Learn to "ORBIT" Innovation Challenges

Those of us in innovation are on the hook for an endless stream of contribution. And we all need a refreshing re-set from time to time. I find that all types of challenges can melt away when I take a step back and think about ORBIT-ing the situation:

·        ORIENT TO ACTION: If there is a circumstance you are facing that is not actionable, then it’s not a problem. Move on from worrying about it, and just focus on what is in your control.

·        REFLECT: Look honestly at the circumstances that have you stuck and think about how one or multiple new approaches can help you go around the challenge.

·        unBOUND: think outside the boundries of what you need to explore. A great refresher is to come up with 3 completely different versions of what will work in your opportunity space: one close in, one further out and one that is a fantasy.

·        INTUIT: Become your consumer – hopefully you have learned a lot about who they are during your project - and look at your ideas through their eyes. Poke, prod, stretch, twist and reshape it to fit their needs and wants.

·        TRY & REPEAT:  Try it out. Toss those ideas out there and and see how they perform… iterate then go back to the table and try again to develop a new set of ideas.

Remember – innovation is less about identifying that one ideal scenario from the start, and more about continually trying new approaches. There is not likely to be a single perfect idea or opportunity, but rather many shades of opportunities that just need to be uncovered.