Are You The Enemy of Innovation?

Comfort is the enemy of innovation. I have seen it happen many times in many ways. Across disciplines, across organizations and across various fields. 

It's a complacency that takes over an organization. A rest on the laurels. 

It's a yearning for "the good ol' days".

It's a desire to be "good enough". It's the infamous "well -- it worked in the past -- so we must be doin' something right!" And it's rife with staff that can't or won't keep up with the changing demands of the marketplace.

Or worst, it's the culture of a comapny that rots on it's own sense of self worth. Fat and full on the meals of yesteryear.

Any of these sound familiar? Is there anything that you can do?

You see, the market will sort out an organization's worth. And change is the consumable that keeps the machine marching on. So how do you stay relevant? 

You keep from getting too comfortable by building a sense of urgency. A sense of immediacy. A sense of what are we doing now -- tomorrow -- not what did we do yesterday.

And that will lead to an urge to change. To create. To take risks on something new.

And finally, if you get it just right, it will lead to an open door for innovation.

Nir Bashan is an executive creative director with over 18 years of advertising, entertainment and business development experience. He writes on topics covering advertising, media, creative solutions and workforce management. http://www.nirbashan.com/blog | nir.bashan1@gmail.com