What does it take to Innovate? Many companies struggle every day to find ways to innovate and to further their offerings.

The McKinsey Quarterly in this 2008 article pointed out that  “Like short skirts, innovation has traditionally swung into and out of fashion: popular in good times and tossed back into the closet in downturns.” However they also point out that there is a “wide gap between the aspirations of executives to innovate and their ability to execute.”

A friend and I were discussing his business the other day and how things had slowed quite a bit at the office. I asked if they ever sit and discuss what else they could be selling their existing or past customers or could they approach a new target customer if they innovated a new offering.

Ultimately his answer was that they spent their time looking for more work of the same type rather then innovating with the resources they had.

It is easy to ignore the lessons of Who Moved My Cheese (a must read book) and simply put it is hard to lead change.

Is there an opportunity to lead or innovate at your work or office? Are you willing to say that maybe the cheese has moved and we need to change what we are  doing?

Are you willing to lead?

You say you are in transition, however the need to innovate is not limited to a business and these lesson can and should be applied to ones professional life and career, after all If you do not take the lead in your career then who will.

What have you done to innovate in your business or career? What could you be doing that you are not now doing to innovate?

Join us as we explore leading change through innovation.

As always, there is no better way to meet and connect with other executives then over dinner and conversation. $21 in advance via PayPal or $25 at the event gets you a full dinner, drink and the best networking around.