Innovation Top Ten

So - I'm processing stuff from Innovate 2007 - and one way I do that is to review, of course, so here's my run down of Guy Kawasaki's Innovation Top Ten:

(oh, by the way, Guy was an executive - actually a software evangelist for Apple and is now a venture capitalist - so his approach is basically from a business standpoint, though he is a Christian)

1. Make Meaning - the root of all innovation is the desire to make meaning - not to make money, members, etc.


2. Make Mantra - express why you exist in 2 or 3 words - NOT a mission statement, which is too long - Mantra is short and memorable. Examples: NIKE - Authentic Athletic Performance; eBay - Democratize Commerce


3. Jump to the Next Curve - innovation strives not to be 10% or 20% better, but 10 TIMES better. Example: 130 years ago in the Northeast, ice was harvested by sawing blocks out of frozen ponds and lakes and then stored in warehouses and used in shipping. Eventually, ice factories were built in cities - they could freeze the water anywhere, all year round for use in shipping and in homes. Eventually, refrigeration units were built and mass-marketed - for shipping and for home and business storage. So what? No ice harvesters became ice factory owners. No ice factories produced refrigerators... No one jumped to the next curve. Innovation was: another horse or a more flexible saw; blocks or cubes; um...white, black or stainless?


4. Roll the DICEE - this begins to go beyond the obvious
   Deep - provide a lot of functionality. An innovative product is useful beyond the first day, or the first function...
   Intelligent - Anticipate people's needs and provide for them BEFORE anyone else - something that maybe people couldn't articulate. "Felt needs" of a congregation.
   Complete - a corallary to Deep - innovation promises to be complete - not just a product, but also service, support, community, etc. An example of Complete in the church setting is: great worship service, memorable hooks, opportunities for other involvement in the church and CHILDCARE.
   Elegant - Example - the iPod - a wheel that controls everything - not overly complicated
   Emotive - strong emotional connections


5. Don't Worry, Be Crappy - Revolutionary leaps are often...um...rough around the edges. Get the innovation out there - IMPERFECT though it may be [don't study it to death - there will be flaws - you can actually put off innovation forever by waiting, praying, worrying the details...]


6. Polarize People - You can't be all things to all people - that leads to mediocrity. Don' TRY to upset people, but realize that people will be upset. EVERY church has a target demographic, whether we try to or not (our 11:00 targets people who like tradition, pipe-organ, choir singing, robe wearing, processing in and out of the service worship - our 6:00 service targets people who like informal, media driven worship - and that's okay).


7. Let a Hundred Flowers Blossom - you have an intended audience - but what you do is you release your innovation and see who shows up. When it is NOT your intended audience, you can either retool, reprogram, redesign and rebuild for your original target [not very "cost" effective in any domain] OR you can figure out why the people who came on board did so, and then GIVE THEM MORE - DICEE.


8. Churn, Baby, Churn - Continue to upgrade, improve, etc. Listen to your customer, er, parishioner.


9. Niche Thyself - Find the place where you are unique in a way that people see as valuable.


10. Follow the 10/20/30 Rule - um, not really innovation stuff - more about presentations - but here it is: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point type...


11. Don't let the Bozos Grind You Down - Bozosity will get you if you let 'em - and even the people who should know better make Bozoesque statements (Guy had an opportunity to head up an internet startup some years ago - but it didn't look to promising to him - I mean, who would care about some little company called Yahoo! anyway? Boy, did that bit of Bozosity cost him...).

This is incomplete, of course, but I'll be starting his book The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything soon, and I needed the refresher.