FROM THE BLOG

What are the top 3 traits of innovative thinkers?

Posted by Tarah Carlow on August 3, 2016

The key to differentiating yourself these days seems to be centered all around innovation. What can you create, think or do that sets you apart from the other guy…or gal? Wouldn’t it be great to know on the front end before you hire someone if their mind works in the way of an innovator? To know if this person is an idea person or ‘do-er’? Not that one is better than the other, but if you stack yourself with ‘do-ers’ and want to differentiate yourself, you may sell yourself short. And by the same token, stacking your practice or firm with innovators may send you off chasing your tail and never getting anything done.

SO, what are some key characteristics that all innovators seem to have in common?

Here’s what I think:

  1. Innovators don’t stop with their core expertise. They often end up generalists with a specialty in a certain area. That means innovators seek out the time to learn about new things. If you are trying to identify the best innovators, then you need to look for the most curious people. Who asks the most questions? Who is not satisfied to hear an answer, but really wants to know why that answer is correct? In short speak: Who is a total p-i-t-a when it comes to understanding things?
  2. More ideas = better ideas. The more ideas you develop, the better chance you get of having a good one. This means innovators also come up with a ton of bad ideas, but that’s ok. There will always be a diamond in the rough. The wide span of knowledge that an innovator has, coupled with a bunch of ideas is where the sweet spot happens.
  3. Ideas are cheap; implementation is where the rubber hits the road. That is, having an idea is the easiest part of the process of innovation. The hard part is taking that idea and turning it into something that can be put into practice. A good innovator takes an idea and then focuses on how it can be implemented. Ultimately, when you look for great innovators, you want to find people who care about both the forest and the trees. Innovators need to understand how their innovation fits into a broader ecosystem. At the same time, they need to be concerned about how to bring it into being.

As I saw in an article by Art Markman on Inc.com today, in addition to the above, he recommended:

“Look for people with a keen ability to identify obstacles combined with a positive attitude about overcoming those obstacles. Many people are good at finding reasons why an idea will not work. Most of them use those reasons as an excuse not to proceed. Those people who see the obstacles as a challenge are the ones who have the capacity to go from idea to innovation.”

To read the full Inc.com article, click here.

Talk soon,

Posted by Tarah Carlow Senior Vice President, Marketing & Advisor Loyalty