Ideas come from curiosity. Admitting that you don't know all the answers, and encouraging others to do likewise, leads everyone to explore new possibilities.
Steven Covey, in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, offers a "Time Management Matrix" in which activities are classified as "urgent" or "non-urgent" and "important" or "not important". He makes the point that our time is usually taken up with "urgent" things that clamour for our attention. To get ahead, we need to make time for the things that are "non-urgent" but "important".
It's easy to get bogged down in attending to reactive, "fire-fighting" activities. Innovation is never urgent until there is a crisis, and then suddenly it becomes a matter of survival.
Innovating is pioneering. We enter new territory where we do not know all the answers; where there is no precedent for what we should do next. We have to be willing to admit our ignorance and generate a lot of new possibilities.
Admitting ignorance takes courage, because traditionally, leaders are supposed to know the answers. Be willing to ask "naïve" questions. Make it clear that you intend these questions as a catalyst for creative thinking. There is a competitive edge to be gained in your choice of business challenge. Focus your attention on something that others think they know and take for granted.
Accept that when it comes to new ideas, you won't know if they will work, until you try. Set up an experiment or pilot program. If you don't get the results you want, don't just give up; just change the conditions of the experiment. The risk of being wrong brings with it the chance of being right, and profitable!
