Revolutionary Conversations Part 3 of 4

Conversations for Innovation

In part 2 of our series we touched on Conversations for Relationship (one of four possible conversations organizations are having). Part 3 touches on Conversations for Innovation.

In his book “The E-Myth,” Michael Gerber coined the phrase “working ON your business instead of IN your business” which is the Innovation Conversation.

Working on your business means that you take time out of your “busyness” to step back and dream and create. One way to do this is with the coaching distinction “What’s Working, What’s Not Working, What’s Missing, and What’s Next.” This distinction enables you to drill down in every area of your business on a regular basis to uncover all of the hidden garbage that people are pretending doesn’t exist. Remember that you cannot change anything that doesn’t exist for you. Dr. Phil said it best when he said “you can’t change what you don’t acknowledge.”

Sometimes what doesn’t exist is a powerful future –so, it’s not just about exposing garbage –it’s about creating something amazing for your department or organization on purpose. Something powerful. Something worth doing in life. Innovation is about creation and positioning your business for growth.

The process begins with dreaming up a powerful future that you would like to have, then becoming really present to “what’s so” in the organization. Once you stand in this space –actions appear to you that would not otherwise appear to you. These actions then just need to be carried out and all the while that is happening you take additional time each week or whenever to evaluate how you’re doing with where you are going –get really present to the future you’re creating again and then look at what’s going on and take more actions and so the cycle continues until your future is created in reality!

Does this seem too simple? Nothing is too simple. It works, and has been working for thousands of years. Where this process gets stuck is in the implementation phase and THAT’s what our next conversation focuses on –the Conversation for Implementation!