Category Archives: Leadership

Feedback Systems that Empower Employees

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In the ever-evolving landscape of modern work, effective feedback systems are not just a luxury—they’re a necessity. Companies that excel in creating an environment centered around meaningful feedback see dramatic improvements in employee satisfaction, productivity, and innovation. Let’s delve into how feedback systems can empower employees, with real-life case studies showcasing their impact.

The Importance of Effective Feedback Systems

Feedback is a powerful tool that, when used effectively, can unlock the latent potential within every team member. An ideal feedback system is timely, constructive, and continuous, fostering a culture of growth and improvement. Employees feel valued and engaged when their voices are heard and their contributions acknowledged. This not only boosts morale but drives innovation and collaboration across the organization.

Case Study 1: Google’s ‘Open Feedback Culture’

Background

Google is renowned for its innovative culture, and much of this success is attributed to its open feedback policies. The company has built a feedback system that supports employee growth and development.

Implementation

Google encourages a regular 360-degree feedback system where feedback is not just top-down but horizontal and bottom-up. Employees are trained to give and receive feedback that is specific, actionable, and kind. Tools like “Googlegeist” allow employees to share their thoughts on management and workplace conditions anonymously.

Results

This approach has led to higher levels of employee satisfaction and retention. An open feedback culture has empowered Googlers to address challenges head-on, innovate without fear, and continuously evolve in their roles. The transparent nature of feedback helps in breaking down information silos and fostering a collaborative environment.

Case Study 2: Adobe’s ‘Check-In’ System

Background

Adobe shifted away from the traditional annual performance review model to a more dynamic and integrated approach. This transformation was driven by the need to better align feedback with the fast-paced digital world.

Implementation

The ‘Check-In’ system at Adobe is built on regular, informal conversations between managers and employees. These check-ins are focused on feedback, growth, and career development rather than ratings. Employees set clear expectations and goals with their managers, revisiting and revising them as needed.

Results

The adoption of the ‘Check-In’ system has resulted in reduced employee turnover and a significant boost in morale. Managers and employees have reported a stronger sense of trust and collaboration. Adobe’s agility in feedback has allowed it to maintain pace with industry demands and keep their talent engaged and aligned with organizational goals.

Key Elements of Empowering Feedback Systems

Both case studies highlight critical components essential for creating empowering feedback systems:

Continuous Feedback: Replace annual reviews with ongoing conversations to ensure timeliness and relevance.
Multidirectional Feedback: Encourage a culture where feedback flows in all directions—up, down, and laterally.
Actionable Insights: Ensure feedback is specific, constructive, and actionable to drive real change.
Training and Development: Equip employees with the skills to give and receive feedback effectively.
Psychological Safety: Create a safe environment where employees feel comfortable sharing honest feedback.

Conclusion

Companies that excel at feedback allow space for employees to grow, innovate, and feel genuinely invested in their work. These systems foster an environment where employees can thrive, aligning personal growth with organizational objectives. As we’ve seen with Google and Adobe, integrating these elements not only empowers employees but propels companies towards greater success.

As we continue to navigate the future of work, let us remember that the most effective feedback systems are those that respect, engage, and empower every team member.

Extra Extra: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

Image credit: Pixabayt

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Aligning Company Values with Innovation Goals

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Aligning Company Values with Innovation Goals

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, innovation is not just a buzzword but a necessity. However, true innovation goes beyond creating new products or services; it involves aligning the organization’s core values with its innovation goals. Doing so ensures that innovation is not only successful but also sustainable. Let’s explore how companies can achieve this alignment through strategic approaches and real-world examples.

The Importance of Aligning Values with Innovation

When a company’s values are aligned with its innovation goals, every stakeholder, from employees to customers, feels a deeper connection and commitment. This alignment nurtures a cohesive culture that supports creativity and drives impactful change. It ensures that all innovation efforts are meaningful and in line with the company’s mission and vision.

Case Study 1: Patagonia

Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, exemplifies how aligning values with innovation goals can create a sustainable business model. Patagonia’s core values include environmental stewardship and social responsibility. These values are evident in their innovation approach, which focuses on sustainable product design, integrating recycled materials, and ethical manufacturing processes.

For instance, their Worn Wear program, which encourages customers to buy used and repair their products, was an innovative move aligned with their value of reducing environmental impact. This initiative not only drove customer engagement but also solidified Patagonia’s reputation as a leader in sustainable innovation.

Case Study 2: Google

Google is another prime example of aligning core values with innovation goals. Known for its commitment to user-focused innovation and fostering a culture of collaboration, Google allows its employees to spend 20% of their time on projects that they are passionate about. This practice is rooted in their value of empowering individuals to innovate and think creatively.

