From: Sunny Necker Island!
Yes… *that* Necker Island!
Don’t hate me! 😉
I’ve escaped the frosty Adelaide winter…
To retreat to the warm waters and sunny skies of Necker Island…
BespokeHR is officially on the road!
I’m taking some much needed time to re-charge, re-energise and re-focus.
I have a strong belief that to be an effective as leader we need to take time to reflect and review our business on a regular basis.
And I’ll be doing exactly that over the next few days at a once-in-a-lifetime 5-Day Entrepreneurship Retreat at Necker Island.
It’s by Virgin Unite and Business Chicks, named ‘Igniting Possibilities – Unlocking Purpose Through Passion’.
For me it’s an exciting opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the brightest entrepreneurs in the world, learn from those at the top of their game, and leave with a new level of focus for BespokeHR.
Best of all?
I get to share my experience here with you!
Keep an eye on your inbox over the next few weeks, as I’ll be sharing many of the insights, revelations and inspirations that come out of the Retreat.
Today? We’re moving into July’s Driving Innovation series.
To get you thinking about innovation in your business, I thought I’d share the principles of innovation from one of the world’s most innovative companies, Google.
They’re well worth incorporating into your day-to-day business activities!
Why is innovation important? Fun fact: in 2016 more financial transactions will occur in ONE DAY than all of 1965 combined! With technology’s exponential growth curve, disruption and innovation will continue to become business-as-usual in every industry. If you’re standing still, you’ll be left behind.
1. Innovation comes from everywhere Don’t expect the best and brightest ideas to only come from the business leaders. Everyone at all levels are capable of having great ideas. It should be everyone’s responsibility.
2. Focus on the user (or the customer) Revenue takes care of itself (says Google), when you build great products that focus on the needs of the users. Instead of focusing on profits, aim to win your customer over with outstanding products and brilliant service.
3. Think 10X Don’t just think about small, incremental improvements. Think 10X improvements. Innovations and market disruptions are about making a huge difference. Encourage all staff to think about how things can get 10X better.
4. Bet on unique insights Your company has a unique viewpoint from which it sees the world, your market and your customers. Back your unique insights to deliver something to the world that is truly unique.
5. Launch and iterate Don’t work months or years to deliver a product, that you find out later no-one wants. Use the Google approach to go to market early with a minimum viable product. Get fast market feedback. Then iterate your approach based on the only opinion that matters: the market.
6. 20% time Google encourages employees to spend 20% of their time pursuing ideas they are passionate about. This brings out everyone’s natural creative and innovative spirit.
7. Default to open Google’s policy is as much open-information as possible. This principle helps to remove the “knowledge-bubbles” where expertise doesn’t get actively shared, or worse, held onto for personal competitiveness.
8. Fail Well The only way to succeed is to fail. Failure should be a badge worm proudly. It’s those who are willing to fail that push the boundaries, take risks and innovate like crazy. Give your team the freedom to fail. Don’t forget to learn from it!
9. Have a mission that matters Have a mission that your employees believe in. Strive to do something great. Having an exciting mission gives staff a reason to come to work each day with passion and an urgency to innovate!
Are you ready to stoke the fires of innovation in your business? Download the new Innovation Workshop Plan for a step-by-step guide to harnessing the idea power of your team.
If you have questions on this topic or any others, feel free to reach me by email or set up a free one-on-one consultation session, or drop me a comment below.
Thanks for sharing!
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