By: Warrick Cramer
In the technology business, we’re surrounded by innovation. But I see less attention paid to which leadership skills make innovation part of the corporate DNA—rather than a supplement.
I think about innovation every day, and my role at Kyndryl is to help build it into our DNA. My work is to look ahead 2 to 5 years and anticipate what will impact our business so we can plan and react before something unexpectedly disrupts business-as-usual and our market share.
The hard reality is that organizations that don’t innovate will struggle to survive. Ask Blockbuster or Kodak or Blackberry.
So, what does it take to lead those efforts and build innovation muscle within a global enterprise? I offer three new rules of innovation for you to consider.
Rule 1: There’s no silver bullet
We live in a get-it-now world of instant gratification. As consumers and business professionals, we’re conditioned to expect results out of tiny engagement windows. That’s not a breeding ground for innovation.
Innovation is not a moment in time or a magic wand that will turbocharge the share price. It’s a long-term mindset. Innovation happens because someone says, “Hold on. How can we do this better?”
Getting to the root of the question requires research time, experimenting, and ultimately, the work of selling-in your ideas. That’s what the startups you may compete with are doing—and it could be a 5- or 7-year journey for the successful ones to move from startup to Series A funding.
As an innovation leader, you must be comfortable with the fact that innovation isn’t the business of quarterly returns. It’s a journey. It takes years to become what others may perceive as an overnight success. Innovation requires patience, and you can expect to navigate friction points with those who expect more immediate results.
