Monday, October 02, 2006

Criticism: The Innovation Killer


From Seth Godin's new book "Small Is The New Big":

"Three curses of criticism that make companies put the brakes on innovation (and worse, put their best employees-the innovators-on the defensive):

  • Successful companies fear external criticism
  • Successful innovators are more subject to harsh criticism
  • Less innovative employees have carte blanche to criticize the innovators unfairly"

With these in mind, how can you help your company be more innovative and overcome the fear of criticism?

1) Teach your employees to be innovative. Give employees a process to better generate new ideas and employees will become less fearful of innovation. Once people understand the process of innovation, and realize with success comes the possibility of failure, the more willing they are to create new ideas and help harness the ideas of others.

2) Create an environment that is accepting of innovation. Help your employees understand they don't need a box of crayons to be creative. Start asking for creative ideas in your business meetings. In the business world, creativity provides a means of solving problems and generating alternatives. With global competition, the Internet, and demand for quick results, today innovation is even more necessary for an organization's survival and prosperity into the future.

Lateral Thinking: Dr. Edward de Bono’s Lateral Thinking methods provide a deliberate, systematic process resulting in innovative thinking. Lateral Thinking will teach you how to think creatively, turn problems into opportunities, find alternative solutions, & dramatically increase your number of new and practical ideas using unconventional thinking techniques normally untapped by our usual ways of thinking.

Creative thinking is not a talent; it’s a skill that can be learned. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities, which improves creativity and innovation, which leads to increased productivity and profit. Today, better quality and better service are essential, but they are not enough. Creativity and innovation are the only engines that will drive lasting, global success.

Learn how you can bring Lateral Thinking to your organization.

Questions? Call us at 800.278.1292.



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