Innovation is a Discussion

We just launched a facebook group about the book Innovation in Mission and it has reminded me of one important lesson. Innovation is understood and celebrated through discussion. As I talk with the people signing up on the group, I am finding that they have so many great ideas and creative solutions.

It is exciting to see how God is using people to innovate. The other side to the discussion is the discouragement. Many times people get stuck in a rut or have a challenge so big they can't get their hands around it. These situations need discussions as well.

I think one of the most vital elements of innovation has to be the discussions where we share our ideas and our challenges and get others involved in helping us to find solutions.

Looking for Missions Podcasts?

If you are looking for some people who are using podcasting actively in missions, check out some of the links below:

- http://www.missionarytalks.com/
- http://mnnonline.org (Mission Network News)
- http://www.woh.org/podcast/ (Words of Hope)
- http://www.hutchcraft.com/podcasts.html (Ron Hutchcraft Ministries)
- http://www.hcjb.org/missionalhands (podcast for Urbana 06)

YouTube 50

If anyone is really interested to see what missions is doing - there is no better place than YouTube. I run a Missions directory on YouTube and we just hit a milestone of logging 50 international ministries that are publishing videos.

Take a minute to check it out: http://ministrytube.blogspot.com!

The Goal of Innovation

In Philippians 3:14 Paul writes about pressing on towards the goal. To an innovator, this is a great passage. It speaks to all things INTENSE! You get this idea of someone straining against the weight of all their obstacles and crossing that finish line in an impressive style.

The challenge for all of you Type A innovators out there, is to keep reading in the verse. After the pressing and the pushing, Paul qualifies the context when he says, "to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

This last statement sounds noble, but what does it really mean? It is putting our victory in perspective. First of all, God is defining the goal. That means that God defines success not us. This is hard for innovators. We have an idea of what success is in our context and culture and we are driven to make that a reality. Whether that be an invention, a solution to a significant social issue or an idea explained, we want to set the rules about success. But that is a non-negotiable. God is clearly setting the goal line and defining the end of the race.

Secondly, the goal pales in comparison to our heavenward trajectory. Innovators are driven by the challenge of solving great challenges. We frame them in our minds and then we make them the ultimate goal and vision for our lives. But this verse is putting our earthly goals - even though they are defined by God - in perspective. They are really nothing compared with our ultimate goal of what we will experience and do in Heaven. That is exciting but probably a little frustrating for some innovators - they want to be about the big stuff now. We must learn patience and trust in greater measure!

What would a God-centered innovator look like? What would they do differently? How would you know that they were driven by God's great wisdom and direction? I'm sure you would see it in millions of little ways.

Thinking and Motivating

When you go to brainstorm with your teams, your first challenge is not the soft and hard thinking. Your first challenge is getting your team to the table. The key to a good brainstorming session is the attitude that your team comes to the table with. If they come with their guards up and a skeptical attitude you will not see the creative open discussion you are looking for.

So as you prepare for your brainstorming sessions, here are a few tips:
1. Meet with your team and give them the big picture outside of the brainstorming session
2. Establish an environment of participation by affirming that their input will count
3. Differentiate between good critical thinking and a negative critical attitude
4. Show a timeline and milestones that can show the pathway to success

A Thought About Thinking (Hard or Soft)

As we have been engaging in this idea of hard and soft thinking at our office, I have noticed what it can create. As you begin to think in different ways and talk about it, your thought pallette becomes a bit more discerning.

You become a consosure of ideas! What a thought. Essentially, the more thinking tools that you have on your belt, the more you develop the ability to discern between the many ideas that come your way.

For innovation this is critical. You can invest in every idea and be no better for it. Or you can shun all ideas and be stuck in the past. Both are bad. When you can discern between ideas and grab the good ones, you are on your way to some exciting innovations.

