The following contains excerpts from the resource, “A Leader’s Guide to Innovation” (Carnegie Training Institute).
Having been involved in Classical music, I noticed early on a phenomenon that became particularly important in a musician’s career path, and that was the role of the music critic. If a critic wrote a scathing review of an artist, it could cripple or entirely thwart years of work to build a reputation. However, an observer’s voice (the critic) needed to be expressed. I also noticed that many musicians wanted to have their say about an artist or a particular concert they had heard. They wanted to express their thoughts and opinions. When I entered into church worship ministry, leading worship services for several decades, I noticed that everyone in the team I was leading, as well as the leadership and membership of the church, sincerely and genuinely wanted to express their opinions and offer suggestions for future repertoire or artistic direction.
As a young artist, all of these things used to bother me. Having my own artistic opinions and direction, my first inclination was to dismiss any ideas that were incongruent with my own. As I grew in my understanding of music, what it was, and what made it effective, I became aware of the fact that without the involvement of others, music was virtually meaningless.
Involving others is a key factor to innovation. Being open to other people’s thoughts, convictions, and imaginations allows for broadened innovation when coupled with leadership.
In our music school in Odessa Texas, we hope to help students see the value of involving others in creative Leadership.
This is a simple and straight-forward book that provides a ‘road-map’ for a leader who desires to lead his team into creativity and innovation.
“In today’s fast-paced business world, if you are not innovating, you are falling behind. Every organization today needs to do more with less, reach new customers, and use resources wisely. Whether you are developing a completely new game-changing product or simply finding a new process to save money, these are all innovations.” In art, as well as business, creativity is key, and we endeavor to teach students in our music school in Odessa Texas the value and skill of innovation.
“As a business leader, you must foster innovation with your team to meet your ever-increasing goals. One of the first step direct managers need to take is to ensure that their employees are engaged with the organization. Managers need to value their employees’ talents, be proactive, and foster positive work environment. Open communication, respect, proactive approach, and recognition are the fundamental for innovative ideas flow.”
“Sometimes innovative ideas come very easily, but most times innovation is a tough process with many challenges. To make sure you see innovation through to success, you must have a process with the following steps.”
“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have… It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it” (Steve Jobs).
Following are the steps to take to lead a team in innovation and creativity:
- Visualize– Picture the ideal future, the “Should-Be” state. What is your goal? Create a picture of how your ideal outcome will look. Develop a vision of the “Should-Be” situation. Whether it is a problem to be overcome or an opportunity for improvement, the vision will help you set the course and motivate you forward.
[This is also an important component to the art of composition and performance: start from the standpoint of imagination. We teach students in our music school in Odessa Texas the value of creating first from their imagination, then capturing that imagination and bringing into reality.]
- Find Facts– Determine the “As-Is” state. Get the facts. Look at the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” of situations. Gather the data within the current state. Don’t judge; simply accumulate the facts. Once collected, the facts point to symptoms and causes that should be eliminated in order to solve the challenge.
- Find the challenges and opportunities– If you already know a problem, you can start the innovation process. Get a creative attitude and meet the challenge. Ask the question: In what ways can we…increase sales/decrease cost/improve marketing?
“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship… the act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.” (Peter Drucker)
- Find ideas– Brainstorm and do “Green-light Thinking” for ideas. Look for ideas individually or in group. No judgmental thinking is allowed during “Green-Light Thinking.” Concentrate on quantity vs. quality. It allows idea fluency in the group.
[This kind of work is very important in collaborative relationships, artistically. We hope to help students in our music school in Odessa Texas to develop an attitude of inclusiveness when creating in a team environment.]
- Find Solutions– Do “Red-Light Thinking” to determine the best idea or approach. Evaluate the ideas produced in the “Green-light Thinking” stage. To determine conclusion: Get consensus from the team, vote for the best idea, or use the criteria method.
- Find acceptance– Gain approval and support. Unless you are personally going to implement the solution, you may need to get other people involved. Anticipate objections that might require you to start the process again at Step 3. A found solution can become a new problem that will require you to find new solutions again.
- Implement– Put the accepted solutions into action. Execute! Set up a time-frame of the project completion, listing each of its phases. Before you begin, make sure that all parties understand the goals.
[One of the most important ways to learn artistic discipline is to give yourself a deadline for a performance or a project to be completed. This is part of becoming a professional musician, and we endeavor to instill into students in our music school in Odessa Texas this kind of personal discipline.]
- Follow up– Monitor the implementation. Stay on track! Set up follow-up meetings 30 to 60 days after the implementation. Keep the momentum going!
[This is why it is important to have teachers and coaches, like we do at our music school in Odessa Texas, to help give students objectivity about their progress.]
- Evaluate– Identify and assess the end results. Have you received the results you wanted? What was the cost/benefit or ROI (Return On Investment) for you, your team, or the organization? Make the implementation trackable so you can share the results of the innovation with team members, management, or shareholders.
The above strategies for innovation are clearly stated and well-organized. I particularly like the separation of the ideas of ‘green-light’ thinking and ‘red-light’ thinking. Usually, in my encouragement to people regarding their own creativity, I find that they stop their own creative flow because they ‘self-edit’ too soon. Instead, they should spend the vast majority of their time in creativity without self-criticism. Once the idea is completely brought out, then it can be refined and fine-tuned by making edits, etc. But trying to edit and create simultaneously usually ends in frustration for the one trying to create. So, I think the ‘green-light/red-light’ terminology is helpful.