Strategic Flexibility And Adaptation

Strategy loves certainty. Innovation assumes the opposite. Guess which one adapts faster. A connection pointed me to the Presilience methodology by Dr. Gav Schneider. The core idea: don't just bounce back from disruption. Prepare for it. Build the capability to turn uncertainty into opportunity. My first reaction: that's exactly what good innovation management does. Every innovation process worth its name runs on a few principles: 💎 We work with assumptions, not truths 💎 We test before we commit 💎 We expect to be wrong and design for it 💎 We treat pivots as progress, not failure That's proactive by design. You don't need a special label for it when the process already bakes it in. But here's where it gets interesting for strategy. Most strategy work still operates as if we can predict the future. We build 3-year plans, lock in budgets, define milestones. And then reality happens. The innovation mindset would say: run smaller bets. Validate before you scale. Decide after each step, not before all steps. That's not anti-strategy. That's better strategy. Because the question was never "do we have a plan?" The question is: "how fast can we update and pivot when the world changes?" Strategy practitioners could learn a lot from innovation here. Not the creativity part. Not the brainstorming. The part where you systematically manage what you don't know. That's where real adaptability lives. What do you think, does your strategy process have a built-in mechanism to deal with being wrong?

Often thinking about strategic choices for companies or personal choices for professionals, I have come across a concept which I call "Leapfrog Strategy" - the idea of strategically bypassing immediate steps to reach further or more advantageous positions. I have found this useful in multiple ways. Some of them are as below: Creativity and Innovation: Skipping the next step can lead to novel solutions. For instance, instead of incrementally improving a product, targeting an alternate step might inspire a disruptive innovation like introducing a new technology. Broadened Perspective: Considering alternate steps widens your options. For example, in business strategy, instead of focusing on expanding into adjacent markets, targeting an alternate step might involve exploring entirely new customer segments. Risk Management: Skipping predictable steps can mitigate risks. For instance, rather than immediately scaling operations after a successful pilot, targeting an alternate step might involve conducting further market research to ensure sustained demand. Adaptability: Targeting alternate steps promotes flexibility. For example, in project management, instead of strictly following a predefined timeline, targeting an alternate step might involve adjusting strategies based on real-time feedback and changing conditions. Long-term Planning: It supports strategic foresight. For instance, in personal development, rather than pursuing short-term goals, targeting an alternate step might involve investing in skills that align with future career trends.

In complex times, it’s not just creativity that wins—it’s CREATIVITY x FOCUS. I once worked with a leader who was wildly creative. Every meeting was a brainstorm. Every brainstorm… well, sometimes more of a rabbit hole than an ideation session. Their team had intermittent successes. But as the market tightened and resources thinned, their team stalled. There were simply TOO MANY ideas. And not enough action. Contrast that with an innovation leader I recently coached. She had that same spark—but she anchored it in clarity. Clarity about her strategy. Clarity about her customer. And in turn, clarity about the value her idea could deliver. The result? Speed. Traction. And a team that felt energized, not overwhelmed. Because in complex environments, creativity without focus? It’s like drinking from a firehose. But focus amplifies creativity. It filters. Sharpens. Aligns. And that’s where real magic happens. Focus x Creativity = Velocity + Value Feeling the swirl right now? Try this: —> Get clear on your north star (your customer’s need AND your org’s core strategy). —> Use it to focus your next idea sprint or team brainstorm. —> Then watch creativity turn into meaningful progress—not just motion. What’s one way you stay focused when things get noisy? #innovation #focus #creativity #leadership #jugaad #doingbetterwithless #keynote

Managers Don’t Support Innovation Unless You Align It to Strategy—Here’s How Innovation sounds exciting—until it clashes with corporate priorities. The hard truth? Most managers won’t support innovation unless it directly contributes to strategic goals. That’s why aligning innovation to strategy is a game-changer. When innovation becomes an enabler of strategic success, leaders see it as a necessity, not a distraction. In my book Breaking Innovation Barriers, I introduce 15 different ways to align innovation with strategy, from cost leadership and differentiation to digital transformation and sustainability. Each approach comes with a clear innovation assignment—one that defines what needs to happen, why it matters, and how success will be measured. For example, if a company pursues cost leadership, its innovation assignment might be: “Generate innovative ways to reduce costs by 50% in five years in a sustainable way, making us the cost leader in our niche.” If a company focuses on market development, its innovation assignment could be: “Generate new, easy-to-access markets for our current offerings to grow revenues by 15% over three years.” Seizing the Right Moment A key opportunity to align innovation with strategy? When a new CEO or corporate strategy shift happens. These moments create a natural opening for fresh, ambitious ideas that move the company in the right direction. To make this happen, I recommend running an Innovation Focus Workshop—a structured session that turns vague ambitions into a concrete innovation assignment. This approach, which I developed as part of the FORTH Innovation Method, ensures senior managers buy in by clearly defining what innovation should achieve. Your Next Step If you want management support for innovation, don’t just push for “new ideas.” Tie innovation directly to your company’s strategic objectives. That’s when leaders listen, invest, and actively champion innovation. Want to see how this works in practice? Check out the full story in Breaking Innovation Barriers. Let’s make innovation strategically unavoidable. #innovation #strategy #innovationstrategy #Breakinginnovationbarriers