Maybe we need idea testers like we have taste testers at the fancy restaurants. Then, maybe that's what all of these bloggers and columnists are :)

Soft Thinking / Hard Thinking Part II

One of the misconceptions about soft thinking is that it is easy. How many of you roll your eyes at another all day strategy meeting where there is lots of talk and lunch is catered. We tend to think that the soft thinking is the easy part and the execution is the real work.

Now if you really think about it, you know that isn't true. But that is our perception. So how do we get to a place where we value the soft thinking? Well we need to ask ourselves a few questions:
1. How important is a creative approach to this problem?
2. Where are we going to get the ideas to execute?
3. Why isn't anyone else being innovative in this area?

In the end, soft thinking is as much a discipline as hard thinking. It just looks radically different. Discipline in the soft thinking is the structuring of the creative time, the transcribing of the ideas, the narrowing of the field, the analysis of the data in front of you.

So the next time you are called into an all day Strategic Meeting - look at it as an opportunity to discipline your soft thinking skills.

Innovation Meets Christmas

Holidays usually aren't about innovation. In fact it is the opposite - they are about tradition. They epitomize the way things have always been done and that is what we love about them. When I think of Christmas, I think of the bread my mom always makes or the certain Christmas music we always listen to. But in the midst of all of this tradition and nostalgia, there is room for innovation.

One of those areas really comes out in your stage of life. Depending on where we are in life - single, married without kids, surrounded by kids, empty-nesters or seniors - we will celebrate Christmas differently. We will take those traditions and apply them in new and creative ways to make them relevant and meaningful.

When I think about innovation in the context of Christmas, meaning is the word that resonates. I am always looking for new and creative ways to capture the meaning of what God did by sending His son. We do that with our children by celebrating Advent - which is a complex process of songs, stories, snacks, blowing out candles and placing that day's character on the advent calendar. It is further complicated by the turn taking and tracking that is required. But in that whole process we are finding new and innovative ways to share with them what this holiday is all about.

How are you innovating in your efforts to bring meaning to this season?

Hard Thinking / Soft Thinking

Today I gave a presentation about this topic and people seemed to respond very well to it. The idea is this . . .
Soft Thinking is the creative, macro-level, brainstorming that allows people to work on new ideas and be innovative.
Hard Thinking is the actionable and measurable thinking that gets a project done.

I think that we tend to glorify the one that comes easiest to us. Those people who are creative and big thinkers love to sit around and dream. Those who are practical doers love to get the job done well.

The challenge is that both things are critical. You have to have a dynamic integration of soft thinking and hard thinking to really create innovation. Because a genuinely new idea is no good without follow through and on the other side good follow through on a boring idea gets no traction.

Unfortunately, the leader of a project, department, or organization usually surrounds themselves with people who think like them instead of the opposite. So if a leader is a soft thinker they tend not to bring around them hard thinkers to help them make their ideas come about. Innovation in non-profits will only happen when we are thinking about how we think and pulling the right people together to be effective.

Overcoming Fear

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.
Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. - Marie Curie

We live in a time of fear. Whether it be identity theft, international terrorism or new technology . . . much of modern society is shrouded in fear.

Innovative solutions and ideas have an opportunity to break that shroud and to give people hope. What a great purpose to be about . . . casting out fear!

Innovation Doesn't Need Technology

If you have been reading this blog you will notice that many posts about innovation talk about new technology breakthroughs. If someone where looking online to understand the definition of innovation they might get the idea that if it didn't have 1's and 0's then it could not meet the criteria.

But that just ain't so! Innovation leans towards technology because our world has been digitized at so many levels. So what does an innovation look like that has nothing to do with technology?

Hmmmmm . . .

Another powerful are of innovation is in the study of ideas. Philosophers, theologians and the like come up with ideas that truely change the way we understand the world. These ideas might have to do with our epistemologies, worldviews, theologies or other key areas of study. Over the next few months I will try and highlight some of these innovations that are not focused or driven by modernity and the progress of technology. We will see how it turns out

YouTube, GodTube and the art of imitation

I didn't expect it but should have . . . soon after YouTube became very popular out came a Christian version www.GodTube.com. At first no one noticed . . . but as online video distribution has shot through the roof, it is getting some press and attention from the Christian audience.

