People lacking innovation may appear uncreative and uninspired. They are content with the status quo and do not put effort into developing new ideas and solutions.

Businesses that do not stress innovation are more likely to have high turnover amongst employees, customer dissatisfaction, and lack a competitive edge in their industries.

Enemies of Innovation:

  • Failure: Innovative thinkers see mistakes as invaluable sources of information. Refusing to take risks or make decisions that could result in failure prevents us from generating new ideas.
  • Complacency: Past successes can lead us to believe that we do not need to seek new and improved solutions. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” is a perspective that halts progress and prevents us from breathing new life into our work.
  • Maintaining the Status Quo: When we focus exclusively on maintaining the current processes and approaches, we will spend all of our time and resources on sustaining the old. Innovation requires prioritizing and making time for creative thinking and breaking new ground.