Marcia's Leadership Q and As: Leaders Know the Difference between Improving and Innovating

Q. What is the difference between improving and innovating?

A. Years ago I attended a 2-day Innovation Conference in Milwaukee. Unfortunately, the speakers (some CEO’s) spoke about how they improve their businesses. Not one spoke about innovating their organizations. 

What’s the difference? Improving products, services, and organizations means making them better and better. Also included in improving an enterprise means continually improving leaders’ self awareness and knowledge; investing in employees to enhance their skills; and developing better communication and collaboration for a creative culture. 

Improving and improving can create better results for customers! But is improvement enough to stay in business and develop a healthy competitive edge? Is it enough to survive and thrive, especially in an uncertain or quickly changing industry or economy? 

Improving and improving the buggy whip would never get you to the horseless carriage, car, electric car or flying car! It takes innovation. 

To innovate means taking new ideas to market it to a useful meaning. Leaders develop an innovation system to take their business to the next level. It means different, bold product and service ideas, not just better ones. It’s a new vocabulary, new processes, and bold results!