When a business finds its rebels for innovation, new ideas can be unleashed. Because you know, at some point, your best practices will become obsolete.
It could be a case of technology changing, the marketplace evolving, or your success resulting in old processes feeling like a shoe that’s suddenly too small.
In any case, you’ll need to change. And yet, many will double down on old best practices simply because they are comfortable. This continues as they experience diminishing returns.
A resistance to change can put you on the fast lane to failure. The business fails to grow, change, and innovate.
To prevent this downward spiral, consider the fact that tomorrow’s best practices will likely be different from today’s processes. Often they’ll be started by people who are considered rebels in your organization.
They are the kind of people who ask, “Why do we still do this?” and “What if we changed?”
And it’s probably natural for them to bend or not want to follow all of the rules.
To those who oppose change, these are radical thoughts and unwelcome questions. But these rebels may discover new truths.
For instance, there was a time when documents were either mailed or sent by courier to a business. One day, someone decided to take advantage of a new machine, called the fax, to carry out this task.
This was a game changer for businesses that were open to trying something new. The process continued when the same document sharing could be handled through the Internet.
In the early days of faxes, I’m sure there were those who were resistant to the change. Eventually, they grew to love the new best practice but perhaps not before they lost some time, patience, or business due to a slower process.
You want innovation and new ideas but first you must create a culture where people are free to ask, “What if?” and “Why not?”
Do employees have time to innovate and explore new ideas? And will you consider them or reconsider them?
While it’s good to have a team that’s agreeable to your views, you also want some who think differently than the rest. Even a new idea that doesn’t work can teach an important lesson.
Encourage and honor your these people and you’ll find your rebels for innovation.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
