be the same one many others will take) and allow the not so logical to come to the forefront, for new, fresh ideas!

#4 Capitalizing on untapped resources

It would surprise you just how many assets companies generally have, but they are clueless about them. All digital businesses are built on a wide variety of assets that are foreign to traditional companies. For example, you might find out that while you view your impeccable track record, your amazing product or service, or even your great team as assets, your client might view your customer network as an asset!

What you may see as assets for your business, might not be the most important thing one of your clients sees as an asset. You should look into what others consider a plus about your company and then work to turn this hidden asset into an active one that could change the course of your company’s future! You just have to identify those key assets that are pivotal to your business, along with the ones that you already know about.

#5 Bold and boisterous

It goes against the general idea of brainstorming, but the best ideas can come from a group setting, and surprisingly, not always in a meeting room. Some of the best innovations can come after a debate or soon after all the parties have had time to think about everything said. Don’t be disheartened if an idea workshop doesn’t yield results, as even if it is frustrating, the best idea may have yet to arise.

So challenge your team and don’t be afraid of contradictory debates, even if you don’t seem to end up the “winner” at the end of a discussion; we cannot always have the greatest ideas. The jackpot idea for future innovations can come later, at the pub after the workshop, while commuting, or even in the shower: you’d be surprised how unexpectedly the idea can strike you. And, as long as you find the best course of action, it doesn’t matter when the idea comes!