This strategy led to the development of successful products like Gmail and Google News, which were born out of the freedom to innovate within the company’s value framework. Google’s ability to consistently adapt and innovate while staying true to its values has been a cornerstone of its success.

Strategies for Aligning Values and Innovation

Aligning company values with innovation goals requires strategic planning and a holistic approach. Here are some steps organizations can take to ensure this alignment:

Define Clear Values: Articulate the core values that represent your company’s identity. Ensure that these values are communicated effectively across all levels of the organization.
Embed Values in the Culture: Foster a workplace culture where values are incorporated into everyday actions. This can be achieved by recognizing and rewarding behavior that reflects the company’s values.
Create Open Channels for Communication: Encourage open dialogue and idea sharing within your organization. This openness allows employees to propose innovations that align with the company’s values.
Encourage Collaboration: Build cross-functional teams to work on innovation projects. Diverse perspectives contribute to solutions that align with both innovation goals and company values.
Measure and Adjust: Regularly assess the impact of innovation efforts on value alignment. Use feedback to make necessary adjustments and keep the alignment on track.

Conclusion

Aligning company values with innovation goals is a powerful approach that not only enhances meaningful innovation but also strengthens the organization’s identity. By looking to successful examples like Patagonia and Google, companies can understand the profound impact of this alignment. In an ever-evolving business world, this strategy ensures that innovation is deeply rooted in the values that define the company. Ultimately, this alignment fosters long-term success and sustainability in the pursuit of innovative excellence.

Image credit: Pexels

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Measuring Success in Agile Transformations

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Measuring Success in Agile Transformations

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Agile transformations are sweeping through organizations worldwide, promising enhanced flexibility, faster time to market, and greater responsiveness to change. However, while many companies embark on this journey, the measure of success can often seem elusive. To truly gauge the effectiveness of an agile transformation, one must look beyond surface-level metrics and delve into deeper, more meaningful indicators.

In this exploration, we’ll delve into what it means to measure success in agile transformations, enriched by real-world case studies that illustrate successful implementations.

Understanding Agile Success

Agile transformation is not a destination but a journey. Success isn’t simply about adopting Scrum or any other agile framework. It’s about fostering a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and responsive adaptation to change.

To assess success, consider the following dimensions:

Customer Satisfaction: Are customers happier and are their feedback loops tighter?
Employee Engagement: Are team members more engaged and empowered to innovate?
Quality Improvement: Are defects reduced and is quality improving?
Time to Market: Are products and services hitting the market faster?
Value Delivery: Is there a clear, measurable increase in value delivered to stakeholders?

Case Study 1: TechCorp’s Agile Journey

Background

TechCorp, a mid-sized software company, embarked on an agile transformation to improve product development speed and enhance customer satisfaction.

Approach

The company started by forming cross-functional teams and implementing Scrum. Leaders invested in training and coaching, emphasizing a shift in mindset toward customer-centricity and collaboration.

Outcomes

Within a year, TechCorp saw a 30% reduction in time to market, with customer satisfaction scores increasing by 20%. Employee engagement surveys revealed a 25% boost in morale, and the defect rate in software releases dropped by 15%.

Continual retrospectives and adaptations became part of the culture, allowing TechCorp to sustain and build upon these gains.

Case Study 2: HealthFirst’s Transformation

Background

HealthFirst, a healthcare provider, sought to transform its operations to improve patient outcomes and operational efficiency.

Approach

The transformation began with the integration of agile methodologies across various departments, from IT to patient care management. A focus was placed on iterative improvement and adopting a data-driven decision-making process.

Outcomes

After two years, HealthFirst reported a 40% reduction in patient wait times and a substantial increase in patient satisfaction scores. Operational costs decreased by 15%, and employee turnover rates dropped by 10%.

The organization’s commitment to measuring patient-centric outcomes allowed for a more rounded view of success, blending agile practices with core healthcare principles.

Key Takeaways

Agile transformations can yield impressive results when approached with a comprehensive understanding of success metrics. Organizations should focus on aligning agile processes with broader strategic goals to ensure meaningful change.

By closely monitoring both qualitative and quantitative outcomes — from customer feedback to engagement levels — companies can create a consistent feedback loop to guide ongoing improvement. The true measure of success lies not only in adhering to agile principles, but in fostering a dynamic, responsive culture that can thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Are you ready to embark on your agile journey? Remember, success is measured not just in numbers, but in transformed lives and lasting impact.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Tools and Techniques for Measuring Creativity

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Tools and Techniques for Measuring Creativity

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

Creativity is often considered the lifeblood of innovation. Yet, measuring creativity can be a daunting task. How do we quantify the unquantifiable? In this article, we will explore some robust tools and techniques designed to measure creativity within individuals and organizations. We’ll delve into two case studies that highlight successful applications of these methods.

