Why "innovation" or "Digital transformation" are such a poor self-brand?

Why "innovation" or "Digital transformation" are such a poor self-brand? What influence language, translations and business evolution have in the understanding of some keywords??

I was noticing linkedin profiles headlines. Most of the people state in their own headlines the words | #innovation | #digitaltransformation | #entrepreneurship mindset |.?

Reflecting on the statements people use, and knowing professionally some of them, I know by a fact that it is an honestly induced bend of truth! So, why the people believe they have the necessary skills and experience to state that in their headline???

In the following article I'll share my personal insights (PERSONAL INSIGHTS). Some of them grown in collaborative and healthy conversations with other few seasoned innovators along the past years.??

I frequently hear some acid statements from colleagues that I confess I agree and will share here. Hopefully they will not be considered personally offensive, because this is not the intention.?

• “Innovators are commonly early adopters, but the other way around is not usually the same. Early adopters aren’t always innovators.”?
• "To maintain an updated knowledge about emerging technologies is exciting and important, though watching a series of YouTube videos about blockchain, digital twins, etc. or drones won't make you a Digital Transformation specialist".?

The first insight to share is about whom the companies want to hire and how they build the requirements list. Small companies wants all-in-one professionals, so the role definition usually is more generic. Medium and Large companies usually have a manager very aware of what is needed for a specific role. The manager lists the hard skill requirements that will be completed by the human resources organization with intended soft skills. That transition, even though it is very important and needed, tends to build a gap that can be better explained using an example. Have you ever seen a soft skill requirement that states something like "To be highly concentrated and quiet person that won't need to interact with customers, will have low interaction with colleagues and must have very strong logical skills associated with bit of OCD for rigid methodology application".

That will rarely and dare I say will never be published by a Talent Acquisition organization of a company. But eventually, a Sheldon Cooper like professional is exactly what the function really needs.?

Many of the job opportunities in Brazil generically mention "| Innovation | Digital transformation | Entrepreneurship mindset |"?as skills inside the list of requirements. It is a trend, and it appears even for roles that:?

• don't require it;?
• aren't related to it; or ?
• have a necessary set of skills/personality that conflicts with the mentioned headlines.?

It seems to me it is a pitfall from english translation and overall perception. There is very little time, or will, for the people to invest in the search for the term's definition or it’s proper application. ?

You are invited to comment below if you know the answer for the following questions:?

• "How many companies are willing to hire a professional with entrepreneurship mind, that was effectively an entrepreneur?".

My friend Marcos Lohmann reminded me that in the English language there is a differentiation between Entrepreneur and Intrapreneur. Though the mindset between them is close, the will, the power, and risk acceptance to take decisions are very different. (Here you can find a good article about the differences. https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/what-difference-between-entrepreneurship-which-one-should-paula-mills)?

• “What are innovation skills and digital transformation experience?”

If a professional built?a piece of software code to control a Raspberry Pi/Arduino, to manage the cold rooms temperature for a large protein distributor, does this professional acquire innovation skills and digital transformation experience??I have my own answer for that and it is "No".

I'll not invest time to build or search for an academic theory for this article but, let me get through some mental masturbation based on my own professional experience.?

• If the innovation requirement is associated with "n years of Agile management experience", your innovative skills will not be necessary. I guarantee that!?
• If "Digital transformation" opportunity requires you to have "at least n years of c++ and/or JavaScript activity", you will be a software developer or software architect/engineer.??

And, how does it affect the headlines? If you were, at least once, hired for a position that mentioned these requirements, though unnecessarily, you are entitled to use them in your headline.?

Now, let's get to an overall point of view.?

On Wikipedia, innovation is defined as the practical implementation of ideas that result in the introduction of new goods or services or improvement in offering goods or services.?

The standard ISO 56000:2020 defines innovation as "a new or changed entity realizing or redistributing value".?Additionally "Innovation often manifests itself via the process when the problem being solved is of a technical or scientific nature". So... (by my own individual inference) Innovation is a solution, known or unknown, proposing a new way to solve an well-known or poorly known problem.

But a solution and a software are not the same (Another common perception pitfall). In some moment in business evolution, software was perceived as a solution, and it certainly is. Then somehow it became "the solution".??

Project management/execution of a new technology or approach was confused with innovation process.?

Innovation process and digital transformation journey development requires a set of skills and tools that are very out of the box that contains "project management" or "software development" (Agile, waterfall, whatever methodology is used).

• If your problem is software related, look for a Software Engineer/Architect.
• If your problem is performance, look for the combination of various skills and specialties. For that it will be very good to have an innovation specialist.
• If you have a more complex problem or a combination of various problems, that won't be solved as a big bang, look for an innovator or Digital transformation specialist.??

Then...?

The proposed route to innovation is:?

1. First of all, you need to be able to understand the problem from multiple perspectives (Technology and not), but primarily from the end user side.?
2. Second, evaluate direct and indirect impact of the problem in the business environment.?
3. Third, imagine/select/develop/create solution alternatives applicable (not necessary software or new). This may use a set of good available methodologies to manage collaborative processes, like design thinking, lean startup etc.?
4. Fourth, evaluate the consequences of the alternatives in all aspects, from financial, through business development to UX.?
5. Then collaborate with experienced "Project managers", "Software engineers/architects" and "Engineers" from different specialties and points of view specialized in, for example, Agile, C++, Java Script, SQL, Digital twins, industrial automation and design thinking, to build an implementation program ("program" is another very potential translation misconception). A solution may not be better solved with computing, sometimes a nut and bold is faster, easier and tipper.?
6. Finally, track implementation and impact.?

An insight about the necessary profile to effectively fit "| Innovation | Digital transformation | Enterpreneurship mindset |" headlines, stands in the experience, and below, I share are a set of non-obvious experiences that I consider to be important for an innovation professional:?

• To know businesses processes, preferable in various distinct industries.?
• Nurture people and the ability to develop good communication channels. For that, trusted advisory and empathy is better than sympathy (though sympathy helps a lot).?
• Hability to listen much more that talk.?
• Flexibility to accept and deal with restrictions.?
• Be free of dogmas (old AND new).?
• Understand technology as a whole with it's limitations, digital and non digital. Understand the basics of how the pieces connect. Especially, what problems each of the technologies were created to solve. (Can you answer why blockchain technology exists? What problem motivated its development?)?

To finish...the questions I use to apply to identify an innovative person (I Dig deep in all of them):?

• Did you grow a garden (or something like it)??
• Did you build a company yourself? (Only if the answer is yes, you have an entrepreneur mindset. Otherwise, you may have an intrapreneur or, a good or bad risk taker, who knows?)?
• Did you disassemble any mechanical equipment and tried to reassemble it? How many parts were left out after assembling it??
• Did you handmade or installed any piece of furniture, water pipeline or brickwork??
• Did you plan AND MADE a long trip without money???
• Did you try to make a temporary work around on your broken car/bike on the road to get to a better place??
• Tell me a case where you developed a solution with an impact completely unexpected, starting with its motivation!?

With that I feel able to recognize an innovative mind.??

This reflection is not intended to suggest any change in your perception, hiring process etc. Neither suggest how to create assertive requirements avoiding generic statements. It is just a single person's point of view, subject to failure and rejection, but bold enough to share his own thoughts.?

Please collaborate, disagree, agree, build over, add, contest, but maintain an open mind.?