Open Your Eyes with McKay Christensen S2E36 - The Innovation of You
McKay’s topic this week centers on the concept of change and why it doesn’t always have to be something worthy of fear. It’s all about taking advantage of the circumstances, no matter how poor. Whether you're a Minnesotan ice fisherman floating away on a glacier or a sinking multibillion dollar corporation, the outcome of change relies solely on how you adapt to it– on how well you can innovate. And that’s what today’s episode is all about: learning how to innovate.
McKay walks us all through various stories about companies and people who chose to innovate and some of those who unfortunately didn’t, whilst also providing clear steps on how you too can start turning change in your own lives into a force for good. From aspirations and motivation to acceleration and scale, McKay seeks to help us master innovation techniques, whatever that means to you. And it doesn’t necessarily need to entail large, ornate schemes. As you’ll learn today, innovation can even be as simple as writing a name on a coffee cup.
The Finer Details of This Episode:
- Minnesota’s ice fishermen
- Taking advantage of the circumstances
- The death of Sears
- Finding aspirations and motivation
- Kennedy’s path to the Moon
- Accelerating through barriers
- The Disney magic
- Scaling innovation
- Starbucks’ first name initiative
- Becoming a partner of choice
Quotes:
“We have done what we thought was needed to prosper in life. We’ve drilled our holes so to speak, prepared our lines, packed a lunch, done everything we need to do, and what happens? The entire sheet of ice, the ground underneath us moves.”
“Sears didn’t do these seemingly boring yet essential things to respond to the changing economy. Instead they invested millions in ad campaigns such as “Welcome to the softer side of Sears.” These millions could have been spent to change their store locations, warehouses, supply chain, and other operations.”
“Innovation does so many things for your business and for you. It brings in energy, vibrancy, and hope. It challenges you and your team. And that challenge is what helps you to grow.”
“It’s intimidating, because you don’t understand the technology or market, or it looks and feels like work. But innovation is where you find the joy and energy and focus that will fuel your business and life.”
“What gets you motivated and excited? You see, once you’ve answered those questions, then you can choose the one thing upon which to focus. Focus allows and forces you to think, get creative, and innovate.”
“We may not have all the answers we need to move forward, but that uncertainty may hold us back. So, as you begin your new innovation, learn all you can. Be a curious student of everything in your business. Learn, try, test and retest.”
“The ground is likely to move underneath your feet. So, get ready, look into the future and decide today how you need to bring a bit more innovation into your life and business. To do so, get clear about what you aspire to do.”
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