What are the skills and competencies that you look for when hiring or developing innovators?

?? From my perspective, curiosity is the driving force behind true innovation. It fuels continuous learning and opens doors to new ideas and opportunities. ?? Challenge Assumptions Encouraging people to question and challenge the status quo creates an environment where new solutions can emerge. ?? Lifelong Learning Promoting a culture of continuous learning keeps innovators adaptable, helping them stay ahead of industry shifts and technological advancements. ?? Experimentation Innovators benefit from a mindset of experimentation. Testing different approaches drives progress through trial, error, and iteration. ?? Fostering curiosity in a team empowers innovators to turn challenges into growth opportunities.

I joined a company to work as an inventor, and as the company grew I had to find and train more than a dozen inventors. Since there were no job descriptions for inventors, I had to create one and then develop the questions to ask in the interviews. Curiosity and ability to learn quickly were certainly important, but I was also looking for a strong understanding of business and the ability to translate ideas into patents and startup companies. I quickly discovered that if you ask an interviewee whether they are creative they will always say 'yes.' So I developed questions that tested creativity levels *during the interview.* I gave them scenarios that required creativity and had them think out loud – easily separating wheat from chaff.

Cuando se trata de contratar o desarrollar innovadores, más allá de las habilidades técnicas y la creatividad, hay un elemento esencial que no debemos pasar por alto: la capacidad de ejecución. La ejecución efectiva transforma las ideas en resultados tangibles y, en última instancia, impulsa el éxito en el ámbito de la innovación. La habilidad para llevar a cabo proyectos, convertir conceptos en acciones y superar obstáculos es lo que distingue a los innovadores excepcionales.

-Curiosity & Learning Seek individuals eager to learn and ask questions. Encourage exploration, reading, and diverse experiences. Creativity & Problem-solving -Look for resourceful problem solvers. Provide space for experimentation and idea-sharing. Collaboration & Communication -Prioritize team players who communicate and accept ideas openly. Foster trust and a 'Yes, and' attitude in brainstorming. Initiative & Ownership -Seek proactive, accountable individuals challenging the norm. Encourage digital portfolios showcasing innovative projects. Select and nurture talents embodying these competencies to drive innovation forward! #InnovationSkills #HiringTips

In innovation, what you need to thrive is an insatiable curiosity, imaginative problem-solving, and collaborative communication. This can lead to a culture that nurtures learning, embraces experimentation, and empowers employee initiative.

Innovating is a mindset which thrives on right circumstances. Right and enough resources (this means also time) on nurturing and experiment-friendly atmosphere brings the potential of innovating persons into surface.

Pensar creativamente es crucial para la innovación, ya que permite a los innovadores ver problemas de nuevas maneras, hacer conexiones inusuales y generar soluciones originales. Utilizar técnicas como pensamiento lateral, analogías y análisis de escenarios para desbloquear enfoques novedosos; y combinar esa chispa creativa con una sólida resolución de problemas: Probar prototipos, recabar feedback, aprender de fracasos e iterativar ideas es la clave. Para fomentar estas habilidades, los líderes pueden dise?ar entornos colaborativos que permitan experimentación sin miedo al fracaso, incorporar pensamiento de dise?o en desarrollos y entrenar en técnicas creativas.

Muchos quieren ser creativos y explorar soluciones pero ni siquiera dejan nacer la idea cuando ya la están "condenando". Darse la oportunidad de explorar las ideas, por absurdas que suenen y preguntarse "?Qué tal si...?" Ayuda a explorar nuevos abordajes. Por supuesto se deben hacer evaluaciones con criterios priorizados antes de ejecutar, pero... exploremos y seamos realmente creativos yendo más allá del "es que eso no se puede".

