Innovation in a Post-Pandemic World

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The world has changed—in profound, fundamental ways. How can you and your team use innovation to seize the ensuing opportunities? You start by asking different questions.

If you're a video person, I lay it all out in the video below. If reading is more your thing, skip the video and hop straight to the transcript below!



Hey there, Bill Stainton here with Turning Creativity into Money™, and today I've got a question for you.


The question is this: What role will innovation play for both you and your team in the post-pandemic world?

I know—sounds kind of heavy, right?

But look, that's what we're all facing. The world has changed, the world continues to change. You, you and I, we've been through a remarkable, difficult experience over the past year and a half or so. And things are not going to snap back to the way they were. You and I both know that.

Some people are mistaken about that. Some people think that, you know, when we finally emerge from all this the new reality is going to be the same as the old reality. You and I know that's not true. Because we've gone through fundamental, foundational change. Things are different. And when things are different, you have to think differently, right?

So—and that's what innovation is all about—so how can you and your team use innovation to help ensure your success in the post-pandemic world?

Well, it starts with the questions we're asking.

See here, here are the questions that most people are asking. Because look, even people who understand things are going to be different—the questions they're asking are things like, "How is this going to affect me? How can I, how can I take advantage of this? How can I capitalize on this? How can I survive this? You know what's, what's it, what's it going to mean for me and my team?"

I would argue that those are the wrong questions.

I mean, sure, we're all asking those questions, but here's the thing: your customers are asking those questions too. And they're counting on you for answers. They're counting on you for solutions, they're counting on you to make their world—whatever that world's going to look like—to make that world a little bit easier. That's why we're in business, right?

So I want you to start asking different questions, and really take some time this week—either by yourself or with your team—to ask different questions. Here's, here are some of the questions that I think you might want to start asking.

First, start off with questions like, "What has changed in my customer's world? What has changed in my customer's world? What will continue to change in my customer's world—that they might not even be aware of?"

Because they might be just focusing on today—here's what's changed today. They might not even be looking down the line. You can do that. What has changed in my customer's world—and what will change in my customer's world?

And then ask, "How can I—I being you, you and your team, you and your company, you and your industry—how can I help to fix that? How can I make that better? How can I make that easier for them?"

And don't think about, "Well my industry does this so this is how we can help." Just just make a list of, of ways that, that they can be helped. You know, in their new world, think of ways that new world can be easier. Don't worry about what it is that you or your industry do for a living at first. Just think of ways it could be easier, and then look and say, "Okay, is there a match there? Is there some way that we can be a part of that?"

So think about, "What is it my customers are going to need? How is their world changing? What are they going to need based on those changes? And, is there a match there is a way that I—my team, my business, my company, my industry—can help that?"

And then take it one step further. Because your customers have customers. So ask the same question about your customer's customers. How is their world changed? How is it going to continue to change? What new needs and wants and desires are they going to be looking for, that they might not even know about yet, that you can help provide. Or better yet, that you can help your customers provide to them.

I know this is kind of sounding like, you know, like a big matrix kind of thing—but if you can think along those lines: "How can I help my customers, and how can I help my customers help their customers," if you can be the person, or the team, or the business, the company, the industry—if you can be that one that answers those questions then, then you're going to be fine.

That's how you use your innovation to survive and thrive in whatever the new reality is going to be like. You do that by using your innovation to help your customers and their customers.

I'm Bill Stainton. I'll see you next time when I help you Turn Your Creativity into Money™.
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About the Author:

29-time Emmy Award winner and Hall of Fame keynote speaker Bill Stainton, CSP is an expert on Innovation, Creativity, and Breakthrough Thinking. He helps leaders and their teams come up with innovative solutions — on demand — to their most challenging problems.
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