"Spend enough time around innovation and you become aware of a startling
analogy: Ideas are just like children. Ideas need a loving set of
parents to conceive them, encourage them, challenge them, and protect
them until they are ready to stand on their own. Good parenting will
produce ideas — born as simple insights — that can change the world.
The problem is, we as corporate executives (parents) abandon our
nurturing role too early. And just like in any family (or company),
once the core set of parents is gone, the child (insight) suffers."
Watch a brief excerpt from the discussion below, and remember to raise your ideas correctly!
December 31, 1969 7:00 PM
If you were to accept the notion that every idea has a parent and that the idea suffers once the parent leaves, then maybe the answer it to make sure you use your most passionate and motivated employees as “parents”.
As a product developer with about 7 years experience, I know that I would take it very seriously if I was asked to be the team’s motivational force behind a new product launch. I would also be unlikely to leave the opportunity until I saw it through. I believe my motivation stems from my vision upwards towards a future that is yet to be.
However, upper level managers and executives may not have the same conviction to specific ideas. They have been trained over the years to leave their passion behind and look at the numbers to guide their next steps. “It’s just business” is not something you hear many Generation Y employees saying.
All ideas have their ups and downs during the execution phase. My argument is to make sure you have someone leading the execution whose passion will override any of the daily turmoil and also ensure they are driven to see the concept through to its final stages without jumping ship.
Maybe the best parent for your innovation is a younger generational employee looking upwards towards their future rather than an executive who is looking down from the top of their career.
