How to Demonstrate True Innovation at Work

True innovation isn't about the next shiny tool; it’s about agentic AI—systems that don't just answer your questions, but proactively take action within your workflow. We’ve spent decades trapped in data silos where information goes to die. The real frontier is connecting these silos so your data actually works for you. Consider the Compounding Force Multiplier: Augmentation: Elevating human expertise by automating the tedious—like AI-powered daily logs created via simple voice memos in the field. Analysis: Turning complex project data into predictive insights that flag mismatched invoices or predict material shortages before they derail your budget. Automation: Generating fabrication drawings in hours instead of days by referencing past project intelligence. The world is moving faster than your legacy systems can handle. If you aren’t building a connected ecosystem today, you are actively choosing irrelevance. Stop being a collector of apps and start being an architect of systems. Is your current tech stack a connected ecosystem or just a digital junkyard? Let’s debate in the comments. #ConTech #ConstructionAI #DigitalTransformation #AgenticAI #ComplexSystems #AECO

Your Real Advantage is Slow Listening I was recently working with a group of brilliant innovation leaders at a huge financial institution (can't say the name). But it's the one that moves billions with a single decision. They live in a world measured in basis points, risk, and time-to-market. We all celebrate speed and rapid experimentation. But I posed a challenge: “When was the last time you blocked 10 minutes on your calendar for no other reason than to listen to someone on your team without an agenda?” Only a few hands went up. I argued that the challenge facing this organization wasn't a shortage of ideas, capital, or talent. It was a shortage of slow, courageous listening. You cannot experiment your way to the right solution if you never took the time to hear the real problem. In a fast-paced environment where capital moves at the speed of code, the biggest risk is building quickly on misunderstood assumptions. This misalignment wastes months of effort and erodes the psychological safety needed for true innovation. We introduced a powerful paradox: The leaders who move fastest in the market are not the ones who talk the most in the meeting. They are the ones willing to sit in silence, ask one more honest question, and hear the thing that's hard to say. They trade a few extra minutes in a conversation today for weeks of saved rework and deeper clarity tomorrow. “Great innovators master the art of slow listening, turning patience into groundbreaking insights.” - that was the exact line in our speech. Slow listening is not the opposite of rapid experimentation. It is what makes rapid experimentation wise instead of wasteful. To operationalize this, we gave leaders a tactical tool, a six minute micro-ritual they can run in any 1:1 or problem-solving meeting: 1. Clear the Noise. Close the laptop. Phones down. You simply state: "For the next five minutes, my only job is to understand you, not to fix anything." 2. Ask the Deeper Question, like: "What's the part of this problem we're not talking about yet?" Then, let the silence do the work. 3. Reflect back what you heard: "What I’m hearing is that you’re less worried about the deadline and more worried that we’re solving the wrong problem. Did I get that right?" 4. Consolidate the insights for them. Ask: "What’s one insight you’re leaving this five minutes with?" 5. Close with specific recognition: "Thank you for trusting me with that concern about the model assumptions. That honesty is what protects our clients and our reputation." Sounds like PASTA eh? Just wrapped different (Pause, Ask, Savor/Shift, Take Action, Appreciate) If leaders only run one 6-Minute Slow Listening Sprint per week, the shift in engagement, idea flow, and ultimately, innovation is immediate and measurable. Slow listening is the modern luxury we can offer in a fast-paced world. Make it your firm's unfair advantage. P.S. This is me on a train way back when I couldn't afford plane tix to gigs.

My team has stopped asking questions. They now wait for instructions. A leader shared this observation at last Thursday’s Melbourne Business School - Retail & Consumer Goods panel. It perfectly captured the curiosity crisis facing our industry in an uncertain operating environment. In a brilliant conversation with Adam Murphy 🌻 , moderated by Lenny Chudri, GAICD, we explored how to reignite innovation when uncertainty is our new normal. Here is what resonated most: 1. The 5-Question Rule That Changed Everything At a global FMCG giant, we were stuck. Innovation had become theatre, all talk, no breakthrough. So we tried something radical: “Curiosity Time”. Rule: For one hour every Friday, you could ONLY ask questions. No answers. No solutions. Just questions. The first session was painful. By week six? We had identified three breakthrough opportunities worth $5M. 🎯Try this tomorrow: Start your next meeting with 5 minutes of questions only. No answers allowed. 2. When Budget Cuts Forced Our Best Innovation Leading innovation at a major CPG company, I faced a 30% budget cut. Instead of scaling back, we asked: “What would we do if we had 10% of the budget?” That constraint forced us to partner with suppliers in ways we never imagined. We reduced a 12-18month innovation cycles to 3 months. The result? Our most successful launches that decade. Key insight: Every constraint hides an opportunity. 🎯 List your top 3 constraints right now. Pick one. Ask “How might this force us to be brilliant?” 3. The $8M Mistake That Taught Me Everything Years ago, I led a “perfect” innovation project. Great consumer research. Flawless execution. It failed spectacularly. Why? We had curiosity at the top but killed it everywhere else. Only 24% of employees feel curious at work, yet curiosity increases creativity by 34%. That gap is your innovation problem. At my next role: We measured “learning velocity” alongside EBIT. We celebrated fast failures publicly. We made questioning as important as delivering. 🎯 Your move: Ask your teams: “What are we pretending not to know?” Then actually listen. After commercialising 1,200+ innovations globally, from establishing industry-first research hubs, I know this: Curiosity is not a nice to have. It is your sustainable competitive advantage. Sharing this handy question. ❓If your biggest competitor had your constraints but twice your curiosity, what would they do differently? Some 📸 from an inspiring evening of #learning and #unlearning. Lenny Chudri, GAICD Adam Murphy 🌻 Innovation Gamechangers University of Melbourne Melbourne Business School #curiosity #innovation

