"Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences." - Susan B. Anthony

Innovation is hard.  Trust no one who tells you differently.  Creativity is even harder.  There is nothing easy about turning a dream into reality...or turning an idea into a profitable and tangible thing.  Those with a skeptical view  of creativity and innovation within a business context see these concepts as soft, unmeasurable and unreliable in driving effective and positive change within an organization.  Those who share a positive view of the power of creativity and innovation, however, do not question the vagaries that result from the belief that an idea can indeed...change the world.

To me, there are four foundational beliefs that help define successful innovators, consistently creative people, and champions of the innovation management process:

                    1.    Courage:

• There are many naysayers that constantly dismiss the creative process as a driver of successful products, services, processes and business models.  Typically, these people are beholden to the "number" or "metric."  As if something doesn't exist if it can't be counted, controlled, or adjusted.  However, those with the courage to follow their dreams, despite this skepticism, are the ones who believe that not fully understanding something may be the only true way to understand it.  And this belief leads them forward...
  

2.   Perseverance:

• Those possessed by the courage to believe in the power of ideas, also share another common trait.  That being the need to never be fully satisfied with the idea or limited by where it may lead.  While the idea is usually born from a spark of inspiration, it also typically grows, in size and directions that are often unexpected.  Having the perseverance to follow the idea along without seeking to limit it leads to the next very important belief...

3.   Trust:

• To those who believe in the "fuzzy front end" of creative thought and innovation, there is a great deal of trust.  But trust in what?  Trust in their skill to create?  Trust in the belief that at the end of the journey will be an innovative new product, service, process or business model?  No.  What they trust is themselves and others.  They trust that the idea was conceived to serve a purpose.  To combine with other ideas, if necessary, to meet that purpose.  Trust that something else guides the idea forward.  Trust that the idea already knows where its is heading.  Trust that we are all here, at least in some small way, to move that idea forward until it reaches its final destination.  While that destination may end with a combination of another idea, or it may sit and languish until its real impact can be utilized, or it may become a successful innovation without alteration.  And trust brings us to the final, most important belief...

4.   Faith:

• I love the line from the great Christmas classic, Miracle on 34th Street, "Faith is believing in something when common sense tells us not to."  Creative thinking requires a great deal of faith.  And with faith comes purpose.  For me, although I can be quite creative, I understand that I cannot hold a candle to those truly blessed with the creative gift.  It is through this understanding and faith that I realized my true purpose/gift is not really in creation, but in helping others realize, utilize and nurture their gifts of creativity.  My role is to help others, who look to me to have faith and belief and support in their ideas.  It is through this collective faith that we all share our ideas and support each other in turning ideas into reality.  Ideas that provide a benefit to others.  Ideas that equate to innovations.

It is these four beliefs that form the ideal environment and climate for ideas to flourish.  Ideas that merge with others, that change on a whim, that when pursued sometimes get lost along the way, that eventually become something real.  Remember, innovation is nothing more than turning an idea into a profitable reality.  It is a hard business...nurturing ideas.  We all have an important role to play.  As long as we have courage, perseverance, trust and faith.

Have a GREAT week!!!