Myths and Realities: Building a Culture of Innovation
by Zachary Spencer
1. If we can start a reaction then the rest of it will take care of itself. The real trick is getting out of the way so passionate people can accomplish the missions
2. The most important job of leadership is to be a catalyst. A catalyst doesn't get used up in the reaction.
3. The innovation process is about getting outside of our silos and seeing what's happening in the grey areas between us
4. We don't have to invent anything new, we just need to learn how to play with the parts better. To reassemble and recombine them in new ways.
5. Looking at innovation from the perspective of a business vs the perspective of a community is a very different lense.
6. I saw how the businesses interacted with acadamia interacted with government and I made the mistake of thinking that I could influence that because Rhode Island was so small
7. If you have never had the opportunity to invent a title, you should do it. It lets you focus your work on what you are passionate about
8. I am wired by believing there is a better way. From little things, to really big things. I cry every time I drive by a public school saying "how did we let this happen?"
9. transformational change in corporations fit hand in glove with transformational change in our society
10. I'm a classically trained MBA, and what I learned is that the way we go about transforming business is all wrong. If I'm honest I can count on maybe a couple of hands the truly transformational things we did.
11. It is during tough economic times that people listen to innovators
12. If we turn innovation into a buzzword and everyone an innovator the no one is an innovator
13. We often get as many definitions of innovation as we have people in the room.
14. Innovation is better ways to deliver value. Ideas are cheap. Delivery is hard
15. the practice is there to do incremental things, but not to do innovative things
16. Everyone thnks about innovation as helping the product. That's important. What about innovating your capabilities?
17. Is there always a better way? Couldn't we be better served by spending time on something else? Why innovate on everything?
18. You cannot just tweak to get to innovation.
19. Breakthroughs are not about inventing better mousetraps. You cannot disrupt your industry by making better mousetraps
20. It's not IT searching for a solution
21. I'd be really careful with creating a culture of innovation. I don't want everyone innovating. I want most people making sure my current business model produces the results it needs to produce
22. Sticking to your knitting only works if you want to keep doing what you're doing
23. Sometimes it's important to sprint to failure quickly
24. We can reinvent ourselves, regardless of age/beuracracy/etc.
25. My wife wasn't interested in having a strategy consultant at home. I made the mistake of advising how to organize the cereal cupboard
26. This isn't about public or private. It's about both public and private and thinking outside the lens of our existing organization
27. There's a difference between market making and share taking.
28. I learned about silos and the difficulty of working horizontally.
