How do you stay innovative in a changing environment?

1 Define your innovation goals

Before you start generating and testing new ideas, you need to have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and why. What are the problems or challenges that you want to solve? What are the opportunities or trends that you want to leverage? What are the value propositions or benefits that you want to deliver? By defining your innovation goals, you can focus your efforts, align your team, and measure your progress.

2 Diversify your sources of inspiration

One of the keys to staying innovative is to expose yourself to different perspectives, experiences, and knowledge. You can diversify your sources of inspiration by reading widely, attending events, networking with people from different backgrounds and industries, and seeking feedback from your customers and stakeholders. You can also use tools and frameworks such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or SCAMPER to generate more and better ideas.

3 Experiment and learn fast

Innovation is not only about having great ideas, but also about testing them quickly and learning from the results. You can experiment and learn fast by using methods such as prototyping, MVPs, or A/B testing to validate your assumptions, gather data, and get feedback. You can also use tools such as lean canvas, business model canvas, or value proposition canvas to document and refine your hypotheses and value propositions.

4 Embrace failure and feedback

Innovation is inherently risky and uncertain, and you will inevitably encounter failures and setbacks along the way. Instead of avoiding or hiding them, you should embrace them as opportunities to learn and improve. You should also seek and welcome feedback from your team, your customers, and your stakeholders, and use it to iterate and optimize your solutions. By embracing failure and feedback, you can build a culture of learning and resilience.

5 Collaborate and co-create

Innovation is not a solo activity, but a collaborative one. You can enhance your innovation potential by working with others who have different skills, expertise, and perspectives. You can collaborate and co-create with your team, your customers, and your partners, and use tools such as design thinking, agile, or scrum to facilitate the process. By collaborating and co-creating, you can leverage the collective intelligence and creativity of your network.

6 Keep learning and evolving

Innovation is not a destination, but a journey. You can never rest on your laurels or become complacent, because the environment is constantly changing and new challenges and opportunities are emerging. You need to keep learning and evolving, by staying curious, open-minded, and flexible. You need to keep scanning the horizon, exploring new possibilities, and experimenting with new solutions. By keeping learning and evolving, you can stay ahead of the curve and maintain your competitive edge.

7 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?