INNOVATION & LEARNING:

6 barriers blocking your success

INNOVATION & LEARNING

6 barriers blocking your success

Innovate or die. That’s what we read or hear in some shape or form everyday. The creative have
found fancier ways of saying the same thing tied to ROI or other acronyms that we generally
associate with gloom over possibilities of good. Like death and taxes, innovation is inevitable,
even if it happens kicking and screaming. Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way! This
guide will show you how you can positively influence innovation in your team, department or
organization through something you do everyday: learning.

When I say learning, I’m not just talking about the minimal required training and development
activities that are more of an onboarding or annual performance management tick box. I’m
referring to the sum of work experience paired with the people, environment and knowledge that
you socialize, internalize and synthesize within your everyday life. Innovation can be a walk in the
park if that’s where you connect the dots between “I wonder” and “I will” to spark the unexpected
in your organization. That walk in the park may be online learning from your industry peers in the
comfort of your own home or office.

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 Creativity and innovation are
1 2
not the same thing.
Now may be where you say, “But we’re already really
creative as an organization and come up with great
ideas all the time.” Two things:
1. Creativity and innovation are not the same thing
2. Leaders (yes, I'm calling you out) are pretty great at
designing barriers to innovation.
Hopefully you’re an exception to what I call “The Big
But Dilemma,” the insecurities associated with doing
something different and deviating from the status quo.
A fear-based mindset is not abnormal when you need
to make a significant shift, and this guide has been
designed to help liberate you from the six types of
selftalk that will keep you stuck on the hamster wheel
of dilemmas.
Leaders (yes, I'm calling you out)
are pretty great at designing
barriers to innovation.
Innovation, defined Learning” author, business strategist and TED Mentor
Marcia Conner captures it perfectly: “In a world of
First things first, what is innovation? Simply stated,
rapid change, we each need to garner as much useful
innovation is value generation in the form of processes,
information as possible, sort through it in a way that
products and services that enhance quality of life.
meets our unique circumstances, calibrate it with what
Innovation is meaningful—it makes things easier,
we already know, and re-circulate it with others who
happier and less complex so that we can spend more
share our goals.”
time doing what we want to do, and less time trying to
make more time. Innovation is in and of itself the outcome of learning
at its finest. Furthermore, we are living in an era where
Make sense? Creativity, while empowering innovation
social proof is king. One of Facebook’s newest ad
through the ability to approach what we have always
campaigns depicts activities your “friends” are engaged
known in new and novel ways, doesn’t necessarily
in and asks you to click and explore it. It can help
produce value-yielding outcomes. Thus, innovation is
you decide if an activity is right for you or create the
the application of creativity resulting in greater value.
awkward feeling that you’re missing out on something
Okay, so innovation creates new value, but why now? incredible. This is no different in the corporate world.
Why not now? In her most recent book “The New Social We take social cues from golf course banter and
innovation, defined | 3
make business decisions using instincts consciously
and unconsciously influenced by our cumulative
engagement on social platforms. Research more quickly
validates, and impacts are on a much greater scale than
ever before. The fun and compelling fact that there
are more people with mobile phones in the world than
toothbrushes shows just how inextricably technology
and learning are linked. This and that bad breath has
nothing to do with good business, in our digitally
connected world!
Innovate or else!
If you’re still not convinced, think of Blockbuster and
Kodak, companies that failed to innovate and did
indeed die. The emergence of Netflix, iPhonography
and Instagram changed the game so fundamentally
that reactive measures had no chance. When it comes
to innovation, being proactive and experimenting is
key— everything else is an exercise in futility. Always
be on the hunt for the next tweak that will take your
organization to the next level. Yes, tweak. Innovation
is not necessarily a light-bulb moment for something
revolutionary. Great innovations can be incremental
in scope but revolutionary in impact. Take self-serve
technology for example. It hasn’t entirely changed the
way we function, but has enabled us to spend more
time doing the things we want instead of waiting in
long lines to check-in at the airport, check-out at the
grocery store or check-up on our benefits and vacation
time at work. Uber and Airbnb (whose most recent
innovation is a fantastic tweak on branding) are other
examples of how mobile technology trends have
simplified life.
Think about innovation as an exercise in becoming
an expert learner. Leveraging every opportunity for
knowledge, informally and formally, through a network
of experts and personal experience will set you on the
right course. Let’s get those hurdles removed so you
can resolve the “Big But Dilemma” and get into action.
Exam sponsors include recommended reading lists,
links to online documents and materials, and sample
exam questions (not entire practice exams, but sample
questions that convey coverage and level of difficulty).
Some even provide links to online certification or
community sites where you can find questions from
other certification candidates. You’ll be able to view
answers or ask questions of your own.
innovate or else | 4