Far too often, I see leaders and companies move on from innovation, believing it's only necessary during the startup phase. In reality, it's what keeps companies alive and thriving. As companies grow, it's easy to fall into routine and let creativity fade. But innovation must continue-even as you scale. An older HBR article I came across this morning highlights how breakthroughs in management can create lasting advantages that are hard to replicate. Companies focused only on new products or efficiency often get quickly copied. To stay ahead, businesses must become "serial management innovators," always seeking new ways to transform how they operate. This idea remains as relevant now as it was back then. The benefits of sustained innovation are undeniable: •Competitive Edge •Increased Revenue •Customer Satisfaction •Attracting Talent •Organizational Growth and Employee Retention Embrace the innovation lifecycle-adapting creativity as your organization matures. Sustaining creativity means creating an environment where people feel safe to push boundaries. Encourage your teams to think big, take risks, and use the experience of your organization. Here are three strategies that I’ve seen work firsthand: Make Experimentation a Priority: Mistakes are part of the process—they help us learn, grow, and innovate. As leaders, share your own experiences with risk-taking, talk about what you've learned, and celebrate those who take bold steps, even when things don’t go as planned. It sends a powerful message: it's okay to take risks. Promote Intrapreneurship: Many of the best ideas come from those closest to the work. Encourage your people to think like entrepreneurs. Give them ownership, the tools they need, and the freedom to explore. Whether it’s through ‘innovation sprints’ or dedicated time for passion projects, showing your team that their creativity matters sustains momentum. Address big challenges, ask tough questions, and let your people feel empowered to tackle them head-on. Break Down Silos: True innovation happens when people connect across departments. Create opportunities for cross-functional interactions-through gatherings, open forums, or spontaneous connections. Diverse perspectives lead to game-changing solutions, and breaking down silos opens the door to that kind of synergy. Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. It requires dedication, a commitment to growth, and a willingness to challenge what’s always been done. To all the leaders out there: How are you ensuring your teams remain creative and engaged? What strategies have you found that create space for bold ideas within structured environments? —-- Harvard Business Review, "The Why, What, and How of Management Innovation" #Innovation #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement #Creativity #BusinessGrowth #Intrapreneurship #CrossFunctionalCollaboration #ImpactLab

Innovation is not a random flash of brilliance. It is not dependent on luck. It's a business process that can be measured, managed, and optimized just like any other. Yet all too often product leaders cling to the outdated notion that innovation is more art than science. They fear that imposing process will somehow suffocate the creative spirit. But here's the hard truth: if you believe that innovation is more about luck than process, you're consigning your company to a future of aimless guesswork and 70%+ failure rates. Successful innovation requires embracing it as a discipline. How do you make the shift? Start by educating your teams on proven innovation methods like Outcome-Driven Innovation (ODI), a process that puts Jobs-to-be-Done Theory into practice. This approach provide a structured framework for uncovering unmet customer needs, formulating strategy, and systematically devising winning solutions. But be warned: deeply ingrained mindsets don't change overnight. It takes persistent evangelism from leaders like you to help the organization unlearn old ways and master the true craft of innovation. The payoff is worth it. By making innovation a core competency, you can replace guesswork with repeatable success. Luck is a fickle friend - process is a reliable partner.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘀 Most product breakthroughs start as sketches no one asked for. The question isn't "Can we build it this quarter?" It's "Do we dare to imagine it at all?" I've led teams at ServiceNow and Google—from core product to innovation studios—and I've seen a common trap: 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. We think: "I won't mock that up because we can't build it this quarter." The constraints of today's roadmap become the ceiling of tomorrow's creativity. Here's what I tell my teams: There's no harm in designing the bold future state first, then paring it back for release. The harm is in never designing the future state at all. When I led innovation studios at Google, we focused relentlessly on the future—the unknown, the uncomfortable, the "impossible." But I also learned: a silo doesn't deliver a moonshot. You need the audacity to visualize it 𝘢𝘯𝘥 the partnerships across design, product and engineering to deliver it. So how do you drive bold innovation in a traditional product organization? 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗹 Hold multiple realities simultaneously: - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗼𝘄 What delivers immediate value this quarter - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁: A meaningful leap toward your vision - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Your undeniable North Star, 3+ years out This is where AI changes everything. Exploring "what if" used to be expensive and slow. Now you can visualize the "impossible" version in an afternoon. Make the future state so tangible and compelling that the roadmap creates space for it—rather than the other way around. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻:  Don't wait to be asked for the big idea. Make the vision undeniable. The future doesn't belong to teams that clear tasks. It belongs to the ones who define what the future looks like—and relentlessly figure out how to get there. 👉 How are you using AI to explore the future in your product strategy? #DesignLeadership #ProductInnovation #AIinDesign

