Like moths, we are attracted to light. In a company, that light is innovation. Everyone wants to be a part of the latest greatest thing. But that should not come at the expense of delivering on a product that has already been developed.
Stephen Miles argues that a balance must be maintained between optimization on one front and growing things on the other front. “I think a lot of times we optimize on one or the other which sub-optimizes the company,” Miles says.
He presents three key ways to maintain this balance.
- To be successful, innovation requires both the planting of seeds and the pruning of buds.
- Experimentation is a strategy that supports innovation without sacrificing optimization.
- Leadership teams should contain a complementary mix of planters and pruners, or innovators and optimizers.