At BigSpeak, we believe in pushing boundaries and experimenting with what’s possible. Reuters recently published their Top 100 Global Innovators list, which features many BigSpeak clients, including Honda, Microsoft, and Boeing. If the holiday season left you feeling uninspired, consider the following ideas when making plans for the new year.

1. Limit Yourself: You may think that boundaries hinder innovation and new ideas. Peter Diamandis suggests you reconsider this.  As an exercise in innovation, set difficult time and budget constraints for your team and see how they rise up to the challenge. They may not solve the problem perfectly, but the process will encourage them to develop new and creative strategies.
2. Fail Smart: Refusal to accept failure can lead to distrust and fear within teams. Mark Coopersmith recommends openly discussing failures to get rid of the negative weight of the word. Without acknowledging small failures, you open yourself up to larger and more dangerous failures. Give your failures value by learning from your mistakes and using them to develop new strategies.    
3. Be Studious: Innovation is a process of constant learning. Vivek Wadhwa urges students to cultivate a passion for learning by studying what interests them. However, the learning process shouldn’t end with college commencement. Diversify your knowledge base and apply the new knowledge to your work.
4. Evolve What Exists: Change doesn’t have to mean reinventing the wheel. Instead of starting from scratch, Erica Dhawan recommends working on revamping your company’s existing products and services. The most innovative companies have built on what already exists to create change and drive advances.
5. Cultivate Diversity: Diversity is a common word these days, and for good reason. Andrea Barrica cites diversity as an important component of innovation. Employees of varying ethnicities, ages, and social backgrounds bring different strengths and ideas to the table. Diversifying your team creates a balanced environment where creativity can flourish.

Kickstart your year by brainstorming new ways that your company can push boundaries and expand in 2016. Consider bringing in an innovation expert to begin this process. Will we see you on next year’s list?

Contact BigSpeak to ensure the perfect innovation speaker for your upcoming conference or event – info@bigspeak.com (805) 965-1400.