Why Measure Creativity?

Before diving into the tools and techniques, it’s crucial to understand why measuring creativity is important. Organizations that can effectively identify and foster creative potential are better positioned to innovate and adapt in a rapidly changing world. Measuring creativity helps in setting benchmarks, identifying creative talents, and aligning them with business goals.

Tools and Techniques

There are several methods to measure creativity, ranging from psychometric tests to real-world observation and evaluation. Here are some of the most widely used:

The Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT)

The TTCT is one of the most broadly used creativity assessments. It evaluates divergent thinking and problem-solving skills across several dimensions, such as fluency, originality, and elaboration. Though primarily used in educational settings, many organizations leverage TTCT to gauge individual creativity.

Consensual Assessment Technique (CAT)

This technique involves expert judges evaluating the creativity of outputs within a certain domain. The idea is that experts in a given field are best positioned to assess the creativity of work produced in that area. CAT is particularly useful for organizations focused on specific industries like art, literature, or design.

Creative Climate Assessments

These assessments focus on measuring the organizational environment to evaluate how conducive it is to creative thinking. Tools like the KEYS Assessment evaluate workplace climate factors such as challenge, freedom, and support for ideas, which are crucial for fostering creativity.

Case Study 1: TechCorp’s Use of TTCT

TechCorp, a leading software company, implemented the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking to identify high-potential employees for their innovation lab. By focusing on fluency and originality scores, TechCorp was able to select a diverse group of individuals whose creative problem-solving abilities helped drive several successful projects. This method allowed them to form cross-functional teams with a strong balance of analytical and creative skills.

Case Study 2: Creative Marketing Solutions with CAT

Creative Marketing Solutions (CMS) specializes in advertising and creative campaigns. They implemented the Consensual Assessment Technique to evaluate the creativity of pitches. By utilizing panels of industry experts, CMS was able to refine their creative approach and enhance client satisfaction. This led to more innovative campaigns and a significant increase in client retention rates.

Conclusion

While creativity remains a complex trait to measure, the right tools and techniques can provide insights into an organization’s creative potential. Whether through traditional psychometric assessments like the TTCT or through nuanced evaluations such as the CAT, understanding and measuring creativity is key to fostering an innovative culture. Case studies like those from TechCorp and CMS reveal the transformative power of leveraging these methodologies. Embrace the challenge of measuring creativity, and your organization can unlock untapped innovative potential!

Image credit: Unsplash

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How Networking Accelerates Growth

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How Networking Accelerates Growth

GUEST POST from Douglas Ferguson

As a leader, you’re likely aware that building a network takes time and work. Mentors and a network of peers are not easily established for jobs, professional growth, or business. The process of growing a network, and a community, is proportional to the thought you put towards it.

That said, not everyone takes the same steps to build a network. Leadership development programs are tools we highly recommend considering. They’re a step towards learning about yourself and expanding your understanding of how to work with people.

Now, how does a network contribute effectively to your role as a leader, and how can you unlock that network in a productive way?

The search for true leadership requires self-awareness, which networks play a key role in developing.

A true leader puts in the self-work before looking to others to change. They also view self-work as an ongoing experience of sustained learning rather than a short-term project.

Let’s dive deeper into networking, a concept that you’ll learn has positive connotations when framed correctly. This article addresses the following:

What is networking and why is it important?
How do we pursue true leadership?
How do we sustain learning as leaders?

What is networking?

Networking is intercommunication, exchanging ideas with those with shared interests or expertise. We view networking as a series of opportunities to learn and engage. Learning about yourself, others, and information. Most importantly to leadership development, it’s learning about yourself through others.

Networking doesn’t have to be insincere, corporate, or repulsive if you approach it with meaning and an intention to develop deeper relationships. Oftentimes, those relationships are a twofold source of wisdom and knowledge when you need it most.

Good networking involves a mutual understanding of the relationship and an environment conducive to it. The more work you put into a network, the more it resembles a community: a place you can go to for help or to help.

Why is networking important?

Networking is profound for connection and support. As you build yours, you’ll find that you can lean into your network for much more than professional development, and you begin to build a community.

It’s also a wonderful practice in self-awareness. By interacting with people outside of your usual environment, your creativity and self-image is challenged. It often feels uncomfortable for good reason. Allowing yourself to feel uncomfortable and observe the environment around you serves as practice for what you should often do as a leader.

