This week on the Digital Velocity Podcast, Carla Johnson, author of RE:Think Innovation, joins Erik and Tim to discuss how five simple steps can help businesses generate ideas and solutions to transcend limits and challenges.
Carla’s idea of limits comes from her background in architecture. She says,
“…whether we realize it or not, we all have our, what I call third story limits, three-story limits. Taking it back to the world of architecture. In the late 1800s, there was a three-story limit on what architects believed is possible for buildings. And essentially that was three stories because, after that, the structures wouldn’t be secure enough.”
Those obstacles and limits show up in personal situations as well as business settings. Carla says,
“And I think as we look at how we see potential for ideas, we have to recognize and acknowledge what are our own three-story limits that we put in our work? Is it a specific client that we’d love to go after that we don’t believe we could actually get? Is it a sales number? Is it getting access to a true decision-maker? Is it…the number of hours in a day or a budget? We all have three-story limits, but that really makes a difference in what we believe is possible. And that’s how that statement, how might we begins to break through that three-story limit.”
Businesses that want to be successful must be willing to spend the time required to create ideas about how to overcome those challenges. Carla says,
“For organizations who truly do care about efficiency, productivity, quality of the work that they’re putting out, and I think more importantly now than ever, being highly, highly relevant to your customers, you have to take this time to step back and ask these questions.”
Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about how innovation can help businesses surpass constraints and obstacles.
About the Guest:
Carla Johnson helps organizations constrained by old-school approaches when taking on new-world opportunities. These companies struggle with unpredictability, frustrating inefficiencies, and a shortfall of results. They point fingers and say they have the wrong people, the wrong strategy, or the wrong product. But in reality, it’s outdated methods.
As the world’s leading Innovation Architect and CEO of RE:Think Labs, Carla helps organizations design and build the ideal architecture to accelerate innovation, engagement, and growth. Having written 10 books and studied both innovation and architecture for more than 20 years, she’s developed specific frameworks to help leaders remodel their approaches in order to boost speed, reduce risk, and enjoy more predictable outcomes.
After collaborating with Carla and her team, clients experience modernized cultures that help them rise to the challenges of the day. By renovating the internal environment to meet current opportunities and challenges, she equips leaders and employees to innovate better outcomes, faster. This streamlined and creative approach leads to greater engagement, expanded competitive advantages, and sustainable shareholder value