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You - Key ingredients for innovation * Blog series

Writer's picture: Ibeth Ramos AyalaIbeth Ramos Ayala


“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” Vince Lombardi


Yes, YOU are the main ingredient to any innovation. Why? Well, let’s break it down…


The chosen one to innovate - YOU

Most of the clients I work with on innovation were actually assigned that job. Sound familiar? So clearly someone saw something in them that reminded them of creativity, results and productivity. If this is you, I invite you to embrace that, receive it and accept it. Once you do that, it is easier to view yourself as the innovator that you are. If you haven’t considered yourself innovative or creative previously, it may not be so easy to alter your perception of yourself. However, it can definitely be changed. The first step is to choose  to change that perception.

Will you fail? Most likely; however, you are resilient, and before you can arrive at the best solution, you need to figure out all the things that do not work. This is why you are the chosen one. Not many people can move past failures – or as I call them, learning experiences.


The creative soul inside YOU

In a few cases, I work with innovators who CHOSE or ASKED for the innovation position or to be part of the creative team. They did so because inside of them was a screaming entrepreneur wanting to be unleashed and have the freedom to create and have fun. If this is you, then it is obvious why you are a key team ingredient. We need YOU for your creativity, your empathy, your drive and your passion to invent and/or improve.  We need YOU for your perseverance, crazy thinking and commitment.


The committed YOU

What is most important in this journey is to be committed, and this is something only YOU can control. You have the freedom to choose how much of yourself to bring to each sprint, to each meeting, to each exercise. It doesn’t matter whether you were chosen to be in an innovative position or you asked to be in that position – you need to be fully present when you’re there, through the ups as well as the downs and through the fun as well as the frustration. As an added bonus, when you do show up and are fully present, you will also bring in all of your other skills -- the ones you have collected over the years, not only in your career but also in your personal journey. You’ll realize that you really do have a lot to bring to the table. THAT is how we empathize , and, if you understand design thinking, you know there is no innovation without empathy.   


Serve up what you’ve cooked

To wrap it all up, the key ingredients for innovation are right mindset, trust, curiosity, positive attitude, fun and, above all, you: the person who chose to be bothered to make a change or an improvement, to create a solution and/or to follow the passion of releasing your inner innovator.


Self-work: Time to reflect and grow

Ready to bring yourself to the equation? Take some time to reflect on the below. As always, be honest - it is key if you want these things to make sense and connect. If you really want to push further, I'd like to invite you to reflect on the below with a partner, have fun with it! 

  1. On a scale from 1 to 10 (1=not at all; 10 = a lot) how present are you when working with your innovation topics or innovation teams?

  2. In what ways can you be more present?

  3. How does this innovation role align with your passion? If it does not, I invite you to reflect further on why not. And, of course, take time to play with how it can be changed or how you can step away to a role that serves you and gives you a chance to serve others?

  4. How important do you consider yourself in your role?


If you are an innovator or you are interested in the topic of Innovation and would like to work with us, give me a shout.


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