Far too often, I see leaders and companies move on from innovation, believing it's only necessary during the startup phase. In reality, it's what keeps companies alive and thriving. As companies grow, it's easy to fall into routine and let creativity fade. But innovation must continue-even as you scale. An older HBR article I came across this morning highlights how breakthroughs in management can create lasting advantages that are hard to replicate. Companies focused only on new products or efficiency often get quickly copied. To stay ahead, businesses must become "serial management innovators," always seeking new ways to transform how they operate. This idea remains as relevant now as it was back then. The benefits of sustained innovation are undeniable: •Competitive Edge •Increased Revenue •Customer Satisfaction •Attracting Talent •Organizational Growth and Employee Retention Embrace the innovation lifecycle-adapting creativity as your organization matures. Sustaining creativity means creating an environment where people feel safe to push boundaries. Encourage your teams to think big, take risks, and use the experience of your organization. Here are three strategies that I’ve seen work firsthand: Make Experimentation a Priority: Mistakes are part of the process—they help us learn, grow, and innovate. As leaders, share your own experiences with risk-taking, talk about what you've learned, and celebrate those who take bold steps, even when things don’t go as planned. It sends a powerful message: it's okay to take risks. Promote Intrapreneurship: Many of the best ideas come from those closest to the work. Encourage your people to think like entrepreneurs. Give them ownership, the tools they need, and the freedom to explore. Whether it’s through ‘innovation sprints’ or dedicated time for passion projects, showing your team that their creativity matters sustains momentum. Address big challenges, ask tough questions, and let your people feel empowered to tackle them head-on. Break Down Silos: True innovation happens when people connect across departments. Create opportunities for cross-functional interactions-through gatherings, open forums, or spontaneous connections. Diverse perspectives lead to game-changing solutions, and breaking down silos opens the door to that kind of synergy. Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It requires dedication, a commitment to growth, and a willingness to challenge what’s always been done. To all the leaders out there: How are you ensuring your teams remain creative and engaged? What strategies have you found that create space for bold ideas within structured environments? —-- Harvard Business Review, "The Why, What, and How of Management Innovation" #Innovation #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #Creativity #BusinessGrowth #Intrapreneurship #CrossFunctionalCollaboration #ImpactLab

Most companies claim they embrace failure. But walk into their Monday meetings, and watch people scramble to hide their missteps. I've seen it countless times. The same leaders who preach 'fail fast' are the first to demand explanations for every setback. Here's the uncomfortable truth:  Innovation dies in environments where people feel safer playing it safe. But there's a difference between reckless failure and strategic experimentation. Let me show you exactly how to build a culture that genuinely embraces productive failure: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 Stop asking "Who's fault was this?" and start asking: "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨?" "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴?" "𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?" 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 '𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬' Monthly meetings where teams present their failed experiments and the insights gained. The key? Leaders must go first. Share your own failures openly, specifically, and without sugar-coating. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "24-𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞" After any setback, give teams 24 hours to vent/process. Then require them to present three specific learnings and two potential next steps. This transforms failure from a dead end into a data point. Most "innovative" teams are just risk-averse businesses in disguise. They've mastered innovation theater, not actual innovation. Don't let your people think they need permission to innovate. Instead, start building systems and a culture that make innovation inevitable.

Micro-Innovations Momentum... Creates Small Shifts, Big Impact Sometimes, the smallest change makes the biggest difference. It is not always about sweeping reforms. A healthcare client was struggling with long patient wait times that strained staff and compromised the quality of care. We got involved by observing and assessing daily processes, listening closely to staff and patients, and identifying specific areas for improvement. From there, we facilitated collaboration and experimentation to uncover the best opportunities for improvement. Instead of costly system changes, their team restructured appointment reminders, switching from generic calls to personalized texting tailored to patient preferences. The result? Patient no-shows dropped by ~26%. Staff reported less stress. Patient satisfaction scores surged in just two months. They did not stop there: They implemented a streamlined check-in process, reducing administrative bottlenecks and cutting wait times by 15%. They introduced short, targeted training sessions for nursing staff on patient communication, which resulted in a 20% increase in positive feedback scores. But Here Are The Biggest Lessons Learned: • True innovation starts with careful observation and collaboration. • Small, human-centered changes can rewrite the story. • Listening to patients and frontline workers uncovers the most impactful solutions. Innovation does not require large budgets. It simply requires bold ideas and effective execution. Greatest innovations often come from listening and observing, not just inventing. What slight improvement could your team make this week that might surprise you? ♻️ Share to inspire transformation and change.  🔔 Join Izabela for global impact. ❤️

𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 — 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲. You don’t wait for it. You 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁: Early in my career at Microsoft, I thought innovation came from sudden “aha” moments — brilliant flashes from out of the blue. But then I joined a team where our 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 was to surface blockers, share raw ideas, and run fast experiments — no slides, no overthinking, just momentum. We didn't just talk about innovation. We practiced it — like reps in the gym. That’s when it clicked: 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿. Here’s how to build your 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲 this week — one atomic practice per day: 1. 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 – 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹 Ask: “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮?”     2. 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 – 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗣𝗲𝗻 Sketch one idea in under 3 minutes. (Fast is clarity.)     3. 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 – 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁 Borrow one idea from outside your field — remix it.     4. 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 – 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝟭 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 Get a perspective from someone wildly different than you.     5. 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 – 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 & 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘅 Write 1 insight + plan 1 small experiment for next week. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀. 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘀. Master your innovation muscle — and you’ll make magic. — Follow me for more 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 in 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽.

Innovation isn't just about funding or flashy initiatives—it's about culture. Want your company to innovate like a startup? Here's your ultimate checklist to drive meaningful change: ✅ Embrace Risk & Reward: Create an environment where bold ideas are celebrated, and failure is seen as a step toward success. Google’s 20% rule brought us Gmail—what could yours achieve? ✅ Foster External Partnerships: Collaborate with startups and VCs to spark fresh ideas. Programs like Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS are proof that partnerships drive breakthroughs. ✅ Streamline Processes: Overcome bureaucracy and empower small, agile teams to move fast. Think Amazon's Two-Pizza Rule. ✅ Rethink Training: Replace traditional programs with real-world, entrepreneurial approaches like GE's FastWorks. ✅ Lead the Change: Innovation starts at the top. Don’t let initiatives become “innovation theater.” Show your team it’s safe to experiment, learn, and succeed.

Imagine transforming your biggest challenges into opportunities for growth. What if the key to innovation lies in solving problems that resonate deeply and generate real value? Innovation means solving problems that matter and generating value. However, to fully leverage this approach, it's essential to understand both sides of the equation. 1. Problems That Matter Identifying significant challenges is crucial. While the Jobs to Be Done (#JTBD) framework is instrumental, keep these five criteria in mind to deepen your understanding: 🔹 Importance: What are the consequences if this need remains unresolved? 🔹 Scope: Is this pain point widespread, or is it limited to a select few willing to pay a premium? 🔹 Current Solutions: Do existing solutions adequately address this need, or do they introduce additional challenges? 🔹 Trend Utilization: Are you leveraging subtle changes or emerging trends that aren't yet recognized? 🔹 Market Opportunity: Are there quantifiable opportunities that transcend existing categories? (Consider this within the JTBD context.) 2. Generate #value The second part of the equation focuses on value generation. Elke den Ouden's framework in Innovation Design illuminates the various levels and types of value to pursue: 👉 Levels of Value: ✔️ For the user ✔️ For the organization ✔️ For the ecosystem ✔️ For society 👉 Types of Value: ✅ Economic ✅ Psychological ✅ Sociological ✅ Ecological This straightforward approach empowers you to move beyond superficial discussions and concentrate on what truly matters. 👉 How do you define innovation in your work? What criteria do you use to identify valuable problems? ♻️ Share your insights in the comments!

As one of the first Chief Innovation Officers, I had no playbook — just a mandate to drive change. Here’s what I learned about making innovation work in large organizations: Lesson 1: Innovation isn't about grand gestures. We succeeded by running small, practical experiments tied directly to customer needs. Each test had a clear hypothesis and measurable outcomes. This approach helped manage risk and build credibility — essential when you're asking an organization to try something new. Lesson 2: Resources are finite. Every investment in innovation meant somebody else's budget was impacted. The key was demonstrating value quickly through these practical experiments. Small wins opened doors for bigger initiatives. Lesson 3: The most enduring lesson? Everyone loves innovation until it disrupts their world. The hardest part wasn't generating ideas or testing solutions — it was advocating for changes that challenged established ways of working. That challenge persists today, even as innovation capabilities have become more distributed throughout organizations. Looking at this past year’s business landscape, I'm struck by how much has evolved. Today's workforce brings sophisticated innovation skills to every role. The need for a dedicated innovation officer has largely given way to something more powerful: innovation as everyone's responsibility. But that core challenge of managing disruption? That's as relevant as ever. The most successful organizations aren't just good at innovating — they're good at adapting to the changes innovation brings. Agree or disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts. #innovation #learning #business #adapting #changemakers