How do you manage pushback when innovating?

1 Understand the reasons

Pushback is not always a sign of hostility or ignorance. Sometimes, it reflects genuine concerns, questions, or feedback that can help you improve your innovation process and outcomes. Before you dismiss or defend your ideas, try to understand the reasons behind the pushback. Listen to the perspectives of your colleagues, customers, or partners, and acknowledge their emotions, values, and interests. You may discover some valid points, gaps, or risks that you need to address or communicate better.

2 Involve and empower

One of the best ways to reduce pushback is to involve and empower the people who will be affected by your innovation. Instead of imposing your ideas on them, invite them to participate in the ideation, testing, and implementation stages. Ask for their input, feedback, and suggestions, and show them how their contributions matter. By involving and empowering them, you can build trust, ownership, and commitment, and make them feel part of the innovation journey.

3 Communicate and educate

Another key factor in managing pushback is to communicate and educate your stakeholders about your innovation goals, strategies, and benefits. Don't assume that they know or care about your vision or value proposition. Use clear, simple, and compelling language to explain what you are trying to achieve, how you are going to do it, and why it matters to them and the organization. Use stories, examples, and evidence to illustrate your points and address their doubts or objections. And keep them informed and updated throughout the innovation process, so they don't feel left out or surprised.

4 Experiment and iterate

Innovation is not a one-time event or a linear process. It is a continuous cycle of experimentation and iteration, where you learn from your failures and successes, and refine your ideas and solutions. To manage pushback, you need to adopt a mindset of experimentation and iteration, and encourage your stakeholders to do the same. Don't be afraid to test your assumptions, validate your hypotheses, and collect data and feedback. And don't be attached to your initial ideas, but be willing to pivot, adapt, and improve them based on the results and insights you gain.

5 Celebrate and reward

Finally, managing pushback also requires celebrating and rewarding your innovation efforts and achievements. Recognize and appreciate the people who support, contribute, or adopt your innovation, and share the positive impact and outcomes of your work. Celebrate the milestones, learnings, and wins, no matter how big or small, and create a sense of pride and excitement among your stakeholders. And reward the behaviors and actions that foster a culture of innovation, such as curiosity, collaboration, creativity, and risk-taking.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?