How do you encourage your team to take risks and experiment?

Risk-taking and experimentation are pathways to greatness! To foster success: ► Set clear risk expectations and desired outcomes. ► Lead by example, generating ideas and seeking team feedback to spur innovation. ► Establish a monthly idea board, rewarding contributions. ► Conduct meetings to explore best and worst-case scenarios, encouraging solution ideation. ► Follow up post-project to gather feedback and assess alternative risk options. ► Maintain an open collaboration board for year-round idea submission. In sum, be it in person or on a platform, make sure you're clearing a path to collect good ideas whenever genius strikes!

To create an environment that fosters experimentation, it's crucial to set clear goals and expectations. Your team needs a compass to guide them through uncharted territories. Define the desired outcomes, communicate them effectively, and make sure everyone understands the bigger picture. When the destination is clear, it becomes easier for your team to take calculated risks while aligning their efforts towards the common goal.

One thing I have observed is that clarity drives confidence. When you set clear objectives, teams inherently understand their boundaries and the playground they can innovate within. Think of it like a soccer field: if players know the goalposts and boundaries, they can creatively strategize and play without hesitation. Your role as the leader is to clearly mark that field.

Stretch goals are critical to a climate of experimentation. You want to create the mindset for your team that achieving your expectations won't be achievable with the existing set of tools and processes ... and therefore invention is necessary. When hitting a goal seems just an inch beyond possible, there is an important psychological shift into creativity. This is the mechanism that gets people outside the box and thinking beyond existing constraints, which is where invention happens. One pitfall to avoid is to literalizing ideation as a goal. When you name a goal, you create a structure to track progress against that goal, and structure kills creativity. You'll be awash in a flood of cheap ideas and much more chaff than wheat.

Internal processes that work through decision trees and require more than binary answers are essential to evaluate risk. You have to get behind the numbers, ask questions that challenge normative constructs. There is no box when evaluating risk. I came across a phrase the other day. “A smart man said watch our for snakes, a wise man said you are in the jungle”!

For true innovation to occur, there must be psychological safety present in a team and/or organisation. To innovate, there needs to be an accepted level of reasonable risk taking. In addition, there must not be reprisal, punishment or criticism where mistakes or failure occurs Instead, the goals of the project, piece of work etc need to be clearly articulated, along with clearly defined expectations- which should be aligned with overarching vision. Ensure that the boundaries/limits of reasonable/acceptable risks are clearly defined & articulated AND understood Be available to your people, but step aside & let your employees innovate. Let them do the job they were employed to do

1. Lead by example, consistently. This MUST be a daily example which is shown in the smallest of ways. 2. Remember it is NOT about you! There was someone before you and there will be someone when you leave. The greatest compliments is to have an outside ask "who is really in charge here?" 3. Level the paying field! During COVID a struggling retail firm tried to to get into eCommerce. Corp. mgmt. found themselves in a store where a PTer and SM worked together to create $10+M business. The PTer was making $12/hr, the SM $65K and the CEO $2.5M. The unit was a model for 5 others and is still the leading producer. The employee is now the unit mgr @ $20/hr and is profitable. The company is losing money and the CEO makes $2.75M ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Fear of failure can be a major obstacle to experimentation. As a leader, it's your responsibility to create a safe and supportive space where team members feel comfortable taking risks. Encourage an open dialogue, listen actively, and be approachable. Emphasize that mistakes are learning opportunities and that failure is an integral part of the innovation journey. When your team feels safe, they'll be more willing to step outside their comfort zones and explore uncharted waters.

This is by a mile the most important element of creating a climate of experimentation. In general, the further an intellect extends into experimental space, the more sensitive the thin sheath of ego trying to protect it. Leaders must create an environment where teams exercise proactive protection of those taking intellectual risk. It takes many failures of invention to find a success, and only with notorious protection can egos and intellects survive the battery of failure with the strength to go again. Publicly, actively, openly herald attempts rather than just results. But do this without giving credit to cheap ideas that did not require effort. When you reward low-effort or clearly hollow ideas, the team will think you're not serious.

