Moving Innovation from an Outcome to an Enabler

The call for organisations to be innovative is becoming deafening. Everywhere a CEO looks, people are asking about the next big thing, how will they solve the problems they have, how can they make the most of the opportunities in front of them. It is hard to ignore the noise, and so one-by-one, executives are starting to accept and understand that they have to be innovative to keep their business relevant and successful.

Great start – but what’s next?

Anybody can make a decision; it’s the actions taken next that will determine success. The executive team are on-board the good ship “innovation”, and then they give the infamous rallying cry to their troops, “we need your ideas!”

Encouraging? Yes. Inspiring? Probably. Will it be successful? Unlikely.

Really? Surely, one of the key factors in having successful innovation is strong leadership support and sponsorship. This is being very clearly displayed here, but a key tenet of innovation has been missed. The target to aim at has not been called out.

By means of a metaphor, let me explain. Instead of ideas, think arrows. Arrows within a quiver are dormant and not useful. Good to have, but not bringing any benefit. Arrows being fired have become active, but if they don’t hit the target, again, they are not bringing value. Success is only achieved when an arrow is fired and it hits the intended target.

It is the same with ideas. If you have lots of ideas that are being discussed, but no one knows what the target is, then you are unlikely to be innovating successfully. You can be sure that there is huge amount of innovation activity, but you are relying on chance and serendipity for success. Gambling is always a bad idea, unless you own the casino.

So, back to our problem and forecast of doom. By simply asking people for ideas, without providing the targets that innovation needs to solve, you will bury yourself in many, many ideas, without being able to find the space to find and implement those that bring impact and value. You have made ideas the outcome, rather than an enabler of success.

Many people say that they are innovating, but in fact they are treating innovation and having ideas as a task; another thing to do. I went to work, I wrote an email, I had a meeting, I had an idea. Innovation just becomes another task that needs to be prioritised in a busy day. Sure, as an organisation you are getting ideas, but innovation is not a core activity and gets easily displaced by other activity.

A way to tell if innovation is an outcome is when there is more excitement in the number of ideas, than when the ideas are implemented. Ideas and innovation are an outcome. To be truly successful in innovation, innovation must become the enabler of business success. Rather than first asking for ideas, the targets to aim at must be identified.

Innovation becomes the “how” instead of the “what”.

What are the strategic imperatives where innovation is needed? Where has an objective or goal been stated, but how to achieve it is unknown. Innovation does not need to rely on serendipity; it now becomes strategic and managed.  The corporate creativity is harnessed and channelled into the areas where it is needed.

And as a result? Ideas are impactful and valuable, since they’re enabling strategic goals to be met. When you achieve this, everyone will understand his or her role in innovation and how key it is to the current and future success of the organisation. Some have the ideas, some make the ideas better and others implement them; the “corporate” innovation team is at work here.

Don’t just seek out ideas because you’re constantly being pushed to innovate. Don’t panic. Take a step back, identify where innovation is needed, map out a strategic foundation, and then demand that your people ideate with a clear target in their sights. Innovation is no longer a luxury – it’s become a necessity that you cannot afford to get wrong.

Turning Ideas into Reality

In my experience, most of the energy and activity that happens in innovation initiatives is focused around getting ideas. but ideas do not deliver value until they are implemented. Often, organisations don’t focus effort on the execution of ideas until they have them. As a result, many ideas fail and are never used.

To overcome this, the outcome wanted before asking for ideas must be clear. Consider what is actually needed and what resources are available. If you only have the ability or resource to implement a few ideas, make this clear at the start; otherwise you could annoy some very engaged people!

Beginning with a clear idea of the desired outcome can substantially improve success. If I enter a prize draw, I expect to know how many winning tickets there are; it’s the same for innovation. Communicate the outcomes to your audience so they know the rules. However, even when you know what outcome you want, implementation is still hard work, as you are trying to change the status quo.

So, here are five tips to help increase your chances of idea implementation.

According to a U.S. Department of Labor survey, 70.9% of the total United States population is comprised of men and women ages 20 – 24. That’s a pretty hefty percentage who recently abandoned childhood dreams of a career as a superhero or a princess.

“Get your degree so you can get a real job,” your parents said.

But if your parents have your best interests in mind, why have you graduated and still don’t have a job?

