They had a philosophy of “you commit suicide when you settle for second best.” They recruited exceptionally talented people who would challenge them and their organization. The people who were most likely to be innovative were those who weren’t satisfied with good performance but were relentlessly looking for ways to raise the bar. One respondent said, “For innovation to exist, you have to feel inspired.” This comes from a clear sense of purpose and meaning to their work. Pleasing the boss or some other higher level executive takes a back seat to doing the right thing for the project or the company. This willingness to change is often driven by a fearless loyalty to doing what’s right for the organization and customer.
It takes time and practice for us to return to our previous level of skill, but over time we see the value of change and perhaps even wonder why we labored so heavily on inferior approaches before. The new tool makes us feel at best uncomfortable and at worst incompetent. When we change from a method we’ve mastered to a new process, we are invariably awkward at first. For many activities that will ultimately make us more efficient, there is a learning curve. However, change takes energy, discipline, and a willingness to do something never done before. Many people can think of a new, faster, more efficient way to get things done. It starts with a restlessness and willingness to to consider change. There are obviously many opinions on this question. What are the qualities that are the precursors to some people being highly innovative and not being confined by the past? Something prompts them to break out of the mold, to see their world in new and fresh ways, and to have the courage to try something new. We discovered that the most highly correlated other behavior was “innovation.” Innovation appeared to strongly impact the speed and efficiency of everyday work. How do these leaders accomplish their work quickly and with high quality? In further examining the database, my colleague Joe Folkman and I looked for the behaviors that went hand-in-hand with this optimum combination of speed and quality. More than two-thirds of employees at all levels agree with the statement “If this organization were to move faster, it would substantially influence our success.”
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