Principal Consultant, SiliconEdge
We hear so much about the supposed power of innovation and creativity. That these qualities or skill sets are somehow both unique and scarce. And at the same time, a lack of innovation and creativity is often quickly blamed for the downfall or underperformance of a company or organization.
But is this really true? And more importantly, how much impact do innovation and creativity or their lack thereof really have on an organization?
Here's the real deal:
Innovation & creativity are highly overrated and badly misunderstood.
If these were so vitally important, then Xerox PARC would have been and still would be the most successful company in the world while Microsoft would perhaps be the least successful.
But it didn't turn out that way because...
Well, because innovation and creativity are both meaningless and worthless without the ability to productize them.
And productization is both meaningless and worthless without the ability to monetize it.
And monetization can't happen without a strong leadership.
Strong leadership is required to allow, enable and drive an organization to productize and then monetize its innovation and creativity.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.