There is a lot of fear in the economy right now. But hunkering down isn't necessarily the right strategy. If you want to thrive, not just survive, you need to keep innovation at the top of your priority list.

There are three beliefs that may be hiding out in your organization and killing innovation before it can even lift its head.

1. It's dangerous to be seen as having participated in an experiment that failed.
This belief is the source of most CYA activity. Don't let it spread in your team. Mistakes are a huge learning and innovation resource. They should be mined like gold for your company's future treasures.

2. Mistakes are embarrassing.
Most of us get a lot of negative messages about making mistakes from our parents and teachers as we are growing up. In the workplace, you want to overcome those negative messages so that the team can learn from mistakes. Find ways to share the learning with the team without anyone having to feel ashamed about the mistake.

3. What people think matter more than results.
These days people are worried about losing their jobs; there is a feeling that you need to look good or "you could be next." Be care that this mindset doesn’t eat your organization alive. If everyone is worried about what others think, the truly novel ideas will go underground.

If you see these beliefs in action in your team, it"s a good sign that innovation is suffering. And if innovation is suffering, your bottom line will suffer too!

Ferret out these beliefs and use your leadership role to help overturn them. For more on how to do that, read Chapter 6 of my book, The Fourth Factor: Managing Corporate Culture.

What do you see blocking innovation in your organization? Post a comment and tell us about it.

Labels: fear, innovation, leadership, learning

The economy is in a mess and the technology sector is suffering badly. Except for Apple. Even with Jobs on medical leave, Apple continues to produce good results. Apple received Fortune Magazine's "Most Admired Companies" top rank. In the detailed categories, they were #1 for innovation, people management, and quality of goods/services.

You could hardly pick three variables on the list that are more tightly linked. Apple is widely known for creating a climate where employees can be creative. It's high on Jobs' list of priorities. In fact, that's one of the main reasons investors get so nervous about Jobs' health. He has created a culture where it's expected that designers are swinging for the fence with new designs.

Creating a healthy culture that supports performance is a key role of the CEO and certainly a central part of people management. It leads to innovation and to quality products/service, the other two "best in class" items in Fortune's summary for Apple.

As a leader, ask yourself – what am I doing to create a culture that supports my employees in making their absolute best contributions to the organization? If you're not sure your team is doing everything they should be, ask me about getting a leadership team assessment.
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The Fourth Factor: Managing Corporate Culture
Available from Amazon.com

Labels: apple, corporate culture, innovation, leadership

"Your key people must grow as fast as you want your organization to grow. That is the advice of o a CEO who was responsible for fueling his organization's growth from $40M to $80M over the past few years.

If you expect your organization to grow revenue or expand market share, how will you do that? It's tempting to pay attention only to the external-facing factors such as marketing and new products. But it's just as important to look internally.

Look, I know it's a tough economy. But your company's future is at stake. Don't let the "hunker down” mentality blind you to opportunities to enhance your most important asset. Your key employees, whether they are senior managers or technical gurus, need to be continually growing their skills and knowledge.

Here are three strategies to make that happen.

1. Create a culture that supports risk-taking and development.
If it's not safe to take risks, your employees will not grow rapidly. Create a culture where mistakes are accepted, in fact encouraged, as long as learning follows. For more on this, read chapter 6 of The Fourth Factor.

2. Encourage each individual to drive her own growth.
Ask each key employee what new skills or knowledge s/he would like to gain this year. Make time and funds available; bring books or articles relevant to each person's learning agenda.

3. Use team time to enhance the team's leadership capacity.
Your senior team should spend at least a full day together once a quarter to address business problems that are more than today's "fire drill.” Use that time to upgrade your team. For more on successful business retreats, read about New Territory Offsites.

Use every opportunity to let employees know that you expect them to continually develop and will support them any way you can.

Growing your team provides the fuel to grow your business!

Labels: growth, innovation, leadership