As we do this, we acquire perspective, which encourages growth. A healthy network focused on growth boosts:

Confidence and awareness of strengths
Understanding of opportunities for personal and professional growth
Creativity through exposure to other pools of knowledge and ways of thinking

The community you draw from networking often becomes a resource for your team. That includes resources for:

Hiring new teammates and identifying strong leaders
Industry information and trends
Future positions or opportunities for involvement

Dr. Peter Gray, who spent years studying professional networks, also emphasizes the importance of maintaining a tight-knit community, or as he phrases it, “building a collaboration network”. In our Control the Room podcast episode with Dr. Grey, he suggests that consistent, quality relationships with 15-20 close ties prove wildly beneficial to a work environment. Reframing teamwork as a collaborative effort makes the workplace exciting, and perspective within your network enhances your desire for innovation.

“Your ability to see the world really changes as a function of your network.”

Dr. Peter Gray

Are there people who are positive thinkers within your network? Do they support your ideas? Do you feel excited to present your ideas to them? Dr. Gray calls these traits of good leaders “energizer traits”.

As you grow within an organization, it becomes more important to have a solid network from which to pull when needed. That’s especially the case as teams become more collaborative with time. We built this assessment tool to help analyze involvement and existing relationships.

Spend time pursuing a network. Your future self will thank you for the time you save them and opportunities you bring them.

How do we pursue true leadership?

Self-awareness assessments can fall down when used without follow-through. We can use them to help us understand whose strengths in the team will help us prevail when faced with a new problem, product, or shift.

Such assessments should be used or followed up with for inner work and inner change. The self-assessment serves as a true mirror when you’re focused on self-discovery and self-improvement. Use the reflective moments to continually practice being the improved version of yourself.

When you practice looking at your true self, you can begin to ask questions. It can be powerful to see if you’re being perceived the way you see yourself.

Are you being manipulative? Are you a true leader? Is the story in your head about yourself authentic? What can be done to fine-tune your tendencies and align the person in the mirror with the person in your head.

The leader should always start within, looking to the symptoms that need to be addressed within themselves.

It is necessary to lean into the things that can create change, empathy, psychological safety, and culture. These are often viewed by society as soft, squishy, and even scary to approach.

As you address these within yourself, you’ll learn how to better work with those around you, and you’ll see the value in advancing those skills. Inter-relational dynamics have to be discussed and addressed. People don’t often want to lean into that stuff, but that’s ultimately where the real work happens.

Learning and working through how to work with people and welcome collaboration advances innovation. Spawrks, the co-host of Space Pencils, stated the following in a recent conversation on our podcast:

“I feel like that’s the thing, that if you can have the patience for assuming positive intent all the time as much as possible, you can really find out and learn a lot more, even when you might be completely able to see around the corner. By validating it with that type of respect and in your communication, you can yourself learn more than you even knew about what you’re thinking about.”

Spawrks

Start with yourself, move to department health, and finally the full organization.

How do we sustain learning as leaders?

Practical steps must be taken to sustain learning and development. Oftentimes, this takes the form of programs, which can replace networking if done right.

There are systems and programs that offer some of the same benefits of networking. What’s key is finding the right cohort or program to suit your needs.

Programs offer support to those who are looking to build a network. At the end of a program, this question often arises: “Now that I’m trying to use these learnings, what do I do with them?” It’s vital to be able to bring it back to the cohort for support.

The most powerful programs offer quality content and provide an environment for connection. We believe that the right programs, ours included, are designed to create extended relationships as a long-term resource. That’s invaluable. Maximize your time by recognizing opportunities for connection. That comes in the form of connecting the content and training into the work you do and building relationships with others on site.

Ultimately, learning is sustained through consistent attention to self-work and upkeep with your network. Connection within programs allows a moment where we truly connect to the work we do.

We’re capable of both contributing towards and gleaning from our networks in a productive manner. The aim of “networking” should be to do both, developing connections into communal, mutually beneficial relationships.

Interested in growing your network through programs? Check out our Leadership Development Programs, which offer leadership consulting through self-work and connection with a cohort. The aim is to provide a clearer view of your leadership style and connect people with interests in innovating as leaders.

Article originally seen on VoltageControl.com

Image Credit: Unsplash

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Creating a Purpose-Driven Workplace

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GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

The modern workplace has evolved beyond mere transactions of labor for monetary compensation. Today, employees seek deeper fulfillment and a sense of purpose in their work. Cultivating a purpose-driven workplace can improve employee engagement, increase productivity, and boost organizational success. It’s about aligning work with a meaningful mission that resonates with both employees and customers.

Understanding Purpose-Driven Work

A purpose-driven workplace connects an organization’s mission to its core values and the work employees do daily. This sense of purpose goes beyond profits and can transform how employees perceive their roles, feel motivated, and achieve satisfaction in their contributions. Creating such an environment involves intentional efforts to redefine the organization’s identity and culture.

