The Innovation Factor
I’m from Chicago and there are a few things we take very seriously… for example, Deep Dish Pizza, Hot Dogs, and the fact that we USED to have the tallest building in the world. However, the most important is our sports teams (in spite of the fact that they don’t always win championships, some that haven’t even won a title in this millennium) are some of the most recognizable in the world! Take my beloved Blackhawks… almost immediately after becoming the new owner in 2007, Rocky Wirtz, son of the late Bill Wirtz, began altering some longstanding policies implemented by his father, which many fans saw as antiquated. One of the first things he did was lift the old ban on televised home games (that’s right, we couldn’t watch home games because they wanted to fill the seats to raise the beer concession dollars, but I digress). That in and of itself was enough to win back the hearts and minds of the Chicago fans who had long reviled the old way of doing things.
After the new changes were implemented, not only did revenues jump through the roof of the United Center but three short years later the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1961! Rocky Wirtz is an innovator! The definition of Innovation is: “a change in the thought process for doing something, or the useful application of new inventions or discoveries”. Being an innovator is creating an environment where solutions that enable your market to achieve their objectives in ways that were never accomplished before are created. Features and functions are one thing but innovation and enablement are the means to revolutionize thinking, products, processes, and organizations.
With the increased adoption of mobilization (which represents one of the most compelling opportunities in technology over the past two decades), enterprises are racing to develop new and innovative applications. Mobility fundamentally changes what we connect and how we connect it. It also provides the opportunity to change how we engage with our employees, customers and partners. The companies that get there first will gain significant competitive advantages, but the traditional means of tying together existing data and mobile applications are difficult and expensive. To take advantage of the potential benefits of mobile, IT and business leaders must build a business strategy that incorporates mobile attributes into business processes that create differentiation, speed to market, and competitive advantage.
It’s clear, much like Rocky Wirtz from the Chicago Blackhawks, that those ambitious start-ups with a leader that is dedicated to innovation and creating a culture that fosters that spirit are the most successful. They create an environment for employees to reshape the corporate mold without fear of being reprimanded. They promote the fundamental modifications an organization needs to truly embrace innovation. That mentality leads to the creation of solutions for customers that revolutionize the old way of doing things and provide increased value to the market place.
That’s why I help young, startup organizations get their solutions to market. The need for expertise in an area you’re completely unfamiliar with is daunting enough, but when it’s your life’s work and most likely your life’s savings as well, you need a partner that can help you bridge that gap.
Our leadership focuses on fostering innovation and creativity, I’m excited to be part of such an innovative organization that’s helping young organizations in the early stages of growing exponentially… After the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup Championship in 2010, Rocky Wirtz said: “You have to invest your own personal equity and commit to being there more than anyone else. And you have to embrace innovation and find a way to be different.” That’s the great attitude of a successful leader and that’s the very reason why I want to help companies be successful.
