The pandemic has shown us how crisis can lead to rapid innovation. Just look at all of the companies that quickly pivoted to curbside pickup or adapted their services to new health regulations.
How can a leader help their team retain this agility and sense of urgency even when there’s no crisis? Here are three tips.
First, engage in small experiments.
Think about change not as a big project, but as a series of tests that help you quickly learn what works, what doesn’t, and what it takes to execute an idea.
Next, challenge your team to set goals that are short-term, high-priority, and challenging — and that are completely unrelated to their existing tasks and projects.
The point isn’t necessarily to achieve those goals, but to see what possible innovations may come of it.
Finally, lean in and get personally involved.
For an innovation to take off, leaders need to be actively invested. Don’t wait for the next crisis to motivate your team; set the conditions for proactive — not reactive — innovation now.
Harvard Business Review
