Jul 11, 20233 min read

Three Practices for Leaders to Accelerate Innovation

How We Get Work Done: Beyond Control to Evolution

Five Leadership Shifts in the Era of AI (6)

The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday's logic. --Peter Drucker

In today's dynamic business landscape, leading organizations are experiencing a new paradigm of work. They strive to become agile organizations with constant learning - constantly evolve, explore, experiment, and execute across multiple ideas in parallel. They prioritize acceleration, positive surprises, and innovation over rigid "perfect" plans. By doing so, they consistently outperform their counterparts preoccupied by control with certainty. This shift demands a transformation in leadership, moving beyond the role of controllers to that of coaches. Leaders must adopt a mindset of discovery, nurturing a culture of continual exploration, execution, and learning. To facilitate this transition, leadership teams should adopt the following practices:

Build agility to support fast learning, decisions, actions, and adaptation.
Prioritize initiatives with discipline and alignment – get rid of outdated practices and balancing today’s and future business
Lead people effectively - encourage them to engage and embrace significant changes with excitement

The multinational technology company, Google, has always been known for its innovative culture and commitment to fostering a dynamic work environment. However, as the company grew rapidly, it faced challenges in maintaining the same level of agility and creativity that had fueled its initial success. In response, Google implemented a series of strategic changes to become a more adaptable and learning-oriented organization.

Three Practices for Leaders to Accelerate Innovation

One significant shift was the introduction of the "20% time" policy, which allowed employees to dedicate 20% of their work hours to pursue their own passion projects outside of their assigned roles. This initiative encouraged experimentation, empowered employees to explore new ideas, and fostered a culture of continuous learning.

Google also established internal platforms and forums where employees could share their projects, ideas, and learnings with the broader organization. This open and collaborative approach enabled cross-pollination of ideas, sparked new innovations, and created a sense of community among employees.

Furthermore, Google encouraged a fail-forward mindset, where failures were seen as opportunities for learning and growth. The company recognized that not all experiments would succeed, but valuable insights could be gained from each experience. By embracing failure as a natural part of the innovation process, Google created an environment where employees felt empowered to take risks and learn from setbacks.

These strategic shifts helped Google maintain its position as an industry leader and continue to drive innovation. By fostering a culture of exploration, learning, and experimentation, Google consistently introduces new products, services, and technologies that shape the future of the digital landscape.

The success of Google's transformation into a learning organization serves as a testament to the power of embracing evolution and continuously challenging the status quo. By prioritizing exploration, rapid experimentation, and a supportive culture, companies like Google demonstrate that the path to sustained success lies in embracing change and nurturing a learning mindset.

Reflecting on this example, it becomes evident that fostering experimentation and learning is essential for innovation. Sometimes, innovation lies in drawing inspiration from the past, while other times, it emerges from envisioning the future.

A finance team at a hospitality company realized it had been excessively focused on detailed planning and control, driven by a desire for certainty and perfection. This perception of executive and board expectations stifled creativity. However, the CFO challenged the team to become a source of positive energy and innovation. Leading by example, she inspired the team to explore new possibilities, even in the face of doubts about senior leadership's support. Within weeks, the team regained its energy and unlocked numerous cost-saving opportunities, accelerated actions, and generated more value for the business.

If you are a leader, ask yourself: Are you fostering an environment where people can experiment and learn or dare to fail? Remember, innovation thrives when individuals are empowered to connect with the past, draw insight from failure, and envision the future. By embracing this revolutionary approach, your organization can unlock its true potential and achieve remarkable success.