Trying to keep up with news from Tom Peters is a lot like trying to read a newswire: you never have to wait long for something new and interesting to pop up. This post is no exception.
Want your organization to be a hothouse of creativity (and of course you do!) Invest in innovation and give your staff the authority to be in the driver’s seat.
Here’s further proof that both Tom and the Gallup study he quotes are on to a great point. Back in 2000–2001, a lot of people in North America were worried about a deepening economic downturn. This was particularly true in the technology sector, where layoffs and cuts to R&D had already become the mainstay.
Not all followed that course, mind you. One firm, which itself had a near-miss with bankruptcy just a few years earlier, decided there was a better way to make the company grow. The CEO announced that rather than shrinking his R&D, he was telling staff to stay put and think big…no holds barred, adding: “We’re going to innovate out of these hard times.”
Many were impressed with that kind of gusto. Others, quite the opposite.
Fast forward to today. That company—Apple—is at the top of its game, thanks to products spearheaded at the beginning of that great innovation push.
Make no mistake: being creative is your engine for growth.
