Innovation is often met with skepticism and resistance. Check out ten personal tips how to fix it.

I learned in practice over the last forty years as manager, innovator and design thinker the hard way to navigate the barriers of innovation. As I want you all to become amazing innovators, I love to share ten personal actions to fix all the 'skepticism and resistance to innovation', which will transform all resounding 'NO's' into resounding 'YES's'!

1. Have Courage: Innovation requires the courage to challenge existing norms and take risks. Be bold in your vision and unafraid to pioneer new ideas. Malala Yousafzai, for example,  is an advocate for girls' education who defied the Taliban's ban on girls attending school in her native Swat Valley, Pakistan. Despite facing threats to her life, she continued to speak out and advocate for the rights of girls to receive an education. Her courage earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest-ever Nobel laureate.


2. Love Your Idea (Like a Child): Passion and persistence are essential ingredients for innovation. Treat your idea with the same dedication and care as you would a child, and fight for it. Tracy Chou, a software engineer at Pinterest, played a key role in developing the company's diversity initiatives. She spearheaded efforts to collect and publicly release data on the gender and racial diversity of Pinterest's engineering team, prompting greater transparency and accountability in the tech industry's diversity efforts. Chou's advocacy for diversity and inclusion has had a lasting impact on Pinterest and the broader tech community.


3. Become a Storyteller: Compelling storytelling can captivate audiences and inspire action. Craft a narrative that conveys the essence and impact of your innovation. Airbnb's founders, Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, and Joe Gebbia, mastered the art of storytelling by sharing personal anecdotes and testimonials, transforming their platform into a global phenomenon by highlighting its unique value proposition.


4. Communicate Your 'Why?': Clearly articulate the purpose and motivation behind your innovation to garner interest and support. Simon Sinek's famous TED Talk on 'Start with Why' emphasizes the importance of defining the underlying purpose of your endeavors. By communicating the 'why' behind your innovation, you can connect with stakeholders on a deeper level, fostering buy-in and enthusiasm.


5. Show Your Will, Passion, and Drive: Consistently demonstrate your commitment to realizing your innovation project. Jeff Bezos' relentless drive and determination propelled Amazon from an online bookstore to a multinational e-commerce giant. His unwavering focus on customer satisfaction and continuous innovation has solidified Amazon's position as a market leader.


6. Proof your Persistence: Highlight your resilience and determination to overcome obstacles and bring your ideas to fruition. The british inventor James Dyson has made 5,127 prototypes of his famous Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner before settling on the model that would make in a billionaire.


7. Work on Hearts and Minds: Recognize that decisions are often influenced by emotions as well as logic. Appeal to the emotions of decision-makers by aligning your innovation with their values. Indra Nooyi , CEO of PepsiCo, championed the development and launch of PepsiCo's healthier snack and beverage options, such as Baked Lay's and Tropicana Pure Premium. Recognizing shifting consumer preferences towards healthier lifestyles, Nooyi approved these innovations based on her personal commitment to promoting health and wellness. Her emotional connection to the company's mission of "Performance with Purpose" guided her decision-making process.


8. Put Your Team in the Spotlights: Acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of your team members, recognizing that innovation is a collaborative effort. While Steve Jobs is known as the visionary behind Apple's iconic products, he frequently emphasized the role of his team in bringing his ideas to life. Jobs was known for surrounding himself with exceptionally talented individuals and empowering them to contribute their expertise to the design and development process. He frequently highlighted the accomplishments of his team members during product launches and in interviews, like chief Design Officer Jonathan Ive, recognizing their pivotal role in Apple's success.


9. Make Things Happen: Action speaks louder than words. Take initiative and execute on your ideas to demonstrate their feasibility and potential impact. The rapid expansion of SpaceX under Elon Musk's leadership exemplifies the importance of execution. By consistently delivering on ambitious goals, SpaceX has revolutionized the aerospace industry and redefined expectations for space exploration.


10. Be Authentic: Build trust with stakeholders by embodying authenticity and integrity in your interactions. A good example is Kevin Systrom, a former Google employee, who co-founded Instagram in 2010. Despite initial skepticism from investors and industry experts about the potential success of a photo-sharing app, Systrom remained authentic in his passion for photography and social networking. He effectively communicated his vision for Instagram as a platform for capturing and sharing moments with friends and family. Systrom's authenticity resonated with C-suite executives and investors, leading to Instagram's rapid growth and eventual acquisition by Facebook for $1 billion.

In conclusion, navigating the challenges of innovation requires a combination of courage, passion, communication, and authenticity. By applying these ten personal tips you, as innovator, can effectively overcome barriers and turn 'NO's' into 'YES's', creating success and growth for yourself and your organization.

Lots of succes!

Gijs

ps. When you want to learn yourself how to double your innovation effectiveness as innovator and innovation consultant ..., then check out a unique 6-day innovation learning experience of the FORTH innovation method, and get certified in Italy June 16-21: https://bit.ly/forth-training

By Gijs van Wulfen

Keywords: Design Thinking, Innovation, Open Innovation