My Talk on Innovation

I recently got an opportunity to talk to a talented batch of interns on the subject of innovation. My focus on this talk was essentially on the mindset that makes innovators. It was based on something that i have observed while working closely with innovation teams in the last couple of years.

I couldn't get a chance to prepare a shiny powerpoint. Having less time at hand was a factor, but for most part it was intentional to talk literally face-to-face and not 'through the PPT'. I relied on an mind-map created a few hours before the talk.  In the hindsight, it turned out to be my tribute to Tony Buzan, the father of mind-map, who sadly passed away a few days back.

I share my mind-map and the key points i shared during this talk as below. In the upcoming blogs, I will double-click on some of the stories i shared during this talk.

Mindset of an Innovator:
1. Innovators show-up more often than everyone else.
2. Innovators nurture side projects.
3. Innovators know when to stop.
4. Innovators have a beginners mindset.
5. Innovators have a bias towards action.
6. Innovators embrace constraints.
7. Innovators embrace diversity in teams.
8. Innovators don't hesitate to ask for help.
9. Innovators are situationally aware.
10. Innovators follow compass, not maps.