Steps to Cultivate a Purpose-Driven Environment

Organizations can take several steps to foster a purpose-driven workplace:

Define a Clear Mission: Establish a clear and compelling organizational mission that inspires both employees and stakeholders.
Align Values with Actions: Ensure that company values are evident in daily operations, decision-making, and interactions.
Engage Employees: Encourage employees to connect with the mission by involving them in decision-making and recognizing their contributions.
Measure Impact: Evaluate how aligned activities are with the purpose and identify areas for improvement.

Case Study 1: Patagonia

Patagonia, an outdoor apparel company, is a quintessential example of a purpose-driven organization. With the mission “We’re in business to save our home planet,” Patagonia has woven its environmental activism into its brand and operations. The company donates a significant portion of its revenue to environmental causes and encourages sustainable practices among its customers.

Patagonia’s commitment to sustainability resonates with its employees, who share the company’s environmental passion. This alignment creates a cohesive workplace culture where employees see their work as part of a larger, impactful mission. As a result, Patagonia enjoys high employee retention, loyalty, and advocacy.

Case Study 2: Warby Parker

Warby Parker, an eyewear retailer, integrates purpose with profit through its innovative “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program. For every pair of glasses sold, Warby Parker distributes another pair to someone in need through nonprofit partners. This model not only drives social impact but also instills a sense of purpose in its workforce.

Warby Parker employees are motivated by the tangible impact their daily work has on improving global vision health. The strong alignment with the company’s mission fosters an enthusiastic, innovative culture where employees are eager to contribute beyond their immediate roles. Their purpose-driven approach has garnered customer loyalty and propelled the company’s market success.

The Benefits of a Purpose-Driven Workplace

Organizations that successfully cultivate a purpose-driven workplace can realize several benefits:

Enhanced Employee Engagement: Employees who believe in their organization’s mission are more likely to be engaged and motivated.
Increased Productivity: Purpose-driven employees often exhibit increased focus and dedication, driving higher productivity.
Attracting Talent: Organizations with a clear and compelling purpose attract talent who seek more than just a paycheck.
Customer Loyalty: Consumers increasingly prefer brands that align with their values and contribute positively to society.

Conclusion

Creating a purpose-driven workplace is a strategic choice that can significantly affect an organization’s culture and success. By defining a meaningful mission, aligning it with daily actions, and engaging employees in the larger organizational purpose, companies can cultivate a thriving environment that benefits everyone involved. The examples of Patagonia and Warby Parker illustrate how purpose and profit can go hand-in-hand, creating not only financial success but also meaningful societal impact.

Image credit: Unsplash

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Transformation Insights – Part Two

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Transformation Insights - Part Two

“The world needs stories and characters that unite us rather than tear us apart.”~ Gale Anne Hurd, Producer of Aliens and The Terminator

GUEST POST from Bruce Fairley

In my early years I was fortunate to spend some time on film sets. Unlike how the entertainment industry is portrayed in the Netflix series, The Movies that Made Us, I did not come to blows with any of my directors as Eddie Murphy apparently did with John Landis during the making of Coming to America. Nor did I witness an entire crew mutiny, as James Cameron did on Aliens. Instead, I often saw the same dynamic I’ve witnessed in the tech sector from the first moment I stepped off set and into I.T.

People coming together.

Skilled, diverse, passionate people hard at work fighting against miscommunication, technical issues, and time constraints – coming together to achieve something significant. I referred to this in my previous Transformation Insights post, The Future Always Wins as:

Collaboration Between Complementary Influencers.

This dynamic is as true of a film set as it is of a firm engaged in digital transformation. In both cases, expertise in various areas is required to create a successful whole, with C-Suite leaders in the corporate sphere tasked with providing the articulated vision at the helm. Of course, the success of any endeavor comes down to human-powered action and decision making at every level of execution. And while the challenges of a digital transformation project may not be as bone-breaking dangerous as the stunts in an action film, getting to greatness requires a similar fusion of mind and machine – of talent and technology.

If that sounds like The Terminator, consider that its box office success speaks to the fusion of mind and machine as an unstoppable trajectory – but those who deepen their humanity rather than succumb to machine rule are the heroes that triumph. This was mirrored in the making of the film, which was nearly shut down when the crew put down their tools. Addressing their humanity and acknowledging the value of their contribution changed the story from disaster to blockbuster.

Humans lead – technology serves. Not the other way around.

