Time to Innovate

According to Wikipedia, Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services. ISO TC 279 in the standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity realizing or redistributing value". ?Innovation is the behind the scenes step that keeps us relevant in a changing world. Innovation helps us to identify opportunities and embrace change as a norm rather than a threat.

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Steve Jobs and company revolutionised the personal computing space with their innovation which made computer technology more portable and secure. Today many in the world benefit from this innovation that ushered us from old mainframe computers to portable hand held devices with strong processing power. While keeping track of evolving customer needs, Apple products continue to be innovative in their approach for service delivery in a specific way making them a highly sought after brand.

As Seth Godin says, "we need to find products for our customers rather than customers for our products". If one is an essential service provider, their history of service delivery and existing standards may hinder innovation and creativity. We need to be willing to break barriers and see things more from the customer’s perspective in order to ensure? our customers gladly pay for our service and return back for more. Old processes sometimes do not result in the right service provision and may disable us from providing to? customer requirements.? They may result in us channeling customers into what we can provide rather than what they require.

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Innovation helps one to meet the customer with the kind of service they need rather than what one is comfortable with giving. It allows us to go the extra mile to be relevant to the needs of the customer, add convenience, be adaptable and respond timely to the customer. In the workplace, innovation brings in the realization that employees are diverse and cannot fit into one box when managing them. We need to bring innovation in how we manage employees so as to enable them to in turn innovate? and? perform at their best. Innovation will help us to explore further in order to remain ahead.

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Lack of innovation can lead to micro management of processes and people and too much focus on doing things right instead of doing the right things. It can give rise to us having too many meetings without gaining much because we are so determined in doing what does not bring value to the customer. However once we are adaptable to the desires of our customers and realise the complexity and uniqueness of each customer,? we become flexible enough to allow our employees to perform excellently and outside the box with improved service delivery.

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Greg Satel (2017) highlighted that "innovation comes as a tool to solve problems". When you provide a solution to a customers’ problem, you give the encouragement to pay for and desire your product or service. There is no singular path to innovation hence we should refrain from locking ourselves into one way of finding solutions to problems.

If our attempt to be innovative is not bearing fruits, we need to analyse whether we are confining ourselves? to one approach, learn that there are many innovation approaches, seek them and apply the relevant one. There is an opportunity to innovate each day and for each customer. Let us seek to provide a solution to the needs of the customer every day. ?We need to stop thinking within the box and begin to see the box as non existent for it will always limit us even when we try to think outside the box.

Successful entrepreneurs innovate, successful leaders innovate and incubate innovation and successful employees innovate. Let us innovate to stay relevant.