The same survey from the Department of Labor suggests that only about 13% of 20 – 24 year-old college graduates are part of the labor force. That leaves a pretty hefty percentage of them living at home, wishing they held the mask and cape you abandoned. It may feel like it sometimes, but spending four years in college wasn’t a waste of time; if you only have a high school diploma, the unemployment rate is twice as high.

Common discourse on the economy aside, finding a job after graduation has been difficult since the 1970s. When you graduate, especially if you didn’t work during school, you have few marketable skills and little experience to show, no matter how good your grades are. Some employers simply won’t hire people right out of undergrad, opting for candidates with a Master’s degree or who paid their dues in an unpaid internship.

A recent New York Times article broke down what anyone in their 20s already knows: right after you graduate, and especially if you have a liberal arts degree, you often have to work for free. That is, if you can afford it.

So what can you do to improve your chances of finding a paid position?

Pay Your Dues While You’re Still in School

It’s in your best interest to find a part-time job or an internship while you’re still in school, preferably in a field you enjoy. This will vastly improve your job prospects and will help you make contacts that will be invaluable once you graduate. if Do this while you’re still in school, and you will have a better chance of being able to move out your mom’s house.

If you didn’t have time for an internship in college, you probably have leadership skills from a club or group that you can highlight in your resume. Unfortunately, it’s become the norm for companies to hire unpaid interns, and you may have to take a position like this if you want to advance in your field (especially if that field is media-related). The sad truth is, many people can’t afford to take an unpaid internship, and if you find yourself in that boat, you’re definitely not alone.

Make Your Resume Job-Specific

Lots of people don’t understand that it’s absolutely essential to tweak your resume for each job you apply to. The chances of having a resume make a strong impression increase exponentially when you think like an employer: use keywords that are derived from the job description, and trim out any information that is unrelated or looks like filler. If you don’t know anything about keywords, this articleis a good place to start.

Apply to Jobs You’re Qualified For

Another reason Millennials aren’t finding jobs is because many are applying to jobs that aren’t suited to their skills. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but that isn’t to say that because your marketing degree isn’t getting you the job you want, you should start applying for entry-level accounting positions. You might feel it’s a catch-22: if you limit yourself to jobs that you’re continuously being rejected from you’ll never actually get hired. This isn’t always true. Focus on applying for jobs that you’re qualified for and want —you earned your degree in the field that you did for a reason. Use social media to network with people at firms that you are interested in and stay on your toes. Job hunting takes time.

Expand Your Resources

Start looking into staffing agencies (like us!) who have lots of jobs that aren’t posted online. Companies often come to us to do confidential searches, and if you’re in our network, we might be able to help you snag a gig you wouldn’t have found otherwise. Check out our job listings here.

Look for positions at startups, who are always expanding and looking for young people who are excited about their projects. Because enthusiasm is a big hiring factor, and the companies are small, don’t be afraid to reach out to the founder of the company on LinkedIn. Even if you can’t get a paid position, it will fill a hole in your resume, and you’ll make some valuable contacts.

Volunteering is another good way to find contacts and to keep you occupied while you’re unemployed. Do a quick Google search and try and find something you’re interested in.

Keep Your Social Media Accounts Polished

As much as you might like to tell yourself that employers don’t check your social media profiles, they do. Your profile isn’t as safe as you think; more and more companies are screening their applicants on Facebook or Twitter.  Do the smart thing and clean house of all those tweets about how you hate hunting for a job or how “productive” you’re being watching daytime reality TV on your couch. Also, the fact that you’re 21 means you can legally do keg stands, but can you reasonably have pictures of it on your Facebook page? Think about what’s important to you, and keep your private life private.

Make sure your LinkedIn account accurately reflects your resume and your accomplishments, and make sure you have a professional-looking picture. Companies are using LinkedIn more and more to pre-screen applicants. If you don’t have a LinkedIn, it’s time to set one up.

Try to Stay Positive

Don’t let discouragement deter you from remaining steadfast in your job search. It takes time and persistence. Remember, the market is tough right now. Make use of the connections that you have made in school and seek out new connections in the hopes that they will open doors for you. Not being able to land a job is not necessarily indicative of your abilities; it is a result of these challenging times. If you start to feel like your efforts are futile, step back and channel your inner superhero. You have the power to make things happen when you set your mind to it.

Good luck!