As a named inventor on more than 750 patents, I have participated in countless brainstorming sessions. I have a secret for you. *Innovation is not a lightning strike.* Innovation is a process, like everything else. There is no need for magic. No need for brilliance. What you do need is a small group of people who dedicate a lot of time to learning about everything. Learning is the fuel that turns a brainstorming spark into a conflagration. It can take a long time to develop that knowledge base, but your brainstorming sessions will not require lightning strikes. It's just a process of combining small elements into larger innovations. It is hard work, and there are some nuances and other skills required, but there is no need for magic.

La capacidad de pensar de manera creativa y encontrar soluciones originales a problemas complejos es esencial. Esto implica pensar fuera de los marcos tradicionales, experimentar y estar dispuesto a tomar riesgos calculados. La creatividad no solo se aplica a productos o tecnologías, sino también a mejorar procesos, modelos de negocio y estrategias.

One of the keys to the collaborative development of ideas comes from improv comedy and it is called 'Yes, and.' This mindset is about taking what someone said before you, agreeing with it, and then adding something to it. All too often our reaction to a new idea is to say 'that will never work...' or 'the problem with that is...' or 'yes, but...' Those expressions quickly bring down the energy of a brainstorming session, and will often result in participants shutting down. Keep the 'Yes, and' attitude during the brainstorming session and focus on adding and building and accepting and you will have a pile of ideas at the end. Only then do you bring in judgement to select the best of the ideas to move forward with.

Los innovadores exitosos rara vez trabajan solos y saben aprovechar la inteligencia colectiva a través de una estrecha colaboración con personas de diferentes disciplinas y perspectivas, como hizo Steve Jobs al unir el dise?o creativo de Apple con la ingeniería de software de Xerox PARC para crear las innovadoras interfaces gráficas e iconos que impulsaron el éxito de los primeros Macintosh. Al mismo tiempo, comunican eficazmente su visión y propuestas de valor a múltiples personas, utilizando narrativas convincentes, demostraciones impactantes, un lenguaje claro y conciso para generar entendimiento y apoyo entre inversionistas, socios y clientes finales. Los líderes deben fortalecer estas habilidades de colaboración y comunicación siempre.

An innovator needs to be a diplomatic influencer. This competence refers to the individual's ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with others. Diplomatic influencers are skilled communicators who are able to build relationships and influence others in a positive and constructive manner.

Na minha experiência, uma habilidade crucial é a capacidade de integrar feedback de diversas partes interessadas de forma construtiva. Incentivar uma cultura de confian?a e transparência fortalece a colabora??o e melhora a comunica??o, essencial para o desenvolvimento de inova??es eficazes.

La innovación rara vez es el resultado del esfuerzo de una sola persona. Se necesita la capacidad de trabajar efectivamente en equipo, compartir ideas y construir sobre las contribuciones de otros. Las habilidades de comunicación son cruciales para articular visiones, persuadir a los stakeholders y facilitar el diálogo constructivo.

I pay particular attention to these two- as good ideas are meaningless without execution. Having initiative, being hands-on, and perseverance were common traits in the past few innovation-related teams I was a part of. While we never started with the "best idea", through countless build-measure-learn loops, we arrived at value-creating products.

Para comunicar convincentemente tu valor como innovador, ya sea buscando inversionistas, clientes o una promoción, te invito a que crees una cartera digital con proyectos donde hayas aplicado nuevas metodologías o tecnologías para mejorar métricas clave de negocio, prepara ejemplos de cómo superaste desafíos con soluciones innovadoras, como cuando Jeff Bezos transformó Amazon de una librería online a un gigante minorista multimedia al identificar oportunidades en la nube computacional y el streaming de video; actualiza tu CV y cartas resaltando habilidades y pasión por impulsar el crecimiento a través de la innovación.

At the very heart of innovation is a desire to challenge the status quo. No matter how simple something (or some process) is, or how long it has gone unchanged, an inventor always thinks that there may be a way to improve it. While that may sound like an admirable trait, it can result in a lot of problems within large companies. Employees often grow comfortable in their jobs, and change is always hard. So when someone wants to reinvent that employee's work process, that translates to more work for the employee, and some risk if the new process fails. The safe route is to push back on changing the status quo. The key is to get senior leadership champions who can advocate for change when it looks beneficial to the company.