This Spring I was speaking to a group of journalists on innovation and a Christian journalists asked me why we at HCJB Global weren't using GodTube instead of YouTube. More recently I have had people who question some of the advertised content chastize me for putting things on YouTube.

So where does a site like GodTube fit in to the innovation picture. Along came YouTube and did something incredible - they made video available to the masses in a viral form. This was a true innovation that has impacted many areas of our modern world. Of course now there are many other people who are doing it. YouTube has many competitors including GodTube. But is GodTube innovative? For the most part it looks and feels just like YouTube only with a lower quality experience.

So what is GodTube? Simply put it is marketing. When you have a tool that does the job and someone creates another tool that looks very much like it, the main purpose usually is to focus on one audience in specific. This is not bad at all . . . it is niched marketing. But it is not innovation.

So as you look to create a strategic plan for your video as a ministry, church or personally, what do you put where. It all comes down to audience. If you are looking for a strong evangelical audience go to GodTube. If you are looking for a general audience go to YouTube.

BUT beware . . . usually the audience specific products cannot afford to provide as good of service because they do not have the sheer numbers. So lets say your audience is Christians, you may still engage more of them through YouTube because they are looking for that high quality experience.

Now lets look at the flip side. Because the content is much more controled, if you are looking to market video content to young families, GodTube may be a much better bet because parents will not want their children potentially exposed to some of the negative material on YouTube.

Never let someone convince you that one tool is always better than another. Each has its place. So enjoy the new era of online video - the potential to innovatively deliver your message to people around the world is huge . . . but please think about your audience as you go about your delivery.

Everyone else is writing about facebook so . . .

It only seems right if you are writing a blog on innovation to talk about facebook. It is an amazing tool that connects people in exciting new ways. But I want to focus on how we use it and what is truely innovative.

Sometimes people think that just by using the "cool new tools" they are being innovative. The issue with that is this - if you are simply using the features and tools designed by someone else the way they envisioned them being used, you are enjoying their innovation - not making your own.

But, you can be innovative with someone else's tool. You just have to come up with a new way to use it that solves a key problem/ministry need.

For instance, when we started using YouTube at HCJB Global, the first few videos were very much just getting a feel for the tool. We were enjoying their innovation and how it could help us to share what God is doing.

But then we decided to get more creative. Instead of only using YouTube as a channel for viewing, we made it into a virtual repository focused on feeding video to our missionaries' blogs. That was an innovation. All of a sudden, the purpose of the video was not so much that it was on YouTube as it was feeding dozens of other sites of people who had no way to get their hands on video content or to make it available to their donors/family/friends.

As you look into using facebook, myspace, YouTube and the like here are some good steps:
1. Set up an account and emerse yourself in the tool - figure it out.
2. Understand the community and the culture it has created.
3. Look at your goals and objectives in your ministry.
4. Try and use those tools in creative ways to meet those objectives.
5. Have fun with it - someone can really tell when you are doing it because you have to or because you don't want to be left behind.

The Green Mom Challenge

Innovations can be very small things. They don't have to change the world - in fact the really good ones sometimes look very insignificant. But we have to realize that one small thing can begin a process that will change lives.

Mindy has just started a blog called The Green Mom Challenge. This is a great example. It's whole focus is on small things that mom's can do every day that will care for our planet. Who knows, maybe some innovations will sprout from those simple ideas!

Are you getting impact from the small innovations or are you lost in the big ideas?

How do you find innovation?

Everyone innovates differently. Each person is searching for answers and is defining solutions as they research and then prototype those ideas. Share how you innovate . . . scroll down and answer the poll on the left side of the page.

Innovation Requires Input

I am in Minneapolis this week conducting focus groups at a local university. Why are focus groups important?

