[music]. Welcome to the first lecture of the
strategic innovation class. I wanted you to be sure to check out the,
the logistics lecture that I, the logistics video that I did, where I talk
about the syllabus. I talk about the deliverables.
I talk about the expectations. All those things that I'm expecting.
From you, as a participant in this course. Keep in mind there's tens of thousands of
people signed up for this course, and if we're going to get through this together
intact, we really need to be sure that the expectations are clear.
What it is I ask from you, what it ask that you asking from me, and how it is
that we can interact together. So, be sure and check out that video.
And that'll be that I'll go through this syllabus step by step.
You can watch this one first or watch that one first, either way.
But certainly be sure to check it out. So, let's get started.
One thing I want to make, make certain, to make clear for, for us all is that there's
this, there's a difference between innovation and this thing called change.
Innovation is what this class is about, is what we're after.
But of course innovation requires some kind of change.
Because you can't innovate by staying the same.
And so one thing I want to, sort of make clear and also to reinforce again, again,
and again in this course. Is that innovation is a positive again,
innovation is something that you know when we have this idea about how the world is a
better place, we want that kind of innovation, we're going to call
innovation, we're going to seek it as a positive thing.
On the other hand when other people have ideas that we don't completely agree with.
They're going to, we're going to call it change.
And so when it's innovation, we like it, we seek it and when its change we sort of,
we sort of step back and, and push back on it.
I mean think about this is innovation is what we do to them and change is what they
do to us. And so in this dynamic we need to
understand that there's no obligation that people have because of our good idea.
Ideas. Let me say that differently.
If I have a great idea about how you need to change, you have no obligation to
accept that idea. It's up to me to convince you of that
change. It's up to me convince you that the change
is, in fact, an innovation. And that you're going to benefit from it.
And so, as we go through all of the things we do.
If you learn nothing else, that's the most important thing, that innovation is about
selling our ideas. It's about getting other people to agree
that this way of looking at the world, this way of, of behaving in the world,
this way of these things that we're going to offer for you in the world.
A better and so this is what I want to do for you is offer you a way of thinking
about innovation that I think is a better way of innovation hopefully it's not
change to you and hopefully it's innovation in your thinking.
Let's take a look at the term thinking outside the box.
Certainly in your language if your not a native English speaker thinking outside
the box there's term for that you know sort of like there's this box and you have
to think outside of it. I've worked with many, many companies.
One of the stories I'll be telling, or outlined in the book, Creative People Must
Be Stopped. And you can see the book, I'll actually,
see a little a picture of it here. Check out the book.
But basically just to, to pull a synopsis of many of the stories that people have
told me in the organizations that I have worked with and the people I've spent time
with, goes something this. So, take a look at this video and then
come back and see what you think. >> It's Friday afternoon at 4:30, and your
boss calls you into his office. He says, look, I need your help and I need
it now. We need some big ideas around here, some
stupendously great ideas. We want to make this company great once
again. I'm talking breakthrough.
You know, big bang, blue sky. Now I know I don't say this often, but I
really need you to think outside the box. Wow, you've never heard them talk like
this before... And so you start to get excited, then you
actually start thinking big. You do a ton of research, you brain storm,
you lose sleep. And you stretch your brain, and finally
you do it, you find it, you come up with a great idea.
So first hing Monday morning you go to present your idea for launching this
company ahead. You're going to knock his socks off.
Our world is going to be a better place. You show them your idea and after some
silence the boss says, hm, this looks expensive.
You know I appreciate how you're trying to push the boundaries but look, this is a
business. We've got to make some money, not spend
it. I want you to still think outside the box,
but I want you to come up with something that's not quite so expensive.
Arghh! So off you go to generate another idea.
This time, you come up with a less expensive idea that's even better than the
first one. You show it to the boss and he says[NOISE]
this looks complicated. Now you realize, of course, that we've
gotta make this in our plant. I mean, I want you to keep thinking
outside the box, but can you at least make sure we can make the thing in our current
facilities? You bring him another idea.
Too disruptive. And another idea.
Oh my gosh, that's too risky. And yet another idea.
What on earth? That's just weird.
Well, after a couple of months of this frustrating dance, you finally see it.
You find it. You absolutely.
Perfect idea. The one idea that you know will meet every
last one of the requirementst that were set.
So, you start your presentation and it seems to be going well.
This time he doesn't ask any questions though, and after a few minutes he starts
getting agitated and shouts this is puny. I mean I asked you think outside the box
and you bring me this puny idea. What's wrong with you.
You. Don't you know how to be creative?
Normally people at work can be pretty blase and I would dare say lazy, but when
you bring them an innovation they suddenly kick into high gear and they start working
overtime, undermining, blocking, maiming, debilitating, torpeoding, subverting,
ignoring and just plain killing your innocent, well-intentioned and sometimes
even your great ideas. Why do they act like creative people must
be stopped? If this story sounds familiar to you
you're not alone. I've heard this story of frustration again
and again and again from people at every kind of organization, in every kind of
industry and all around the globe. Of course it's not always the boss who
plays the role of lead knucklehead and torpedo innovation in the organization.
Sometimes your customers, your clients or your partners.
Maybe it's your supplies, your colleagues or even your team.
Sometimes it's even you who pulls the trigger and stops innovation dead.
What if you could predict who was going to trample your creativity and how they were
going to do it? What if you could figure out before hand
how innovated ideas are likely to killed? So how can a great idea get killed?
Let me count the ways. One, it dies because it's not a great idea
and you can't come up with a better one. Two, it wilts because your work group
critcized the idea mercilessly. And they do so in public.
Three, it drowns in your organization's stifling bureaucracy.
It gets suffocated by risk aversion. Four, your idea gets ambushed by rivals,
or even customers in your industry, people who are threatened by it.
Five, it gets whacked by a society that regulates your bold idea into meaningless
drivel. Six.
The technology delivers a coup de grce death blow, by subjecting your idea to the
heartless laws of nature. Of course, you don't believe that creative
people must be stopped, but wouldn't it be nice to know beforehand how to outsmart
those innovation-killing knuckleheads who do?