“Motivation is the catalyzing
ingredient for every
successful innovation. The
same is true for learning.”
Removing the "But..." that's keeping you from innovating and learning
1. I don't have time/budget: As a leader, you are likely already doing things that support innovation
in your organization. You probably read TechCrunch, WSJ or Mashable and other relevant
publications. What are you seeing that you can’t not act on? More importantly, are you encouraging
your people to do the same? Bite-sized knowledge in real-time through e-learning is one of the
most efficient and effective ways to help build a mindset around innovation in the workplace –
with very little cost. Fresh content, delivered in a lean way through video or short courses infuses
technical learning with fresh insights. Innovation is about looking at the everyday with a different
perspective and recognizing what’s relevant to your business. You don’t need a big budget to
create culture curiosity. Free trials for e-learning programs are an amazing source of ideas and
inspiration. There are companies who design mobile and digital learning for this very reason so
experts in the field can bring content to life with stories and examples of what’s happening in the
world right now, when it matters.
“Motivation is the catalyzing ingredient for every successful innovation. The same is true for learning.”
—Clayton M. Christensen, Author & Innovation Influencer, “Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will
Change the Way the World Learns”
2. I don't have enough/right people: Perhaps you have some roles to fill—vacant or occupied.
This is often the reality but don’t let this get in the way of doing what you can with the people you
already have. Here are some hacks to maximize your people resources:
• Use low-cost, high value assessments like Clifton’s StrengthsFinder 2.0, Myers-Briggs, DiSC and Kolb’s
Learning Style Inventory to get a deeper understanding of the talent you have. Your Learning &
Development or HR Team may already have a treasure-trove of this data waiting to be discovered in
a whole new way.
• Empower your people to shine by assembling teams that leverage their best skills at the right time
removing the "but" that's keeping you from innovating and learning | 5
 in the innovation process—be it generating and vetting
ideas or piloting viable ones. Start by thinking about the
projects and tasks in which each individual has had high
achievement (and enjoyment).
• Use your existing internal communication structure
for gamification opportunities to highlight individuals,
ideas and strengths. People love contributing ideas, and
competition leader boards with the promise of getting
recognition of an “idea worth spreading” is a great
non-cash incentive. Hackathons are great examples of
socially facilitated learning.
Ultimately, it’s about discovering the unique value that
each of your current employees brings to work everyday.
By connecting the dots in a novel way, you may see an
entirely different picture that reveals new possibilities.
“Onlyness: Each of us is standing in a spot that no one
else occupies. That unique point of view is born of our
accumulated experience, perspective, and vision”
—Nilofer Merchant the “Jane Bond of Innovation”, three-time
TED Speaker and Author of #TheSocialEra
3. There are more urgent needs: There will always be
more urgent needs. Innovation, though, is important.
A push-aside-and-pray mentality delays the inevitable.
While you’re busy putting out fires, your competitors
removing the "but" that's keeping you from innovating and learning | 6
are finding a way to do both. Make the time and space
to think and act collaboratively on tangents that
may create brilliant paths to profitable opportunities
and encourage your staff to do the same. Hold brief
web/ video meetings. Record them and provide
shared access. It’s great for those who missed the
conversation as well as to spark new thinking for those
who were there. This type of digital archive can be a
form of social and collaborative learning if a space is
created to start and continue discussions. Chevron
uses a social conversation technology as a way to
deliver live/recorded Health & Safety training and to
discuss development opportunities. And, if you don’t
get together with your team regularly for updates or “Follow your instincts, that's where true wisdom
training, why not? Get on with it. manifests itself.”
—Oprah Winfrey
“Life is what happens to you when you're busy making
other plans.” 5. Everything is working fine: How different are you
—John Lennon from your competitors? Do you know? Are you clear
on why your customers choose you and feel confident
4. I'm not an innovative person: I won’t go meta on
they will keep doing so if everything remains the same?
you with an anecdote on the power of intention or
I’m not saying look for things to break. I’m saying don’t
start explaining quantum physics. Instead, I will say,
be afraid to break what could be reassembled in a more
trust what’s in your gut. We are the most creative
value-creating way that will make the decision easy for
and innovative when we do and be more of whom we
your customers and talent to choose you, every time. If
already are when we are at our best. Learn this about
you’ve tried and failed in the past, study and learn from
yourself and help your employees see it as well. What
it. Dig deeper beyond the inbred ideas that arise during
is it that you do naturally, almost unconsciously, that
your internal meetings and relentlessly elevate your
you are known for? Is it your ability to hire excellent
focus on innovating to own the market.
talent, develop resilient business strategy or lead your
organization through massive change? This is the space “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.”
to incubate your innovation magic. When you know —Coco Chanel
it, capture it and share it through podcasts and other
media that automagically becomes e-learning in its
collective form.

