An innovation journey beyond our comfort zones

In the fast-paced world of innovation, stepping out of the familiar confines of the office or our home workspace can be a transformative experience.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the privilege of attending a few very different events that not only broadened my horizons, but also pushed me out of my comfort zone, challenging me to confront uncertainty and embrace failure as a crucial part of the innovation journey.

The first was the Chief Disrupter event in London which offered a deep dive into the world of transformation and examples from other sectors.

While I was there, I was especially interested in hearing from speaker Ben Sawyer, who shared his insights on how to cope with fear and uncertainty, drawn from his experience as an army bomb disposal operative.

Uncertainty is the worst experience for many and something that those of us who work in innovation have to deal with daily. Hearing from Ben really made me think about how we can make uncertainty more comfortable for those who are starting their own innovation projects.

Next, it was on to the AquaTech Innovation Forum in Amsterdam.

I loved the unconferenced format – everything was delivered via interactive and intimate sessions which really boosted engagement and participation. I’ve come away with lots of new insights and meaningful connections that I’ve shared with my colleagues.

After that, I was pushed out of my own comfort zone completely, by presenting to hundreds of people at the F**k Up night in Amsterdam about one of my failures. In fact, as the event crept ever closer, I started to regret agreeing to take part! But, now that the event is over, I can genuinely say that this was an amazing experience – one of the best things I’ve done in a long time!

Discussing failure so openly is a concept often overshadowed on the innovation journey. As an innovation leader though, I knew it was important to lead by example and show that failure is not a setback but a stepping stone to success.

Just this week I also attended the Digital Water Innovation Day hosted by Bentley Systems at their amazing London headquarters and then the Institute of Water Northern Area Annual Seminar 2023.

The Digital Water Innovation Day reinforced to me how digital innovation is not just essential, it’s a strategic imperative.?We need to embrace emerging technologies for operational efficiency, creativity and sustained success in an ever-evolving business environment.

Meanwhile, the Institute of Water’s seminar explored the role collaboration will play in achieving our goals for AMP8 and how innovation needs to be different in this future. It was real food for thought with fantastic audience engagement and interaction.

Going to these events and meeting lots of new people has really reinvigorated my commitment to innovation! The innovation community must embrace uncertainty, learn from failures and actively share these experiences.

The path to innovation is indeed a challenging one, but it is in the challenges that we find the greatest opportunities for growth and success.