"Innovation and leadership go hand in hand" Article by Steve Marsten

I was recently exposed to some intellectual property that will probably revolutionise the plumbing world. Unfortunately the client is in need of capital to take it to the next stage. It reminded me of a mechanic I saw in a YouTube clip, showing you how to extract a cork from inside a wine bottle by inserting a plastic bag into the bottle and inflating it so it pushes the cork out.  Simple but effective. The guy woke up the next morning with a brilliant idea. He theorised the same could be applied to delivering difficult babies! And voila - the Odon Device was born! Thanks to an Argentinian mechanic – it hits home the importance of innovation. If a mechanic with no medical background can transform obstetrics, then each of us is quite capable of changing the world in some way.

In doing this, we as business leaders, need to encourage our teams to find their inner “Odons” by establishing an environment that values and rewards innovation.

If we are going to create a culture of innovation we need to take time out to consider how.

We need to Model it. Steve Jobs once said “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” That’s correct. Leaders must act on opportunities quickly and decisively. Decisions reflect where the business is going, not where they are today.

Encourage positive failure. Failure is a critical part of success. The best ideas are rarely new ones. And instead of waiting for the perfect timing you should get on with your first attempt of a new service or product and then commence the refinement process. Praise creative problem-solving even when the end result isn’t quite right.

Finally, insist on solution-thinking. Nothing is more frustrating then a person who complains without thinking of a solution. Train people to bring solutions to your door. This not only minimises the issues but gives team members ownership over the challenges.

We encourage both staff and clients to develop “thinking teams”. You might want to implement this in your business right now. Call the team at Sothertons on 4972 1300 and ask for Steve or Tina to show you how innovation and leadership go hand in hand.