5 ways to foster innovation and creativity like a leader, not a manager. Managers guard the past. Leaders build the future. Here’s how to unlock creativity on your team — and keep it flowing: 1. Stop Rewarding Only the Right Answers ↳ When bold ideas get shut down, so does innovation. ↳ “Not quite” kills more creativity than failure ever will. ✅ Reward the risk, not just the result → “That didn’t work, but I love the risk you took.” → “What can we learn from it?” Failure isn’t the enemy — it’s fuel. 2. Create Space for Creative Thinking ↳ No one innovates between back-to-back meetings. ✅ Schedule white space → Try “No Agenda Time” or “If Budget Didn’t Matter” sessions → Ask bold, hypothetical questions that open minds -> Gmail came from Google’s 20% time -> Post-its were born from 3M’s 15% rule Innovation needs room to breathe. 3. Build a “Yes, And” Culture ↳ “No, but…” ends the conversation ↳ “Yes, and…” expands the possibility ✅ Respond to ideas by building on them → “That’s interesting. What else can we add?” → “Who else can we bring into this?” Managers filter. Leaders fuel. 4. Celebrate the Process, Not Just the Win ↳ Too many teams only celebrate results. ↳ But the magic is in the journey. ✅ Highlight experiments, not just outcomes → “What did we learn?” → “What’s worth repeating?” Progress deserves praise — even when it’s messy. 5. Invite Cross-Team Collaboration ↳ Innovation doesn’t follow the org chart. ↳ Silos kill creativity. ✅ Bring in voices from outside the usual crew → “Let’s loop in someone from marketing/product/ops.” → “What would a customer say?” New perspectives = new possibilities. One guards the old way. The other creates the next way. Because leadership isn’t a title — it’s a fire. We have the opportunity to ignite, in ourselves and others. Lead. Inspire. Achieve. Ignite it. 💯🔥 ♻️ Repost to help other managers build creative cultures 🔔 Follow Dwight Braswell, MBA for leadership strategies that spark action 👉 Grab the Complete Leader Package: 200+ team questions, exercises, & culture tools https://lnkd.in/gmYczQHh

What if simply stepping outside your routine could unlock your next big idea? I’m in Montréal this week for Corporate Rehab —and the amount of ideas that come up when I'm strolling or immersed in a different scenario STILL surprises me. Studies show that shaking up your context by exposing yourself to new perspectives and environments boosts creativity and innovation. And 56 % of leaders at global companies say diverse experiences drive their innovation strategy. You've probably felt this yourself - how many of us have had our best ideas on a run, in the shower, or pinch hitting in a different role? I've sent a Partner in a $6Bn firm to improv classes to get out of their comfort zone, and a VP client of mine assigns his team a "context switching" day, then they all share what ideas came up. Here's a few tips to get started: 🧭 Change your view: Take your laptop to a café, park, or different office floor. 🤝 Cross-pollinate: Grab coffee with someone in a completely different role or industry (great for internal networking!) 🎯 Mini-experiments: Try a new routine—start your day with a 15‑minute walk or midday stand-up outdoors. 📚 Learn outside your lane: Listen to a podcast or read an article from a field you don’t know. What patterns do you notice? When was the last time you intentionally stepped out of routine, and what emerged? Share your story or add to the tips! #leadership #performance #innovation

This article challenges the conventional strategic analysis (e.g., SWOT) that often leads organizations to conclude that an ambitious strategy is unfeasible due to internal limitations or weaknesses, compelling them to lower their expectations. The prevailing approach, often favored by "conventional managers," prioritizes internal factors and results in continuity strategies rather than the transformative adaptation required in volatile environments. The author contrasts this approach with that of "idealist managers" like Elon Musk, who view limitations not as barriers to resignation but as creative challenges to be overcome. Drawing on compelling case studies from Prefabricats Planas (precast concrete) and SpaceX (reusable rockets), the article demonstrates that seemingly "impossible strategies" can be successfully implemented by inserting structured innovation and creative problem-solving early in the strategic process. It proposes a superior strategic framework where senior management identifies critical problems blocking the desired strategic purpose and applies the appropriate innovation method (e.g., creativity workshops, design thinking, integrative thinking) to dissolve them. By prioritizing the creative resolution of strategic obstacles before defining a final "possible" strategy, companies can avoid the cognitive bias of lowering ambition and instead foster transformation, positioning them to thrive even in turbulent times. The ultimate conclusion is that resisting innovative problem-solving is the surest path to resignation, while methodically addressing challenges unlocks the potential for pioneering achievement.