Fostering trust and respect is akin to planting a seed in fertile soil. As an organizational leader, you are the gardener nurturing growth. Begin by embodying empathy and openness in every interaction. Remember, a simple nod can sometimes be a powerful tool, signaling that you are attentively listening and valuing their input.

If you really have a TEAM mentality, think sports. there is a common mentality of what needs to be achieved and all are a part of it. The cohesive team knows when there is success, near miss or fall on your face time because they are all in the same position. They succeeded, missed or failed together. DO NOT allow HR to send out a note about what is the status and who "made it happen".

Acknowledging both successes and failures is vital for cultivating a culture of experimentation. Celebrate and publicly recognize team members who take risks and achieve breakthroughs. Share success stories to inspire others and highlight the impact of innovation. Equally important, celebrate failures too. When a risk doesn't pan out as expected, embrace it as a valuable learning experience. By openly discussing failures, you demystify them and encourage the team to view setbacks as stepping stones towards success.

You have to be really close to ideation to get this balance right. Leaders can easily fall into the trap of rewarding the process of ideation when it's been hijacked by people flogging cheap ideas to get easy limelight. The whole team will know this is happening and will get turned off. Be close enough to your team and the ideas they generate to understand the intellectual lifting that was necessary to put an idea across. How painstaking, how difficult, how skull-crushing, how brain-wracking was the idea? Have a sense of how much brain work went into something, and gauge your recognition accordingly. When an idea blossoms into an actual trial or change, let the originator own and drive. This extension of trust is high recognition.

Think of an idea that didn't pan out as a compass. While it might not lead directly to success, it does point you in a direction. By celebrating both hits and misses, you emphasize the journey and the insights gained. These are the true markers of growth in business

When it comes to risk-taking, involving your team in the decision-making process is a game-changer. Seek input from all levels, departments, and backgrounds. This not only boosts engagement but also fosters ownership and accountability. By involving your team, you tap into a diverse pool of ideas and perspectives, increasing the likelihood of groundbreaking solutions. Remember, innovation thrives when everyone feels their voice is heard and valued.

One thing I have observed: when a team feels ownership of an idea, they champion it more vigorously. When you draw from the collective intelligence of your team, not only do you tap into diverse viewpoints, but you also instill a sense of pride. Think of it like steering a ship – when everyone knows the direction, they paddle in unison, driving momentum.

Probably one of the best BS statements that I have seen in a long time! Make the team the authority. Make the team the decision maker. Make the team the leaders and let them lead. Take away the titles and get the hell out of the way once it is decided and clearly published (by example, in writing and when talking together) what the goals and objectives are.

Mistakes and failures are the stepping stones to success, but only if we learn from them. Encourage a growth mindset within your team, where failures are seen as valuable learning opportunities. After an experiment or risk, facilitate open discussions to analyze what worked, what didn't, and what lessons can be gleaned. Encourage self-reflection and collaboration to identify areas of improvement. Emphasize that failure is not the end, but a stepping stone towards future innovation.

One thing I have learned: setbacks aren't setbacks; they're setups for future successes. When a strategy doesn't yield results, it provides a clear roadmap of areas to refine. For instance, if a marketing campaign falls flat, it's an invitation to delve deeper, understanding audience nuances better. These lessons, when embraced, fuel more informed decisions moving forward.

Foster psychological safety: Create an environment where team members feel safe to share ideas, take risks, and make mistakes without fear of judgment or negative consequences. Encourage open communication, active listening, and respect for diverse perspectives. and also Lead by example: Show your team that you are open to taking risks and experimenting. Share your own experiences, successes, and failures. By demonstrating a willingness to try new things and learn from mistakes, you'll inspire your team to do the same.

Lead by example! While you need to consistently and frequently communicate the value and support for experimentation, YOU need to walk the talk. Create a safe environment that encourages experimentation, failure, learning, and course correction. Celebrate initiative and bias for action. Be curious about the lessons learned and share them with the team. Back those words up with your own actions and behaviors: be willing to take risks and fail. Make decisions, proudly own if things don't work out, and share what you have learned and will change. Don't talk about "experimentation" and being "agile" while at the same time demanding a full analysis for every little future experiment. Find the right balance between planning and experimenting.