Learn and apply the innovation process

- Did you know research shows that, while 75% of companies say innovation is a priority, only 20% are ready and equipped to actually innovate? Yes, only 20%. This is a huge gap. What's causing this discrepancy? It's simple. It's a lack of training. The people in these companies don't know how to innovate, and the way to solve it is easy. You learn how to become an innovator. Yes, that's it. Innovation is a teachable mindset and skillset anyone can learn. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of innovation, there's a few things I want you to know. First, learning to become an innovator is a journey and it takes time. Second, you will gain confidence. As you start practicing how to innovate, you'll become better at doing it. Third, learning innovation is so exciting. You're literally crafting what you want to see happen. You get to envision it and you get to create it. You are taking agency over the future and creating new possibilities, and learning innovation is one of the most rewarding things you can do, you'll be unlocking new ways to think and do, and this will transform your life. Once you learn innovation, you can never go back because how you think will shift. I know this to be true because it's not been true only in the lives of others around me, it's been true for me too. Recently, I attended a conference, and we were given a huge problem to figure out as one big team. Things weren't going anywhere. So I stepped in and said to the whole group, "Hey, have we assumed too much here?" I looked to the person in charge of the activity and I asked him, "Do we have to stand in a circle in order to reach the solution for this?" You see, we were all standing in this big circle trying to solve the problem, but I realized there may have been something we assumed needed to be part of the solution. That question was the big unlock for the team, and that question was what helped us solve the problem. This moment was huge for me. It wasn't because I was the only one to solve the problem, but it was because I realized I had changed in two ways. I had the cognitive flexibility to think differently than everyone else, and I took charge to speak up and lead the team to try new approaches. This type of change is possible for you too. Now, with this in mind, let's break down the innovation process. There's five stages to it: diagnose, dream, prototype, test, and implement. I'll go into detail about what's involved in each stage a little later. But first, here's what I want you to know. The innovation process is an iterative learning process to problem-solving when the way forward is unknown. In other words, if you're facing a problem and you don't know how to solve it, you want to use the innovation process. Let's just say your boss comes to you with a new project and asking you to do something that's new, and you don't have the answer for it. That's when you need to use the innovation process. The innovation process enables you to navigate uncharted waters and step into the unknown with confidence. And the innovation process can be used for anything, yes, I literally mean anything. Innovation can be applied in legal, IT, human resources, L&D, supply chain, financial services, marketing, administration, and more. Whatever role you're in, department you serve or industry, innovation is applicable for your work. Every person faces problems where the solution is not clear, and that's where innovation begins, with a problem to solve, and we'll get to that next.