The Real Road to Innovation

I can say, that my curiosity is endless, and this also is valid when it comes to learning In our days and world, it is crucial to continue learning. Our world and society are both changing at lightspeed. I’m a person, who doesn’t rely on one source of information. I like to get information from different sources. Books and tutors, which may have a different approach and a different pint of view. Although I’m a certified Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and a Digital Transformation Manager, as you can see here.

I have found a course that triggered my interest and therefore, I decided to buy this course.

It’s about innovation and the fitting culture, which is needed, to be a great innovating company, which will be ahead continuously. Here is what I have leanred. Enjoy 😉

Innovation is a word we throw around a lot, but what does it mean in practice? After years of exploring digital transformation and agile principles, I recently returned to the topic with a fresh perspective from my latest course. This course wasn’t just about strategies; it felt more like a journey—a journey through the real obstacles, occasional frustrations, and genuine “aha” moments that shape a culture ready for innovation.

1. The Everyday Roadblocks We All Face

Think of a typical day at work: meetings, deadlines, short-term targets, and always the pressure to stay “on course.” In this familiar setting, innovation feels like a distant luxury—something you’ll get to when you have “time.” But we all know how that story goes.

What really struck me in this course was realizing how universal these roadblocks are. Companies say they want to innovate, but there’s no budget, no time, and—let’s be honest—no real reward for taking the risks that innovation demands. Many of us work in silos, repeating what’s worked before because, well, why mess with success?

2. When Ideas Hit a Wall: A Story of Missed Opportunities

In one module, there was a story about “Jane,” an employee who came up with a brilliant idea for a clockwork radio. The response? Her manager, though well-intentioned, saw the problems before the potential. “Nice idea, Jane, but it’ll never work.” After a while, Jane just stopped sharing her ideas and eventually left to join a startup that welcomed them.

This story hit home. How often do we dismiss ideas because they seem impractical? Or because we’re just too busy to invest in something that doesn’t fit neatly into our quarterly goals? But here’s the twist: What if, instead of shutting down ideas, we asked, “How could we make it work?” That one question could turn skepticism into possibility, and maybe, just maybe, retain our best people

3. The Quiet Power of an Innovation Leader

What kind of leader actually fosters innovation? Not the kind who barks orders or checks off boxes. The real leaders, the ones who inspire creativity, are usually the ones who step back and listen. They set a vision—not some grand, lofty vision, but one that’s believable, maybe even a little challenging. They empower their teams and encourage risk, celebrating successes and accepting failures along the way.

In this course, I realized that these leaders don’t just have a vision—they share it. They make innovation feel less like a top-down mandate and more like a team adventure. Imagine working somewhere that encourages you to experiment, to try, to fail and learn openly. That’s the culture we all crave, isn’t it?

4. Cultivating a Culture that Dares to Fail

Innovation isn’t just about having ideas; it’s about creating an environment where ideas can breathe. In most companies, failure is seen as something to avoid. But what if it was treated as a learning tool instead?

One example shared was about a company that actually gave out a “medal of defiance” to employees who broke the rules in pursuit of a good idea. Think about that. Not only did it empower people to push boundaries, but it showed that risk-taking was valued, not punished. Imagine the impact of that kind of trust.

And it doesn’t have to be that extreme. Even something as simple as breaking down silos—getting different departments to collaborate, having lunch with colleagues you don’t usually see—can create a more open environment where innovation is possible.

Conclusion: Making Innovation Part of the Everyday

This course reminded me that innovation isn’t about grand gestures or “disruptive” ideas all the time. Sometimes, it’s about the little things: listening a bit more, asking the right questions, breaking down small barriers. It’s about creating a workplace where ideas can come from anyone, and where there’s room to explore, fail, and try again.

As I wrap up this journey, I’m left with a simple thought: Innovation doesn’t just happen. It’s built, nurtured, and sustained by leaders and teams willing to step out of their comfort zones. So here’s to creating that culture, one small step at a time.

1. mes would halt midway, and you would have to get up, cross the room and wind up the radio. No-one is going to do that so let’s just bin this idea. “Nice idea Jane, but it is impractical and will never work.”
2. You are busy. And so is everyone else in the department and the organization. Any fresh idea that needs time and effort to develop is just not going to get the resources it needs so let’s shelve it. “Nice proposal Jane, but we are just too busy to squeeze it in.”
3. You are focussed on this quarter’s targets. You and most other people are working to meet short-term objectives. Jane’s idea has long-term benefits but they are a long way off and we may never see them. Will we still be in this post when the benefits come through? This reason for rejection applies at all levels but particularly in politics. “Great idea Jane but we might not be in office, and I will not be minister when this comes to pass. In the meantime, there is a lot of effort and suffering involved so let’s just park this one.”
4. You are trained to husband resources, not waste them. Jane wants time and money to build a prototype to test the idea with customers. She wants IT to help build a prototype app and they have a backlog as long as your arm. Money is very tight in the organization right now so the easy decision for you to make is to kill the idea. “Really clever concept Jane but we cannot afford the resources to develop or test it.”
5. You are decisive. You know that managers and leaders should be decisive and you dislike putting off decisions. You see yourself as focussed on the job in hand and purposeful, so you make a quick decision.