{"id":1641,"date":"2017-05-30T15:44:34","date_gmt":"2017-05-30T19:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovators.org\/?p=1641"},"modified":"2017-06-13T09:45:37","modified_gmt":"2017-06-13T13:45:37","slug":"attitude-obstructing-innovation-canadian-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovators.org\/stage\/blog\/attitude-obstructing-innovation-canadian-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Attitude Obstructing Innovation for Canadian Businesses?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve talked before about why <\/em>businesses need to innovate<\/a> \u2013 so if it\u2019s so important, what\u2019s stopping Canadian businesses from taking advantage of all of the innovation opportunities we have?<\/p>\n

A recent article in the Globe and Mail<\/em> argues that the Canada\u2019s biggest obstacle to innovation is attitude<\/a>. Canada has tons of small and medium-sized businesses \u2013 the perfect candidates to push innovation forward \u2013 and we have the support of the Innovation Agenda in the latest Federal budget<\/a>. What we are missing is a sense of urgency to innovate! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, without this sense of urgency driving our businesses forward, Canada could fall behind in the Digital Revolution sweeping the globe<\/a>. Digital competitiveness is the future and Canadian businesses must seize their opportunity to lead the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur country is well positioned to succeed in the digital era \u2013 if only we adopt the right attitude. And that is all about thinking like a startup. Large or small, Canadian businesses must adopt the mindset of a startup. Not tomorrow, not next week. We need to start now.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the article, Canadian businesses need to change their attitude in these four key ways:<\/p>\n

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  1. Increase appetite for risk.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Adopt a startup mentality, no matter how big the organization.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Actively invest in true innovation. <\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Think globally.\"\"<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    At Innovators Alliance, our view is that a company\u2019s ability to grow is directly related to the entrepreneur or CEO\u2019s ability to change.<\/strong> That means embracing all of the above points in your everyday thinking and business practices.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s not enough to do what you\u2019ve always done<\/strong> \u2013 it might have worked so far, but it\u2019s never going to take you to the next level or help your business achieve the innovation necessary to compete in a changing marketplace!<\/p>\n

    A change mentality \u2013 the attitude shift urged by this article \u2013 can be difficult to sustainably maintain throughout your company. For this reason, entrepreneurs and leaders need objective feedback that challenges them to think like a startup.<\/strong> Consistently diving deep and asking the hard questions is uncomfortable, but that\u2019s exactly why we need to do it. <\/em><\/p>\n

    I suggest formalizing this kind of thinking and feedback into your processes. And of course, even better if you can regularly get advice and new perspectives from other CEOs and entrepreneurs to support you through your innovation journey!<\/p>\n

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    Innovators Alliance is a peer-to-peer CEO networking group committed to driving business growth through innovation. <\/strong>Be our guest at one of our upcoming events!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    Is your company innovative? <\/em><\/strong>Try our Innovator Self-Test.<\/em><\/strong><\/a> It has only 10 questions and takes less than 2 minutes!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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