removing the "but" that's keeping you from innovating and learning | 7
6. But I don't have full leadership support. This is a tough one when a culture of innovation doesn’t
yet exist. Here are some ways you can start influencing one as a leader:

• Set an expectation to do things differently/better. This can be through performance conversations

oneon- one as well as by sharing examples of how others on the team or across the organization
have done this.

• Get innovation on the agenda at all meetings. The ones you lead as well as the ones you’re
invited to. This helps create a habit, which helps curate a positive culture and mindset. If your
organization’s values are rooted in thinking and being.

• Clear the way for new ideas to take root. This may be in the form of approvals, budget or clearly
stating your sponsorship of a project or idea. Sometimes it’s pushing for access to technology
that will connect your team or organization in a more meaningful way. Every organization should
have an internal communication ecosystem that enables multi-way communication. There many
solutions with low barriers to implementation and adoption. Be generous with the full power of your
leadership.

• Recognize and reward risk and effort. Failure is a necessary part of innovation. New program pilots
may not always go smoothly or experiments may be outright flops. When this happens, talk about
it and document it as a learning opportunity. Encourage project managers to share this knowledge
across the organization. Doing this creates a safe place for people to fail moving forward.

removing the "but" that's keeping you from innovating and learning | 8
Don’t forget to tie innovation to company and
Salima Nathoo
department measures. By doing this, you will speak
Author bio:
the language of organizational leadership and help
Named one of the “Top 100 Most Social HR Experts on Twitter”
create a more common language across titles, levels,
by Huffington Post, Salima Nathoo is a talent development leader,
departments and countries.
executive facilitator and social learning strategist. Her big thinking

approach, expertise in learning-design and LeanLearningTM

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
methodology, help companies elevate human potential and
—Steve Jobs
profit. Salima has over 12 years of experience in the field of HR &

Workplace Engagement and contributes to top workplace and

In my personal manifesto, I share my philosophy about the
modern world at work. I speak about innovation specifically,
“Innovation Beyond Invention – you don’t need a patent to
ignite potential, just a fresh perspective.” Fresh perspectives
are hidden in plain sight. Take one from this guide and co-
create a better everyday life for the people you serve.
leadership blogs TalentCulture.com and SwitchandShift.com. She
has a B.A. in Economics from NYU and a M.Ed. in Adult Learning
& Global Change from the University of British Columbia. Salima’s
latest project is Founder/Editor of RocktheGlow.com, a destination
for beauty, fashion and lifestyle wisdom so anyone, anywhere can
“Play Smart. Feel Fabulous.”

author bio | 9
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