It’s easy to assume true innovators and disruptors would be diametrically opposed to the capabilities required in running a business. After all, almost no business thrives without reliability.
Reliability is defined by consistency, and if you’re trying to flip the script and change the game, this is much more difficult to achieve.
Nevertheless, we commonly see innovators not only leading visionary approaches for companies but retaining near the top of leadership decisions.
We might think of how Steve Jobs seemed to apply more than just visionary thinking at Apple, or how despite all his controversies, Elon Musk still somehow manages to straddle two massive companies in two highly innovative fields.
So, it can be done. But if your personality is about breaking what works to find space for growth, how can you unlock these measures in your own professional life?
This way, you go from simply being an ideas person to someone who can implement that vision.
In this post, we’ll discuss a few ways of getting started:
Table of Contents
Build Consistency Into Your Processes
Even the best visionary thinkers need some kind of framework to operate from. We might think of amazing musicians who, even if they still break the scale system, still need to rely upon it. Great Jazz musicians still need to play in-tune for the most part, without offending your ears too much.
As such, you can’t expect consistency if it’s not baked into how you operate from the start. It’s important to make sure any new processes or workflows get thoroughly documented.
Don’t just rely on institutional knowledge in your head or the minds of your staff.
Having standardized ways of doing routine tasks, fully laid out in your policies and staff training, is key for maintaining reliability and it helps you scale better as you adjust.
This way, you have ground to stand on.
Accountability Matters, Especially For Innovators
Even the best innovators need some kind of limitation to keep them effective. We see this in art – sometimes a maximal approach at every step will limit the creative challenge that comes from strict parameters.
In business, that could refer to essential protocols you need to achieve, like on-time deliveries, customer satisfaction scores, quality controls passed, etc.
Set clear targets, track capably, and hold yourself and team accountable to those numbers.
Numbers don’t lie about whether you’re being consistent or not, and they also give you a framework to assess how success or failure was achieved.
Innovators Embrace Routines & Habits
Creative innovators often hate routines because they feel stifling. There’s some logic in this of course. But even one of the greatest experimental filmmakers David Lynch swears by the power of routine.
After all, routines are what breed consistency in execution.
Simply having an appropriate set of working hours in place (even if you’re the head of a small firm and can do what you want) sets a good precedent among your employees and helps develop the best creative thinking.
This way, the daily grind of running a business doesn’t have to feel like a ball and chain pulling you under water, but a well-built ship to sail on even during choppy waters.
Outsource When Needed
One of the best insights any creative can come to is that they don’t know or cannot innovate everything. Almost no creative professional of worth will flatter themselves by thinking they can achieve anything and everything.
This is especially true in hyper-technical spaces where you may not simply have the experience or the willingness to start from scratch.
Luckily, our business world is increasingly outsourced, and integrating the services you need can be a vital resource for success. For example, ITSM managed services can provide your small business with all of its possible IT and tech needs, ensuring your team is agile, capable, connected, and available.
This also offsets vital necessities like server and cloud management or cybersecurity. After all, you can’t innovate when you’re trying to patch dozens of machines each day.
Build Connections With Your Team
It’s important for any visionary lead or innovator to never be that far from the team. It’s no use if your business is being run by people with know-how and you’re off somewhere thinking up a storm.
This is because the creativity you come to will rarely be tied to the actual functioning of the business or its capabilities.
As such, embedding yourself within the team, communicating with them often, remaining their best advocate, this is how any innovator makes relatable steps forward.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to remain reliable in business operations going forward.
Great Innovators Of All Time
Some of history’s great innovators include Thomas Edison, who revolutionized the world with inventions like the lightbulb and motion pictures.
Steve Jobs co-founded Apple and brought user-friendly computing to the masses.
Elon Musk is a modern-day visionary disrupting industries like electric vehicles with Tesla and space exploration through SpaceX.
These brilliant minds dared to think differently, taking bold risks that transformed our lives.
Conclusion: Innovators Remaining Consistent
Consistency starts from the ground up. Focus on establishing robust systems and processes that support your innovative ideas.
By having a solid foundation in place, you can ensure smooth operations and sustained success in the long run. Do you know of any innovators who are consistent or not? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
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