·  The Podcast to Maximize Your Impact as a Leader  ·

What Truly Qualifies as Innovation?

Common Misunderstandings

When I guide leadership teams through values-defining exercises, the term "innovation" readily makes its way into the conversation. Everyone, it seems, wants to be thought of as innovative. And they want their company to be viewed that way, as well.

But as the conversation progresses, it soon becomes apparent that their concept of innovation is clouded, to say the least. Things which they point to as innovations are not truly innovations at all. They are merely stellar examples of ingenuity or inventiveness.

I encounter this misunderstanding so often that I've devoted this episode to a description of what constitutes genuine innovation.How do we distinguish it from ingenuity? Improvisation? Continuous improvement?

My purpose is not to be a stickler for terminology, but to protect the true meaning of "innovation." The mind-boggling challenges of our world beg for solutions which are genuinely innovative. But when we refer to clever improvements as "innovation," the word loses its distinct meaning. And without meaning, we have no way to speak meaningfully of innovation at all.

This episode identifies five criteria which any initiative, product, or service must satisfy in order to qualify as an innovation. Thinking outside of the box does not qualify. Neither does ingenuity. Nor does inventiveness or clever solutions. They may pass as innovation in the way that we speak of them. But they will never substitute for it.