Innovate or die

As I sipped my strong black coffee this morning, I came across an article that got me thinking about innovation. I left the broadcast industry because it felt "too slow" and "not innovative enough." Yet, everything I read in trade publications, use cases, and trade shows seems to suggest the opposite. Every person and company claims to be innovative, but are they really?

Innovation is subjective, isn't it? I describe myself in my profile as someone who "specializes in finding innovative solutions to difficult problems," and I'm confident in backing that up. From multi-modal AI for medical and media applications, Internet video contribution, and automated Arabic subtitling, to remote internet-based production—all these were delivered well before they became mainstream. Concepts like distributed non-biased news, agentic media architectures, and completely personalized content creation and distribution are ready to launch, just waiting for the right backers.

So, who decides what is or isn't innovative? Does it even matter? Not really. You can be as innovative or traditional as you like; it matters little unless it enhances the product or profitability of a company. Yet, innovative companies are always more successful and remain relevant over time.

Why aren't we more innovative? Most companies are burdened by legacy systems, many of which they don't fully understand. The people managing these systems might be excellent at maintaining them but often lack the know-how to innovate or leverage new technologies and ideas from other industries. Yet, CEOs rely on them to drive change.

Industries like media, banking, and medical systems are vast, complex, and notoriously resistant to change. The risk appetite for innovation in these sectors is low. Combined with restrictive budgets and a backlog of "absolutely required" changes, along with the mindset that "technology projects always cost more, take longer, and ultimately fail," innovation becomes even harder.

Sadly, innovation often comes from suppliers and vendors, not from companies themselves. But can we rely on vendors to be innovative? They face the same legacy challenges as everyone else. I've lost count of the times I've asked a vendor to implement something new, only to be told, "the market doesn't need it," only to see it implemented years later when the market absolutely does.

If you believe the hype, we're on the brink of a technological revolution that could render many of us jobless. I believe that technology WILL replace much of the process, knowledge, and rule-based work people do today. The only thing that will slow its adoption is a lack of innovative thinkers and, more importantly, doers.

So, what can you do? How do you foster an environment for innovation? It starts with employing the right people. CTOs should be thinkers, strategists, and futurists, not just senior delivery managers. These skills are crucial for creating technology that's fit for the future. Many job descriptions state "keep abreast of technology trends and advances," but what does this actually mean?

Here's are my 5 tips to be innovative and grow innovative teams.

1. Time to Think: A daily commute, or walking the dog is great for this. If you don't give yourself time to think, you can't imagine a better way.
2. Read: Read a lot about what's happening in tech and how people are applying it. This plants seeds in your brain that can grow later.
3. Share: Whenever I read something interesting, inside or outside my core industries, I share it. It might be a seed for someone else.
4. Talk: Talking is often underrated in the age of messaging, but others need to understand the destination to contribute to the journey.
5. Create Opportunities: Projects, golden sprints, hackathons—innovation doesn't have to be expensive, but it often needs to be demonstrated before people "get it." and are prepared to invest. CEOs are not great seed investors.

The best part of innovation is that it excites people. Leading and working on something cool and revolutionary can transform culture and boost delivery.

Trust me, real change is coming. Now is the time to make sure you have the right CTO in place to prepare you for it and if you cant innovate, someone else will.