Innovation's best defence
For innovation to survive, innovators themselves need to know how to fight.
"The best defence is a good offence, and I intend to start offending right now." - Captain Kirk
People who 'believe in the power of innovation' within organisations are often put into positions where they are forced to defend their 'hair-brained' ideas.
That's because most organisations are afflicted by status quo thinking.
Power is held by those who defend yesterday's choices; any attempts to introduce 'new ideas', 'new thinking', 'new energy' is often snuffed out by 'those who know better'.
But for innovation to survive, innovators themselves need to know how to fight; not to cower or apologise for their creative thinking, but rather to hunt down, expose and destroy the elements within organisations that are fearful of the future.
As the old saying goes; 'the best defence is to go on the offence'.
When tough questions are asked by status quo thinkers when the resistance inevitably presents itself, rather than being lured into the game of defending an innovation position, turn the spotlight around onto the person who is questioning the approach and instead invite them to defend their status quo position of legacy thinking and inaction.
Ask them directly to empirically show how 'cutting the marketing budget' will unlock top line growth for the business. Get them to prove that timesheet nitpicking unlocks sustainable revenue generation and a culture of trust within the organisation.
If their approach is so great, ask them to educate you as to how this tried-and- tested method generates the category-shattering outperformance that the business is so desperately in need of.
Go hunting for those brilliant arguments that show just how wonderful austerity is. And then let us know about them, because we'd love to understand just how holding onto outdated models of thinking and flagrant cost-cutting builds brilliant future businesses.
Resist the urge to defend yourself and go on the attack.