Most of us admire innovation.
It’s found in leaders we look up to and organizations we seek to emulate. It’s where all the sizzle, good press and dynamic success seem to reside. But as wonderful and enticing as innovation may be, it comes with a dirty little secret—Most Innovations Fail!
We might not hear a lot about these failures unless they’re spectacular or near at hand. But the simple fact is: When it comes to any new business venture, any big change in marketing strategy or even a church plant, failure is the surest horse to bet on.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not against innovation. I fancy myself as an innovator. It’s so essential to long-term success that without it, an organization or church eventually shrivels up and dies. But leaders who attempt to innovate without fully understanding and taking into account innovation’s dirty little secret are in for a rough ride.
Successful innovators innovate differently from the rest of us.
They don’t assume that every good idea is destined to succeed on merits alone. They recognize the high odds of failure and do a number of things (either intuitively or cognitively) that greatly increase their odds of success and significantly lower the pain that comes with inevitable failures along the way.
Here are some of the things they do.
They start with a clear exit strategy in mind.
In other words, they’ve figured out ahead of time what they’ll do if this great idea doesn’t fly.
An exit strategy is simply a preplanned graceful way out. It might be as simple as leasing property for a new venture rather than buying it outright. It might mean presenting a new video worship venue as a four-month experiment rather than a permanent change. It’s the restaurant that temporarily adds a new menu style alongside the old rather than a complete and immediate changeover.
Whatever the innovation, the more you can package it as a trial balloon, the less likely natural organizational resistance will sabotage the fledgling effort.
After all, most resistance to change is ultimately based on one of two things: a perceived loss in preference (that’s not the way I like it) or a perceived loss of power (this will undercut my influence). Presenting a new initiative as a temporary trial rather than a permanent change automatically diminishes the levels of perceived loss. Those who don’t like it will simply wait for the idea to fail so they can have it their way once again. Those who stand to lose power or influence won’t see it as a total and final loss.
As a result, your innovation will have a far better chance to prove its merits before change resisters can marshal the troops for a full-scale attack.
And if they’re right—you can join them in giving the idea a good Christian burial.
