Innovation isn’t just ideation

I’m sure you have heard yourself, or a friend say they have a great idea for an invention. Or maybe just an abstract idea of a need for something – an observed gap in the market, if you will. But then, somewhere along the way, you see that gap filled, and you think, Why didn’t I DO that? I THOUGHT of it first. Well, ideas are nothing if you don’t do something about them, and in the world of innovation, ideation is the first step for those who do decide to make their idea a reality. But the idea is only the beginning of this journey, and you need good processes to make it a reality.

In this episode, I dispel the misunderstanding that innovation is only about ideation, although ideation is the cornerstone of innovative product development. I discuss the three stages of successful innovation that begin with an idea that goes through a tough journey to become a real tangible product. I reveal the importance of execution when bringing that product to market. I also discuss how all three stages have different challenges and how each company will find one stage more challenging than another.