What do you do if your role as a Product Innovation specialist is not clearly defined?

Think of it as a silver lining to the cloud where you are given an open-ended canvas to draw on. Innovation requires thinking outside the conventional norms and practices to identify opportunities and improve the product and process. Having a defined role can lead to you innovating in a very narrow spectrum and space.

Schedule regular check-in meetings with your supervisor or manager to discuss progress, challenges, and expectations. Use these meetings as an opportunity to clarify any uncertainties and align on goals.

Drawing from over two decades of experience, it's common for individuals to clarify goals and performance expectations. However, it's crucial to consult with your manager and team regarding potential goals and expectations. While performance ensures sustainability, exploring and delivering at your best potential facilitates career growth. In essence, it's essential to establish both performance and potential goals. Performance Goal focuses on achieving specific outcomes or results within a set time frame, while Potential Goal aims to develop skills, knowledge, or behaviors that enhance future performance and career advancement.

To excel in a Product Innovation specialist role, you need a combination of technical, analytical, creative, and interpersonal skills. Understanding of user experience (UX) principles and user-centered design methodologies to create products that meet customer needs and expectations.

Ability to effectively communicate ideas, present findings, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive product innovation initiatives. Communication in planning, organizing, and executing product innovation projects within scope, budget, and timeline constraints is important.

If my role as a Product Innovation Specialist isn't clearly defined: Initiate discussions with team members and stakeholders to clarify expectations and responsibilities. Offer to collaborate with colleagues across departments to identify opportunities and define a collective vision. Proactively seek feedback and adjust strategies as needed to ensure alignment and effectiveness in driving product innovation.

If my role as a Product Innovation Specialist isn't clearly defined: Begin by exploring different approaches and methodologies in product innovation. Engage in experimentation to discover where my skills and contributions can add the most value. Continuously learn from these experiences to refine my role and contribute effectively to the innovation process.

If my role as a Product Innovation Specialist isn't clearly defined: Take initiative to tackle diverse challenges and contribute where possible. Celebrate successes, however small, as they indicate progress and learning. Use each achievement as an opportunity to clarify and shape my role in driving product innovation forward.

Create value ! One of the best way to define your role is to create it by creating value as an intrapreneur for instance or creating quick wins from an internal process standpoint. Find something that is a painpoint and deliver a minimum viable product to solve it. You should be the benchmark of innovation not waiting for someone to define your role.