Innovation is key to success and adaptability of people, teams and companies. As the pace of change accelerates through greater global access, increasing ubiquity of technology and changing competitive landscapes, we must all innovate daily to stay relevant.

Keys to innovation are:

  1.  Risk-taking –challenge the status quo, Success is not guaranteed, so innovators embrace failure as a step on the path toward success.
  2. Adaptive implementation – Try something simple, get feedback from others and then iterate using the input as your guide.
  3. The diversity of perspective – See opportunities to work and interact with people from different cultures, backgrounds and generations to think ‘outside the box’.
  4. Seek and provide mentorship – leverage the entrepreneurial spirit and desire to “Pay it Forward” (help someone else without expectation of a direct return).
  5. Collaborate with others in your network, ‘eco-system partners’ (including those which might be considered ‘competitors’ in ways) which complement and can extend your capabilities.

Real innovation allows one to change, grow and succeed through adaptability and relevance developed and demonstrated daily.