How to Find Your Innovation Hero

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In the aftermath of World War II, Japan was decimated. Much of their infrastructure was damaged, their economy was in ruins, and their confidence was destroyed.?

To pull the country out of the rubble, one of the projects the government undertook was rebuilding their train system. The first 10 years of the program consisted of incremental improvements to the pre-existing steam locomotive technology, which enhanced the speed of the trains somewhat.

The truly transformational impact happened, however, when a visionary leader named Hideo Shima took charge of the critical train line between Osaka, Tokyo, and Nagoya. Shima pushed an innovative vision of high-speed rail or “bullet trains,” as they became known. He used a combination of charisma, confidence, and engineering science to demonstrate to the government and his teams that this bold way of thinking about rail transport was possible.

Shima’s new train lines operated at nearly 200 miles per hour, cutting the six-hour trip from Tokyo to Osaka by half. He achieved this by removing constraints that had previously been considered “fixed.” For instance, the traditional “wheels-on-steel” carriage was supplanted by magnetic levitation, which massively reduced friction, and fossil fuels were replaced by electricity, which was less expensive and easier to access.?

In the end, Shima delivered a true transformation that had a huge impact on the economy of Japan, as well as its national pride.

For a lot of companies today, implementing digital transformation can be almost as challenging as overhauling an entire country’s train system. In order to succeed, they will also need their own Hideo Shima, their “innovation hero.”

Our company, FROM Vision to Victory, has helped dozens of large enterprises execute their digital transformation initiatives. Based on what we’ve seen, legacy companies that achieve real success at transformation are able to do it, at least in part, because they have an innovation hero. This is someone who has the vision and tenacity to make it their personal mission to drag their enterprise toward digital excellence, no matter how challenging or how much resistance they face.?

At your company, your innovation hero might be your CEO, CIO, or CMO, or it might be someone a few levels down. Perhaps it’s you? In any case, the innovation hero inevitably winds up acting well beyond their assigned purview. This is because no matter the level, the demands of digital innovation and transformation cut broadly across an organization and, other than perhaps the CEO, nobody has the breadth of authority to cover it all.

So how can you find your innovation hero? Here are their key qualities or “superpowers” that you need to look for.

SUPER VISION

Innovation heroes see threats to the business clearly and can envision how transforming customer experience, technology capabilities, and the organization itself will enable it to meet the opportunities of the future.

COURAGE AND STRENGTH

There will be battles, and there will be injuries along the way. Innovation heroes are not focused on “covering their butts” or deterred by setbacks. They persist. They fight. They take their licks and come back even stronger.

SUPERHUMAN SPEED

Digital moves at a pace for which most organizations are not prepared. Innovation heroes utilize processes like Agile Development and immersive workshops to drive rapid decision-making. They push for flexible, cloud-based solutions and other technologies that allow them to accelerate digital innovation and iteration.

SPEAKS ALL LANGUAGES

Innovation heroes can convey and translate their message into the languages of business, IT, marketing, finance, legal, and user experience. They may not be the top experts in all or any of these areas, but they can bridge them and create a common understanding.

A CHAMPION OF THE PEOPLE

Innovation heroes drive business success by prioritizing the needs of the company’s customers, as well as its rank and file employees—making sure their needs are understood and that they are truly taken care of.

TIME TRAVEL

The innovation hero focuses both on driving the multi-year “big picture” and on executing the near-term wins that demonstrate success—helping fund future transformation.

GENEROSITY AND HUMILITY

The innovation hero is looking to drive a glorious outcome, but not to achieve personal glory. They live by this memorable quote from President Harry Truman: “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

ALLIES WITH OTHER SUPERHEROES

Digital transformation requires many parts of the organization to work together to win. Innovation heroes persuade leaders across different departments and divisions to come onboard and be part of a super-team, driving victory.

Innovation heroes don’t have to be perfect. In fact, comic book heroes are always flawed in one or several ways, but their inner strength, sincerity of purpose, and persistence ultimately cause them to triumph. As your company embarks on digital transformation, these heroic qualities are essential to seeing it all through.

Need help finding your innovation hero? Let’s talk.

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YOUR TURN?

What other qualities do you think an innovation hero needs to have? Share your ideas in the comments below.

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Howard Tiersky is the founder of FROM, The Digital Transformation Agency where he works with leading brands on digital transformation.

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