Two people fail with innovation projects. One motivates employees with an eccentric, colourful style but receives no funding to expand his efforts. The other easily convinces the chief executive to invest heavily in innovation—yet gains no support from employees who ignore her ego-driven calls for ideas. Speaking one language is not enough. The first is only fluent in the language of the frontline, the second is gifted only in executive-speak. They are stuck because they can communicate with only one of the many groups they need to move from ideas to innovation.
Your challenge is to find a way of communicating with all the relevant groups. Most executives receive no rewards for innovation. It’s not in their job descriptions. They don’t keep their jobs for generating ideas; they keep their jobs for making more money. They are interested in making more money and doing their jobs well. Your job is to translate ideas into moneymaking schemes that your executives understand:
■ How does the idea help achieve company objectives?
■ How does the idea help achieve appraisal objectives?
■ How does the idea help achieve personal objectives?
■ How does the idea make people look good?
■ How does the idea make money for the company?
■ How does this help the company compete?
■ What do you need to test or prove the idea?
■ Why is it urgent? What happens if we don’t bother?
Be Tough On Your Idea
Prepare a short document with the answers. Be tough on your own idea. Put yourself in the place of the executive. Imagine that a salesperson knocks on your door or calls you without permission. Think about how you feel about spam and junk mail. Remember painful conversations with someone obsessed with something you don’t care about or understand. Try not to be that person! Pitching ideas is a cross between an interview and getting someone to marry you. It’s part business, part relationship. Do your homework. Find out what they are looking for. Chat about what they are trying to accomplish. Translate your passion and geek-like knowledge into something that a normal person would understand.
People love growth graphs and simple pictures that explain the impact of an idea. They don’t want to read what you have read, or listen to what you have heard, or go through your painful journey. They just want a story that makes sense and gets them excited. A story they can repeat to their boss. A story with clarity.
Don't Go It Alone
Don’t go alone. It makes sense to buddy-up—to get someone on your side before you even pitch. Someone who has whatever it is that you lack. IBM’s shift to the internet benefited from a self- powered project from two people. One was a net nerd; the other was a marketing executive. Together they were able to translate business and technical ideas from various audiences within IBM. The X-Box project had a self-selected team of four who had the right mix of credibility and knowledge about the industry, technology, power politics and timing.
The IBM team of two chose not to pitch one big idea, but instead to start building bridges between different communities so that the internet became part of the working language of the company. The language changed the climate of the conversation so that executives understood the possibilities backing them into a corner, and believed in the people who had to make it happen. The Microsoft team prepared a document and pitched it in a series of meetings. It took a rollercoaster year of highs and lows to get final approval and more than another year to launch. Both projects had to be translated over and over again. Sold and resold.
See It From Someone Else's Point Of View
You are in love with your idea. You think it’s the most obvious choice in the world. Who wouldn’t do it? Why can’t these jerks understand? Could your boss be more stupid if he tried? It’s frustrating. Being obsessed is a good thing when it helps you to keep going against the odds. It’s a bad thing when it stops you seeing that the idea means different things to different people. Someone has to build it, sell it and support it. You need their help, so speaking their language helps. For the executive reading this, you have exactly the same problem in reverse. You need the innovation because it is usually the best way of making more money.
Great ideas are good for the soul, the bank balance and the share price. The trouble you may have is in translating your goals into language that engages the people who love ideas and won’t be receiving your stock options or bonuses. Of course, the smartest executives can also translate other people’s ideas into actions to deliver the growth their jobs depend on. They get knowledgeable about the technicalities and ask questions to discover how the proposed innovation helps. They set time aside for looking at the detail. They hang out in the labs and the retail outlets looking for hidden ideas that could make a real difference. They also make their objectives clear so that people know how to contribute.
Don't Use Management Jargon
Nissan’s CEO took over at the company after it had lost money in seven of the past eight years. He needed innovation because the old ways weren’t working. He chose to spend his first days and months travelling the company asking questions. When he found people blocked by bureaucracy, he gave them authority. He organised cross- functional teams with a very specific goal: propose recommendations within three months to restore profitability and future growth. He told them there were no sacred cows, no taboos and no constraints. It was slow at first, but within three months the groups had assessed 2000 ideas and completed a revival plan that succeeded within two years.
It is clear that most employees find management jargon a turn-off and that many managers find technical jargon unhelpful. However, impatience with the technical language of another group has drawbacks. If you can speak the language of another group, you gain credibility and engagement. The best ideas won’t get lost in translation.