There are history’s big innovations like light bulbs and automobiles, but you don’t need a groundbreaking idea like Thomas Edison or Henry Ford to make a difference. In fact, small changes can be incredibly powerful.

Britney Cole, the associate vice president, solutions architecture and innovation strategy at The Ken Blanchard Companies®, calls these small and incremental changes micro-innovations. She says micro-innovation is especially helpful when you feel like your work isn’t serving the greater good. Maybe your workday is filled with so many mundane tasks that you lose sight of your larger goals. Or maybe you feel like your workplace isn’t receptive to new ideas. Regardless of the situation, you don’t have to stay stuck in a rut.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share tips from Cole on how to ignite your creative spark and start micro-innovating.

1. Encourage discussion. If you lead a team, make sure your employees feel safe to speak up if they feel there’s a better way to do something. Giving others permission to speak is a vital part of innovating. However, don’t expect your team to have all the ideas right away, Cole says. Let them know they don’t need all the answers and that identifying improvement areas is not complaining.

2. Put the right systems in place. You can also spark micro-innovation by ensuring systems exist for your team. Processes are supposed to streamline tasks, but often they become workplace handcuffs, Cole says. If any of your processes create unnecessary work or seem unwieldy, take a fresh look at them. Ask yourself what you want to solve with the process and whether your actions are leading to the desired outcome.

3. Experiment often. Innovation requires experimentation, Cole says. Try new approaches and learn from them. Don’t be afraid to fail. Remember what Thomas Edison said when inventing the lightbulb: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” According to Cole, you can speed up innovation by embracing a learning mindset.

4. Stay curious. Being open to learning and experimenting means you must stay curious and open-minded. This can help you see things from different perspectives. Have courage to push through your fear of failure, Cole says, and be resilient to overcome challenges that come your way. The right mindset is everything when it comes to micro-innovating.

5. Step away occasionally. Micro-innovating doesn’t require burning the candle at both ends. Give yourself a break instead of working relentlessly on a project or task. The brain needs downtime, Cole says. When you step away from your work from time to time, you never know what brilliant ideas might arise spontaneously.

Through micro-innovation, you can work to improve your team, your culture and your life in small but meaningful ways. The idea of “innovating” may feel like a giant task, but that’s the genius in micro-innovating. By making small adjustments and taking small steps, you can end up creating significant changes for the better.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Britney Cole is associate vice president, solutions architecture and innovation strategy at The Ken Blanchard Companies®.