Any time you try to innovate you need input. You need to understand what those you are trying to serve think. Innovation isn't just about someone going into a garage and coming out with an amazing new idea.

Innovation comes when you marry unique ideas with a laser focus on your audience.

How are you understanding those you serve today? Are you being proactive? Are you letting your audiences help you innovate?

Innovation from a Hospital Bed

So many times we try to be innovative sitting in our office chairs. We sit there . . . and we sit . . . and we sit some more. Somehow we are sure that if we sit long enough, talk fast enough, and think hard enough that the amazing ideas will flow.

Paul Bennett, a designer from Ideo, shares another perspective in this video. Here's how it goes - get out of your chair and get into the shoes of your audience. In this video he talks about design solutions for big problems. The thing that stood out to me and was so exciting was that they searched for solutions by becoming the recipient. So when asked to study the customer experience in a hospital, their staff layed in a hospital bed and videoed the ceiling!

What a concept. But innovation is proven when you get out of your chair and jump into the shoes of those who are in need of a solution. Watch the video and then think about how you can put yourself in the place of those who recieve your services or who give to your causes. How will that change how you communicate to them, connect with them, engage them?

Innovation on a Friday???

Fridays are tough. Its the end of the work week and we are all ready to move on to something else. Usually we have fought our battles, we have pushed through on deadines, we have made our presentations and we are ready for a rest.

But I think we are missing something. Friday is also a great INNOVATION DAY! Why is that? Well think about it. Friday is the culmination of a whole week's worth of lessons, ideas, failures, brainstroms, etc. It is the synthesis day when a new idea is very likely to come together.

In fact, because Friday is a bit more laid back there is even more of a chance it can be a condiut for innovation. Many people have casual dress on Fridays. Most people are feeling a bit more light hearted.

The tightly wound work world has taken a breath.

If you harness it, that moment can be a powerful force of innvation. At HCJB Global we have worked on this in our Communciations Team. On Fridays we do 2 things:
1. We hold our team meeting to review the week, brainstorm and plot out the next.
2. We have 2-3 hours of learning time every Friday Afternoon where everyone in the team is working on some sort of learning activity.

These two simple things are producing exciting results. We are coming up with new ideas and then are ready to use them as we jump into the next week.

So many people write off Friday's from a productivity standpoint, but if you position them right, they can be your main force for innovation!

Innovation Shrunk

In a recent Fast Company blog posting, they were talking about Walmart's announcement that they achieved their goal to sell 100 million energy-saving light bulbs. They did it with a bunch of fan fare - why? Very simple. Each bulb had a positive impact on the environment, and their ability to sell so many of them meant that they were creating real environmental impact.

You see, the small thing has huge impact on the larger ecosystem. That is the same in our organizations. By innovating in the smallest ways you can cause big change. Simply by changing the layout of the cubicles, redoing your office schedule, creating some innovative staff interactions, etc.

So don't be intimidated that innovation requires something as huge as the invention of the lightbulb - it can be as small as selling the environmentally friendly ones.

Innovation Insight

Recently I was at a conference where we did some team activities. One of the activities really shows impact of assumptions. The leader of the excercise gave four groups of four people a card with an assignment. All he said was, "Each of you represent an office and you must answer the question on your card." He also said that the team that finished fastest would get the largest bonus.

Each of the offices jumped into their task with excitement. But as each group looked at their cards, the question was not answerable - we didn't have all the information. But because we thought we were competing for bonuses, we did not even think to ask any other office.

Well, lesson learned, the answer to our question was on the card of another office and the same was true for each office. The lesson: any space at all (even only a few feet) creates seperation.

Innovation requires that we break down walls of seperation. This is hard because we put them up everywhere we go and we struggle to think about our world in collaboration. But that is the only way we can do innovative thinking in the nonprofit world. Because we lack resources of major corporations, we have to use the resources at our disposal - our networks, friendships, partners.