Adapt or Die

Adapt or Die – searching for innovative ways to develop a system, a team and oneself is not as elusive as you think.

Moneyball was a great movie for a myriad of different reasons, but it reminded me of the search for innovative ways to develop a system, team and oneself.  There were many one-liners in the movie, but "adpat or die", was born out of pure frustration which many of us can empathize with in our daily rituals of using the same methods to try and return different results.

It seems to me that there is a significant amount of discussion regarding innovation across a multitude of organizations to gain a competitive advantage.  This advantage is not insulated to the surface of the organization, but rather down to the individual.

Innovation and reinvention is often dormant for individuals and managers across a majority of organizations due to the simple fact that these individuals have not learned to lead effectively.  The majority of activity is focused on transactional tasks and people need to reply on others in order to effectively innovate.

Individuals cannot be forced to actively engage, collaborate and share their creativity, but they can be led with an attitude of community building and collaboration. Just as you cannot instruct a child to go play and be happy with others. Organizations are comprised of individuals and we often lose sight of this fact - People do things for their reasons, not yours.  Our primary goal as organizational leaders and contributors is to influence and enhance the potential of the collective group – it must start at the individual level through conversations and dialogue.  

There is a specific level of reciprocity that must be balanced with the individuals contributions as well.  Innovation in what we do and how we do things requires a balance of influence and then personal accountability. People can make excuses and separate from their own evolution.

There are two specific goals one as a leader and two as an individual:

·         As a leader – to help people achieve those things they did not think were possible, by combining both divergent and convergent thinking.

·         As an individual - to take concrete action daily, to grow as a person - make a positive incremental difference whatever you do, wherever you are, within your circle of influence, starting with self.