Buscar personas que demuestren iniciativa y la capacidad de tomar la propiedad de sus proyectos e ideas. Los innovadores deben ser proactivos, capaces de liderar proyectos desde la concepción hasta la implementación, y estar dispuestos a asumir la responsabilidad de los resultados.

In business, we often talk about getting 'buy-in' However, there is a difference between 'buy-in' and 'ownership'. 'Buy-in' can be thrust upon people. 'Ownership' must be taken. When looking to hire innovation developers look for those who can inspire their team to take ownership of innovation. Not because they have to...but because they want to

While data and analytics and critical thinking are certainly important tools to an inventor, my recent experience with inventing new applications of Artificial Intelligence has illustrated the importance of doing small/quick experiments and then doing demos with potential customers. The demo does not have to be perfect – the user experience can be rough around the edges. Experiencing a potential customer reacting to the demo provides invaluable feedback. Did they understand the demo? Were they intrigued? Were they excited? Did they ask a lot of questions? And *what* did they ask questions about? The answer to all of those questions can then be fed back into the innovation process to create a new and more powerful demo.

Empresas grandes fracassam em rela??o à inova??o de ruptura porque a equipe de alta dire??o é dominada por pessoas que foram escolhidas por suas competências de execu??o, e n?o por competências de descoberta. Competências de descoberta s?o estabelecidas pela habilidade de questionar.

La capacidad de analizar información de manera crítica, evaluar diferentes perspectivas y fundamentar decisiones en datos sólidos es vital. El pensamiento crítico permite identificar la viabilidad de las ideas, prever posibles desafíos y adaptar estrategias conforme sea necesario.

Neste campo das ideias incríveis e das grandes inova??es, é extremamente importante manter os pés no ch?o. Ou pelo menos um deles. Rs Mas saber fazer uma análise crítica das ideias geradas, para entender que ideias precisam ser desejadas por um público, viáveis do ponto de vista econ?mico e possíveis com a tecnologia disponível, é uma característica essencial para qualquer inovador.

Most companies look for depth of expertise when recruiting for innovation positions, preferably those who are already in a similar job in a similar company. Unsurprisingly, hiring more people like you contribute to the organisational groupthink. If you want to go pass innovation theatre, go for people who can bring fresh perspectives and new approaches precisely because they are not like you.

Here is a secret that I discovered while facilitating thousands of brainstorming sessions: When someone throws out an idea and everyone immediately bursts out laughing, *stop the session and take a moment to discuss the idea.* A big burst of laughter is almost always a signal that there is something powerful in the idea. The idea itself may not be great, but there is often an element in there that can be built up into a great idea or can act as the seed for another idea. I think that this may be the result of the brain rewarding a new and novel thought. Reach out if you have another explanation! So in brainstorming sessions, keep an eye out out for big laughs. :)

2 das maiores competencias de um inovador s?o: resiliencia e capacidade politica. Resiliencia por que muitas coisas n?o ir?o dar certo de inicio, é preciso insistir, n?o desistir, vencer barreiras. E capacidade politica, por que a inova??o mexe com egos daqueles que n?o inovam mas tem poder. é preciso contornar, convencer, vender, envolver as pessoas em ideias que n?o foram delas.

Uma grande característica ou talvez a maior delas para contratar ou desenvolver um(a) inovador(a) é a resiliência. Inovar dentro da empresa é mais do que tudo um ato politico dentro da corpora??o. ? preciso se comunicar bem, fazer muita politica, convencer pessoas difíceis, super obstáculos, e continuar tentando e testando sempre, e mesmo em frente aos erros e fracassos, continuar. N?o existe nenhum caso de inova??o sem resiliência.

The one thing missing in the other topics is the person of course needs to have plenty of enthusiasm for technology, but above all needs to have a human centred approach at heart, to want to make customers or colleagues days better.