11 tactics top leaders use to inspire innovation

Innovation has this certain mystique around it, doesn’t it? As we think and talk through what it will take for credit unions to be successful in an increasingly competitive future, we know in some abstract way that we need to be innovative to some degree to continue to compete and survive; but as far as how we can actually become more innovative, beyond simply proclaiming at a team meeting – We shall henceforth…innovate! – we’re a bit unsure.

It seems to me that like most things, innovation, when conceptualized from an organizational perspective, can almost be thought of as a mindset or way of being that has to be cultivated. The organization has to be designed to be innovative in the same way it has to be designed to be anything else you’d like it to be. That’s why culture remains so incredibly important. Your credit union will only be as innovative as its culture is designed to be.

So what might that look like? While this will vary from place to place, here are some tactics top leaders will use to inspire a more innovative culture within their credit unions.

1. Top leaders inspire innovation by giving people time to exercise creative effort toward solving organizational problems.

People can’t be innovative if their days are jam-packed with other tasks from start to finish. Innovation takes time. But don’t skip over the last four words above – toward solving organizational problems. Involve your people in solving organizational issues. Engage them in the effort.

2. Top leaders inspire innovation by giving people time to think, read, and/or learn.

Similar to the above, if you want folks to innovate, they’re going to need time to research, think, and learn new things.

3. Top leaders inspire innovation by challenging people to be creative.

You challenge them with sales goals because you want them to sell stuff. You challenge them with wellness goals because you want them to be well. So if you want them to be creative, you should…? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

4. Top leaders inspire innovation by making it safe to try things.

Now it’s important to notice I didn’t say to say it was safe for them to try things. It’s important to actually make it safe to try things. They need to feel the safety.

5. Top leaders inspire innovation by rethinking meetings.

This may seem an odd thing to mention, but think about it this way. Most meetings are almost universally acknowledged as a colossal waste of time. Some meetings are necessary and important, sure. But others? Not so much.

There are a number of reasons they end up taking place, and perhaps that’s a post for another day. But think about all the time and brainpower wasted in meetings that could be put to use thinking of ways to make things better.

6. Top leaders inspire innovation by encouraging the oddballs.

Every organization’s got ‘em. You might even be one of ‘em. My theory is that they might just be your secret weapons. They clearly think differently than most people, but isn’t that exactly what you’re looking for? So why not encourage the oddballs?

7. Top leaders inspire innovation by thinking about the workspace.

I’ve jokingly said before that cubicles are tiny, cubed prisons where ideas go to die. And by jokingly, I mean I’m being completely serious. It’s not that you can’t use cubicles, but you’ve got to figure out ways to get the team out of them sometimes. Or have really low walls. Or something. Have meetings other places. Go outside, for the love of pancakes and pogo sticks.

Does the workspace encourage creativity? I had an acquaintance who used to work at Pixar and his job was to – get this – create the spaces within which the creative folks would create their stuff. He didn’t create the films, but he worked on creating the spaces that would be conducive to helping the creatives be creative.

Same principle here. Does the work environment encourage people to think differently? What do they feel like? Just looking at them, what sorts of actions or behaviors or attitudes do you think they encourage? What symbolism do they bring? Are they sterile? Bright? Uniform? Individualized? Formal? Relaxed? Closed in? Open? Buzzing fluorescent lights? Natural light? Colorful? Colorless?

It all matters. It all combines to create a certain atmosphere. That atmosphere can be one that either encourages or stifles innovation.

8. Top leaders inspire innovation by thinking about how they’re encouraging curiosity.

Unless you’re employing cats, there’s no need to shy away from encouraging your team to be more curious. You see, curiosity is what leads to learning and innovation. We’re first curious about something, and then we learn about something or figure out if something can be done differently or better. So how are you encouraging curiosity?

(For those of you still puzzling over that first sentence, just remember what curiosity does to cats…)

9. Top leaders inspire innovation by making sure people have easy access to knowledge.

I know, I know. This one seems weird too, but again, hang with me for a second. What people know about a given topic or subject is what gives their minds a conceptual framework within which it can work. In other words, it provides the backdrop and tools it needs to then think differently about something. Some level of knowledge about a thing is a prerequisite to innovation in that area.

For example, if someone asked me to think innovatively about oh, say, theoretical physics, I’d be in deep trouble unless I was able to phone my close, personal friend, Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper, B.S., M.S., M.A., Ph.D., Sc.D. And that’s because I have zero knowledge of theoretical physics.

So do employees have access to information? How easy is it from them to learn and grow? How easily can they share knowledge across the organization? Those things affect an organization’s ability to innovate.

10. Top leaders inspire innovation by hiring for innovation.

This is all part of designing your organization and cultivating a culture to have innovation as one of its inherent qualities; but are you constructing your talent acquisition strategy with an eye toward finding and hiring innovative people? Very few interviews I’ve seen or heard of do anything substantive relating to uncovering if candidates have any inclination toward innovation or creativity.

Can it be done? Absolutely it can. I’ve been part of teams that have done it, and we work with clients to do it. There are plenty of things you can ask and do throughout the recruitment process to uncover candidates’ inclinations towards creativity and/or innovation. It’s just a matter of building that stuff into the process and applying it consistently.

11. Top leaders inspire innovation by proactively encouraging it.

This is absolutely huge, of course.

If leaders are OK with people flexing their innovative muscles every once in a while when they have free time, innovation will likely flourish at your organization.

Right?

No! It won’t, because that’s still way too passive if you truly want innovation to be something that’s ingrained into your credit union’s culture and organizational way of life. It’s not enough to be OK with something. Leaders have to be…well…leading. They should be pushing it, asking about it, facilitating it, coaching toward it, demonstrating it themselves, and so on.

So what’s the bottom line?

Like anything else your organization wants to see happen regularly, innovation is something that must be intentionally built into your organization’s culture or else it has no chance of being a sustainable part of your organization’s identity.