The Innovation Workout

Take your performance to the next level with our tried-and-tested guide on innovation. The Innovation Workout has been specially developed to be clear, simple, very easy to follow and highly effective. Our unique pre-workout test will help you identify your weak and strong points and the straightforward 10-step improvement plan will show you how you can quickly boost your skills. * Test yourself - Start by finding out your current confidence and knowledge of innovation * Follow the 10 Steps - learn everything you need to know to become an expert innovator * Take action - Experience 10 situations where you can apply your new-found skill in real life * Face your fears - Take on 10 common innovation challenges to test your skills and find out how to handle them. This book really works. Start your innovation workout today and begin exercising your full potential.About the author Author's acknowledgements Publisher's acknowledgements Introduction Self-assessment questionnaire What is innovation? PART 1 10 Steps to enhance your innovation skills Step 1 Pinpoint your purpose Get your innovation off to the right start by thinking big to understand your problem or unmet need and articulate it in a way that inspires others to get involved. Step 2 Know and understand your customers Learn techniques to understand your customers to enable you to develop innovations that meet their needs. Step 3 Your market today and predicting the trends of tomorrow Get to grips with what is happening in your market today and spot trends to help develop innovation for the future. Step 4 Build your creative capacity Learn how increase your personal capacity for having ideas through expanding your experiences, breaking routines and connecting ideas together. Step 5 Creative superstardom and lots of ideas Have fun practicing different techniques to help you and you colleagues generate lots of ideas. Step 6 Don't expect anyone else to like your idea If your idea is new, or different you will have to spend time getting others to like your idea. This step provides some practical ways to get others on board. Step 7 Filter and choose the best ideas Techniques to filter and choose the ideas that have the greatest chance of success and way to confidently say 'no' to weaker ideas. Step 8 Prototype, fail fast and refine Learn ways to prototype ideas quickly and cheaply with your colleagues, managers and customers and then adapt and refine your ideas. Step 9 Pilot, adapt and invest How to design, deliver and evaluate a pilot for your idea as well as tips on how to secure resource required to deliver your pilot. Step 10 Take your ideas to market How to build on your pilot and develop your idea in the marketplace for real, and build on the business case you developed in the pilot to pitch for investment. PART 2 10 innovation skills in action Skill 1 Innovating in a big organisation Skill 2 Innovating on your own Skill 3 Innovating when no one else gets it Skill 4 Innovating with your team Skill 5 Innovating with clients and customers Skill 6 Innovating your managers Skill 7 Innovating with confidence Skill 8 Innovation by imitation Skill 9 Innovating with no budget Skill 10 Innovating when you feel like you are stuck PART 3 10 common innovation challenges Challenge 1 How do I develop my own innovation process or framework? Challenge 2 How do I build an innovation network? Challenge 3 How do I make time to innovate? Challenge 4 How do I measure innovation? Challenge 5 How do I motivate others to start to innovate? Challenge 6 How do I create a culture of innovation? Challenge 7 How do I manage failure? Challenge 8 How do I innovate quickly? Challenge 9 How do I approach a niche product? Challenge 10 How do I recruit good innovators? Putting it into action (the mentor toolkit) How to work with a mentor to put your new skills into action Self assessment questionnaire What have you learnt? What can you put into practice today? How will you do it? Jargon buster Answers to activities Index