When that is reversed, dystopia ensues whether on screen or in the boardroom. Having witnessed many occasions in which technology was expediently obtained before its value to the user could be established, I am convinced we have lost the plot in telling a wider, corporate story. Technology was supposed to liberate not enslave. Instead, how many times have you attended a Zoom meeting or prepared weeks for a presentation only to discover the sound not working, the slide deck freezing, or even a hidden ‘on’ button? These may be simple examples, but they rob the intrepid hero of the corporate journey; the chance to shine and advance their creative talent much like the crew of Aliens putting down their tools. Now multiply that by the large scale digital transformation projects I’ve spearheaded, and it becomes clear how a broken axis between human-powered decision making and technology can break the bottom line.

Optimism and momentum towards a more positive, successful outcome hinges on more than technological expertise. It requires an understanding of the whole story – and how the team, tech, leadership, and consumers each play a role. The story you wish to tell about your corporate journey requires buy-in at every level of service – human and tech. Obstacles are not indictments, they are merely obstacles. But they do often require a third-party complementary collaborator that understands how to transform pitfalls into profits.

When I launched the Narrative Group I wanted to amplify the genius of C-Suite executives through the optimization of the business-tech relationship. Similarly to how I observed the inner workings of a set and how all the pieces had to fit together to create a screen success, I spent years observing digital transformation from the inside. Across continents and boardrooms, I learned, led, and transformed as well. This only increased my commitment to helping talented leaders tell their story successfully.

If you’re a C-Suite leader that would like to storyboard the trajectory of your corporate success, please feel free to reach out and continue the conversation at:

connect@narrative-group.com

Image Credit: The Narrative Group

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Encouraging Risk-Taking and Experimentation

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Encouraging Risk-Taking and Experimentation

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, staying competitive requires more than just efficiency and operational excellence. Innovation has become a cornerstone of success, and at the heart of innovation lies the ability to take risks and experiment fearlessly. Embracing risk-taking and experimentation isn’t just about avoiding stagnation; it’s about creating a culture where ideas can flourish and unexpected breakthroughs can occur. Let’s explore how organizations can foster this culture, illustrated by real-world case studies.

The Need for Risk-Taking and Experimentation

Risk-taking allows organizations to step out of traditional confines and explore uncharted territories. Experimentation, on the other hand, provides the tools to test assumptions, validate ideas, and iterate towards solutions with potential impact. Together, they form a dynamic duo driving innovation forward. But how can organizations encourage these practices without descending into chaos or incurring unacceptable levels of risk?

Case Study 1: Google’s “20% Time”

Google’s “20% Time” initiative, where employees are encouraged to spend 20% of their work-time on projects they’re passionate about, offers an insightful example of the benefits of risk-taking and experimentation. By giving employees the freedom to explore, Google has catalyzed the creation of groundbreaking products such as Gmail and AdSense.

Google’s approach underscores the importance of trust and autonomy. By allowing employees to deviate from their primary responsibilities, Google embraced a culture where failure is not only tolerated but recognized as a step toward success. This culture lowered the barriers to experimentation and empowered employees to innovate without fear of retribution.

Key Takeaways from Google:

Encourage Autonomy: Give employees the space to explore ideas outside of their core responsibilities.
Foster Trust: Create an environment where risk-taking is viewed positively, reducing the stigma of failure.
Celebrate Successes and Failures: Both successful projects and failed attempts offer valuable learning experiences.

Case Study 2: Amazon’s “Day 1” Philosophy

Amazon’s “Day 1” philosophy exemplifies a relentless focus on starting fresh and continuously experimenting. Jeff Bezos has frequently emphasized treating every day as if it were Day 1 at Amazon to maintain a start-up mentality. This philosophy has been instrumental in Amazon’s ability to innovate and stay ahead of the competition.

One practical embodiment of this philosophy is Amazon’s “Working Backwards” approach. This method starts with the desired customer experience and works backward to determine what needs to be done to achieve it. This framework encourages continuous experimentation to ensure alignment with customer needs and fosters a culture where ideas can be quickly validated or adjusted.

Key Takeaways from Amazon:

Stay Curious: Keep the innovation spirit alive by treating every day with the enthusiasm of Day 1.
Customer-Focused Experimentation: Design experiments with the end-customer experience in mind.
Iterative Development: Use a trial-and-error approach to refine solutions continuously.

Building a Culture of Innovation

To cultivate a culture that encourages risk-taking and experimentation, organizations must align leadership, resources, and processes towards supporting innovation. Here are steps to create such an environment:

1. Leadership Commitment

Leaders play a critical role in setting the tone for innovation. Their commitment to embracing risk and learning from failure will shape the organization’s culture. It’s crucial that leadership actively participates in and endorses experimental initiatives.

2. Reward Systems

Recognize and reward efforts that demonstrate curiosity and learning, regardless of the outcome. Celebrating both successes and failures reinforces positive reinforcement and helps normalize experimentation.

