People and organizations often have “core values” that define who they are or want to be – which in turn, ought to drive every other decision you make. One of my core values lines up with what my employer calls “Innovate and Iterate.” Let’s talk about how that works.
Transcript
People and organizations often have “core values” that define who they are or want to be – which in turn, ought to drive every other kind of decision you make. One of my core values lines up with what my employer calls “Innovate and Iterate.”
It’s catchy because it kind of rhymes, both start with “I” — more importantly, if you’re not innovating and iterating … then you are intentionally becoming irrelevant. (more alliteration) So, what does it take to innovate and iterate?
INNOVATE means to try new things. And yes, “new” can be scary cuz new has never been done before, so be willing to step outside the boundaries of what you already know.
By the way, that willingness only works if your management chain and your peers are equally comfortable with being uncomfortable (go watch my earlier video on that one). If everyone around you would prefer to just keep doing what y’all have always done, then you are not in an innovative space.
The secret is to apply that innovation mindset … as … you … ITERATE.
To ‘innovate as you iterate’ means to be intentional on incremental improvement on each and every opportunity that you have towards the same goal. As an example, in my current role at work, I do 3 major projects per year and I’ve really tried to refine the recipe (even a little bit) each time we do one.
Sometimes those iterative improvements work better – sometimes, they don’t. But because I work in a culture that embraces this core value, it’s okay at key points to have a candid conversation about what is working or isn’t; what is creating better outcomes or isn’t – and then we agree to stay on plan or change course. It’s been said that,
“Most people OVERestimate what they can achieve in ONE year
but UNDERestimate what they can achieve in TEN years.”
That math works because while each iteration (or innovation) might not be huge on its own – if each one improves on the one before it, then each leap is bigger than the last one from where you started.
Before you know it – you’re making a bigger impact within your team … and your organization is making a bigger impact towards greater goals.
All because of what it means to “Innovate while you Iterate” … See ya next Monday,
Jason Buffington .com 
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