What are the best ways to set yourself apart in a business innovation career?

1 Cultivate curiosity

One of the most important qualities of a business innovator is curiosity. Curiosity is the desire to learn, explore, and discover new things. It helps you to identify problems, opportunities, and trends that others might overlook. It also enables you to challenge assumptions, question the status quo, and experiment with different ideas and solutions. To cultivate curiosity, you need to be open-minded, attentive, and inquisitive. You can also read widely, attend events, take courses, and ask questions to expand your knowledge and perspectives.

2 Develop creativity

Another essential skill for business innovation is creativity. Creativity is the ability to generate original, useful, and relevant ideas that solve problems or meet needs. It involves combining existing knowledge, information, and resources in novel ways. To develop creativity, you need to practice divergent thinking, which is the process of generating many possible options without judging or filtering them. You can also use tools and techniques such as brainstorming, mind mapping, SCAMPER, and design thinking to stimulate your imagination and ideation.

3 Demonstrate value

To set yourself apart as a business innovator, you need to demonstrate the value of your ideas and solutions to your customers, stakeholders, and employers. This means you need to validate your assumptions, test your prototypes, and measure your results. You also need to communicate your value proposition clearly, concisely, and convincingly. You can use tools and frameworks such as lean canvas, business model canvas, and value proposition canvas to articulate and illustrate how your innovation creates and delivers value.

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?