Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

Every business wants to innovate.  You want to stand out.  To create a "wow" factor with your customers. Or members. 

This article by Kaihan Krippendorff highlights the five personality types that kill innovation.  The scary thing is this: as much as I like innovation, I can look back in my career and remember when I fit into each category.  

What are those five types?

1. Mr. Practical
2. Mr. Obvious
3. Mr. Expert
4. Mr. What Works
5. Mr. Cog

Please read the article, but here's a taste.

Mr. Expert
After seeing a new area to explore, you team must then create potential solutions. The more possibilities they create, the greater the likelihood they will find a fourth option. But inevitably someone emerges to cut off their flow. The conversation devolves into a pattern of “What if we did this,” followed by, “We’ve tried that before.” Mr. Expert has seen it all and needs to prove it. His cup is full and cannot fit new ideas. He cannot accept the idea that a group of novices could sit down and find an elegant solution to a problem that he and his expert peers have struggled to solve for years. So, consciously or unconsciously, he won’t let that happen.

Unfortunately, I've been Mr. Expert before.  I'm not proud.  And like I said above, I've been the other four as well.  

So, here's today's homework.  Read Kaihan's article.  And before the next brainstorming meeting, look out for the five killers of innovation.  

Mr. Krippendorff himself.

Kaihan will keynote NAFCU's annual conference in Boston.  And he'll be signing his best-selling book in our Solutions Expo. I hope to see you there.  

I'll make three presentations myself, including 20 ideas in 90 minutes on July 9.