Photo by Julalo
Jeffrey Phillips of Innovate on Purpose wrote an interesting post traveling without a map, in the post he talks about innovation and the importance of knowing where you’re going two topics that are central to leadership…
“… it is sort of like traveling without a map. If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. Management teams have not been specific enough about their expectations for differentiation, growth and change in their organizations. Look at the most “innovative” firms. They have either charismatic leadership (Apple) or exceptionally clear guidelines for growth and differentiation (3M, P&G). The words and directions from these management teams filter down and create an understanding within the product teams and business units that focus the team on the right topics and help to drive out good ideas. Without good communications, clear goals and alignment to strategy, an innovation team or process will struggle – not because they don’t understand the process, but because the range of options and considerations is simply too large. Innovation teams and initiatives need clearly defined scope and outrageous expectations to help them focus on the right ideas to bring to market as new products and services…… The challenge most of these teams face isn’t structural or process per se, but the fact they deal in a significant amount of uncertainty due to poor goal setting and communication from their senior management teams as to what is important and how to prioritize the opportunities and challenges they face…”
If you don’t know where you’re going any map will take you there! It’s astounding how many teams and organisations lack clarity as to where they’re headed.
- Is your team or organisation traveling without a map?
- Is your map clear?
- Is it specific?
- Is it communicated on a regular basis?
- Do you use your map to guide your decision making?
Technorati Tags: Vision, Communication, Map, Leadership, Management, Business, Change, Innovation
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