3. Safe Spaces for Innovation

Create dedicated spaces where employees can experiment without the normal constraints of their day-to-day roles. Internal incubators or innovation labs are excellent options for safeguarding creative exploration.

4. Agile Methodologies

Adopt agile practices that allow for quick iteration and responsiveness to change. Agile methods transform failures into learning opportunities, reinforcing experimentation as an ongoing process rather than a one-off event.

Conclusion

Encouraging risk-taking and experimentation is essential for continuous innovation and adaptability in today’s business environment. By learning from the forward-thinking examples of Google and Amazon, organizations can implement strategies that foster a robust culture of creativity and exploration. We must remember that the path to innovation is paved with risks, trials, and the willingness to learn from every step of the journey.

For further insights on fostering innovation and driving meaningful change, feel free to connect with Braden Kelley on LinkedIn or explore more of our writings on this website.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Resilience in Leadership

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Thriving in Uncertainty

Resilience in Leadership

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s fast-paced world, the only constant is change. Leaders must navigate through challenges and uncertainties with resilience, a quality that’s integral to successful leadership. Resilience enables leaders to sustain momentum, inspire their teams, and drive innovation even in the face of adversity. So how can leaders cultivate resilience?

The Essence of Resilience in Leadership

Resilience is more than just bouncing back from setbacks. It’s about growing through challenges and finding opportunities amidst obstacles. Resilient leaders possess emotional intelligence, adaptability, and the ability to lead with empathy. They create a culture of trust and psychological safety, which empowers teams to innovate and embrace change.

Case Study 1: Apple Inc.

Apple’s Journey Through Innovation and Setbacks

Apple Inc. is a quintessential example of resilience in leadership. In the mid-1990s, Apple faced significant financial challenges and was on the brink of collapse. Steve Jobs’ return to the company marked a turning point. Jobs exhibited resilience by simplifying Apple’s product line and investing heavily in innovation.

The launch of the iMac and later the iPhone not only revitalized Apple’s brand but also set new standards in the tech industry. Jobs’ visionary leadership, coupled with his ability to adapt and push the company’s boundaries, showcased resilience at every step. The company’s culture of innovation, combined with leadership that thrives in uncertainty, ensured its consistent growth and success.

Case Study 2: The Rise of Netflix

Netflix: From DVD Rentals to Streaming Giant

Netflix’s transformation from a DVD rental service to a global streaming giant illustrates resilience in the face of industry disruption. When digital streaming emerged as a threat to its core business, Netflix’s leadership embraced change rather than resisting it. Reed Hastings, co-founder, and CEO led the charge in pivoting the business model to a subscription-based streaming service.

Hastings demonstrated resilience by fostering a culture of experimentation and learning from failures. The Netflix of today is a testament to strategic foresight and an adaptive leadership approach. By prioritizing innovation and customer focus, Netflix thrived amidst the evolving media landscape.

Building Resilient Leadership

Here are some strategies to cultivate resilience as a leader:

Embrace Change: View change as an opportunity for growth rather than a threat.
Foster a Learning Culture: Encourage continuous learning and adaptability within your teams.
Build Emotional Intelligence: Enhance self-awareness and empathy to connect with and guide your teams.
Encourage Innovation: Create an environment where new ideas are welcomed and experimentation is rewarded.
Develop a Support Network: Engage with mentors, peers, and advisors who can provide guidance and perspective.

Conclusion

Resilient leadership is crucial for navigating the uncertainties of today’s world. By learning from companies like Apple and Netflix, leaders can understand the importance of adaptability, innovation, and a strong, value-driven culture. By cultivating resilience, leaders not only thrive in uncertainty themselves but also inspire their teams to do the same.

Remember, the measure of a great leader is not how well they perform in favorable conditions, but how skillfully they lead through the storms.

Image credit: Pixabay

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An Innovation Action Plan for the New CTO

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Finding and Growing Innovation Islands Inside a Large Company

An Innovation Action Plan for the New CTO

GUEST POST from Steve Blank

How does a newly hired Chief Technology Officer (CTO) find and grow the islands of innovation inside a large company?

How not to waste your first six months as a new CTO thinking you’re making progress when the status quo is working to keep you at bay?

I just had coffee with Anthony, a friend who was just hired as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a large company (30,000+ people.) He previously cofounded several enterprise software startups, and his previous job was building a new innovation organization from scratch inside another large company. But this is the first time he was the CTO of a company this size.

Good News and Bad

His good news was that his new company provides essential services and regardless of how much they stumbled they were going to be in business for a long time. But the bad news was that the company wasn’t keeping up with new technologies and new competitors who were moving faster. And the fact that they were an essential service made the internal cultural obstacles for change and innovation that much harder.

