Innovation closer than you think

I actually posted something on my SimonYoungWriters blog! A very rare occurence, hence my posting of it here as well:

NZ businesses might be blinding themselves to key competitive issues. That's the message I've been getting from three entirely unrelated interviews recently.

Your competition is no longer the guy down the street, to paraphrase the discussions I've had with futurist Dr James Canton, Dr. Don Eigler, and Darryn Melrose, the new CEO of direct marketing agency AIM Proximity recently.

Instead, it could be the guy in a different country who serves your customers better than you. And you may never find out except by declining customer metrics... by your business slowly bleeding to death.

(Sorry, I'm in a dramatic mood)


That's the key take-out from these three interviews, all of which touched on the need to innovate and the need to get with it technologically. Specifically, the need for New Zealand to provide the broadband infrastructure we need, and the need for businesses to continually innovate for competitive advantage.

Innovation can be tiring. It can be a race. But innovative organisations also have a culture that provides the sense of adventure and discovery that people are looking for.

Go forth and innovate.