I was recently asked to speak at an event to Birkbeck (University of London) Innovation Management students and alumni about careers in innovation. You can see the video of the full talk below and a synopsis of the main points covered below.
As I kid I wanted to be, amongst other things, a LEGO designer, an architect, a scientist, an astronaut, a musician, an inventor and a philosopher! And I’ve gone on to dabble in a few of those things but ended up doing new things that I hadn’t originally anticipated. The common thread across all of them is innovation in it’s broadest sense. Trying to make the world a better place, usually with a combination of optimism, enthusiasm and technology.
And as much as I’m enjoying the challenge and the thrill of growing 100%Open, I’m also pretty sure I’ll make at least 2 or 3 big changes work wise over the next few decades and look forward to what those new experiences can teach me. In the meantime here are a few reflections which I’ve learned from an almost 20 years working in innovation:
I hope that’s a helpful and interesting list. And I’d be interested in any other reflections or advice from any readers of this blog about their experiences of working in and around innovation.
Don't have an account yet? Register here for free.
Hi Roland,
Enlightening and reassuring. I agree that people sometimes use the word ‘innovation’ as a smokescreen for nothing going on or to set an impression of positivity and progress. In my experience, many more people find the word scary; they feel they have to invent something. As you know, the key is facilitating in a way that unlocks ideas in a ‘safe’ environment and then developing those ideas via evaluation and early testing. Thanks for sharing.