We both laughed when he shared that the senior execs told him that all the existing processes and policies were working just fine. It was clear that at least two of the four divisions didn’t really want him there. Some groups think he’s going to muck with their empires. Some of the groups are dysfunctional. Some are, as he said, “world-class people and organizations for a world that no longer exists.”

So, the question we were pondering was, how do you quickly infiltrate a large, complex company of that size? How do you put wins on the board and get a coalition working? Perhaps by getting people to agree to common problems and strategies? And/or finding the existing organizational islands of innovation that were already delivering and help them scale?

The Journey Begins

In his first week the exec staff had pointed him to the existing corporate incubator. Anthony had long come to the same conclusion I had, that highly visible corporate incubators do a good job of shaping culture and getting great press, but most often their biggest products were demos that never get deployed to the field. Anthony concluded that the incubator in his new company was no exception. Successful organizations recognize that innovation isn’t a single activity (incubators, accelerators, hackathons); it is a strategically organized end-to-end process from idea to deployment.

In addition, he was already discovering that almost every division and function was building groups for innovation, incubation and technology scouting. Yet no one had a single road map for who was doing what across the enterprise. And more importantly it wasn’t clear which, if any, of those groups were actually continuously delivering products and services at high speed. His first job was to build a map of all those activities.

Innovation Heroes are Not Repeatable or Scalable

Over coffee Anthony offered that in a company this size he knew he would find “innovation heroes” – the individuals others in the company point to who single-handedly fought the system and got a new product, project or service delivered (see article here.) But if that was all his company had, his work was going to be much tougher than he thought, as innovation heroics as the sole source of deployment of new capabilities are a sign of a dysfunctional organization.

Anthony believed one of his roles as CTO was to:

Map and evaluate all the innovation, incubation and technology scouting activities
Help the company understand they need innovation and execution to occur simultaneously. (This is the concept of an ambidextrous organization (see this HBR article).)
Educate the company that innovation and execution have different processes, people, and culture. They need each other – and need to respect and depend on each other
Create an innovation pipeline – from problem to deployment – and get it adopted at scale

Anthony was hoping that somewhere three, four or five levels down the organization were the real centers of innovation, where existing departments/groups – not individuals – were already accelerating mission/delivering innovative products/services at high speed. His challenge was to find these islands of innovation and who was running them and understand if/how they:

Leveraged existing company competencies and assets
Understand if/how they co-opted/bypassed existing processes and procedures
Had a continuous customer discovery to create products that customers need and want
Figured out how to deliver with speed and urgency
And if they somehow had made this a repeatable process

If these groups existed, his job as CTO was to take their learning and:

Figure out what barriers the innovation groups were running into and help build innovation processes in parallel to those for execution
Use their work to create a common language and tools for innovation around rapid acceleration of existing mission and delivery
Make permanent delivering products and services at speed with a written innovation doctrine and policy
Instrument the process with metrics and diagnostics

Get Out of the Office

So, with another cup of coffee the question we were trying to answer was, how does a newly hired CTO find the real islands of innovation in a company his size?

A first place to start was with the innovation heroes/rebels. They often know where all the innovation bodies were buried. But Anthony’s insight was he needed to get out of his 8th floor office and spend time where his company’s products and services were being developed and delivered.

It was likely that most innovative groups were not simply talking about innovation, but were the ones who rapidly delivering innovative solutions to customer’s needs.

One Last Thing

As we were finishing my coffee Anthony said, “I’m going to let a few of the execs know I’m not out for turf because I only intend to be here for a few years.” I almost spit out the rest of my coffee. I asked how many years the division C-level staff has been at the company. “Some of them for decades” he replied. I pointed out that in a large organization saying you’re just “visiting” will set you up for failure, as the executives who have made the company their career will simply wait you out.

As he left, he looked at a bit more concerned than we started. “Looks like I have my work cut out for me.”

Lessons Learned

Large companies often have divisions and functions with innovation, incubation and technology scouting all operating independently with no common language or tools

Innovation heroics as the sole source of deployment of new capabilities are a sign of a dysfunctional organization

Innovation isn’t a single activity (incubators, accelerators, hackathons); it is a strategically organized end-to-end process from idea to deployment

Somewhere three, four or five levels down the organization are the real centers of innovation – accelerating mission/delivering innovative products/services at high speed

The CTO’s job is to:

create a common process, language and tools for innovation
make them permanent with a written innovation doctrine and policy

And don’t ever tell anyone you’re a “short timer”

This article originally appeared in Fast Company

Image credit: Unsplash

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