What are the most common mistakes to avoid when leading innovation initiatives?

While having a clear vision and strategy is important, it's not the be-all and end-all for innovation. Innovation exists on a spectrum, from incremental improvements to groundbreaking changes. The real mistake is fostering a culture that discourages challenging the status quo. Punishing failure and belittling differing ideas can stifle innovation. A structured methodology, like design thinking, can offer a roadmap, but it's crucial to understand the problem you're solving and whether your customer even wants it solved. Additionally, the natural tension between operators and innovators in an organization can't be ignored. As innovators, it's our job to build relationships with operators to ensure a collaborative environment.

THE FALSE SUPPORT MASK Some people will not tell you they resist to change. They will attend public events and release support notes for innovation initiatives when in fact they will not help. Sometimes it is hard to identify them but, to be successful, you need to know who these people are and put together a specific plan for them: - To bring them onboard: to convince them and bring them closer. That will require a greater investment of time but that is the best way to go! - To work around them: Have an action plan involving people or companies that can bring you the knowledge that the masked person holds. In both cases, keep them safe and comfortable, with “tickets in hand”. Over time, they will join the “innovation train”.

I believe that build an innovation strategy with a collaborative team is a good way to clarify some points, but it’s not 100% of the team will understand what the role of innovation is about.

When the initiative you're launching is in innovation, be very wary of being too prescriptive too fast: different types of change can require different kinds of facilitation. The most crucial condition for collective innovation is an environment that encourages open sharing of ideas, problem statements, concerns, and possibilities and encourages intelligent risk-taking: that is, a psychologically safe environment. Cast a wide and non-judgmental net early in the process. Engage stakeholders in collaborative conversations, allow multiple possibilities. Then choose among the possible initiatives based on the criteria that are most relevant to impact - including how well they align with and how likely they are to further organizational mission.

Resistance to change isn't just an obstacle; it's also an opportunity for innovation to prove its worth. While it's essential to understand the root causes of resistance, let's not forget that resistance can act as a constructive boundary. It forces us to scrutinize our ideas, refine them, and make them more robust. In a way, resistance serves as a quality filter, ensuring that only truly valuable innovations break through. So, instead of viewing resistance solely as a hurdle, let's embrace it as a catalyst that can make our innovative solutions even better.

Toda inovação proposta para uma organização deve ser construída e /ou escolhida de forma colaborativa com os usuários finais. Isso promoverá o maior engajamento durante o processo de implementação. Há que se pensar ainda nas estratégias de gestão de mudança para monitorar os níveis de aceitação, usabilidade e resistência a esse novo processo ou tecnologia, tornando possível agir na causa raiz do problema.

Besides resistance to change there’s some leaders that plays against innovation, with a behaviors like “the way we do is the best”, this puts the whole innovation team in a bad situation, where they need to prove their value instead of put efforts to create real value to the organization.

While many leaders verbally champion innovation, their actions sometimes tell a different story—especially under stress or frustration. The reality is, fostering innovation goes beyond just avoiding the punishment of failure; it requires leaders to consistently model resilience, emotional regulation, and comfort with ambiguity. You can be an advocate for innovation 99% of the time, but it's that 1%—that moment when you let frustration dictate your actions—that can undo all the good. Leaders need to be vigilant in aligning their actions with their words, not just when it's easy, but especially when it's hard.

A recent experience showed me that fear to failure comes along with a poor culture of innovation, commonly seen in companies with a lower level of maturity. It also kills good ideas and take away talented persons.

Innovation is a delicate balance between art and science. The science lays down the framework—models, metrics, and processes. But the art is in truly understanding your customer, deciphering what they're asking for versus what they actually need. Innovators often find themselves ahead of the curve, envisioning futures that customers haven't even considered yet. The challenge lies in incrementally bringing your audience along on that journey, bridging the gap between what's possible and what's palatable to them right now.

The issue of complacency tends to be more prevalent among those with an operator mindset rather than innovators. Innovators are naturally inclined to look ahead, always seeking the next challenge or opportunity. The real risk lies in leadership that leans too heavily on past successes and becomes resistant to change. If you're not agile and open to continuous learning, you're essentially setting a countdown timer in a fast-paced, ever-evolving market. Your competitors won't wait for you to catch up.

Innovation is great -- when it addresses a real need. Too often leaders get "innovative" just for the sake of being different and, in making this mistake, they lose sight of the problem they are actually there to solve. It's crucial to remember that innovation should always be iterative so that adjustments can be made when scope creep happens (or when feedback lets you know that you're innovative solution/product/method isn't what people really need at the moment). Don't tie your success to how well you're innovation is received but instead, tie it to how well your innovation can be adapted and iterated to meet the desires and needs of your target audience.