10 considerations for innovation

Instead of complaining about constraints and complexities at our work or within organizations, its better to find a way to succeed within them. If enough effort and imagination are applied to a problem, its complexities are understood and possibly, opportunities are bound to emerge. The process is for us to rethink, reimagine and recast the basic dynamics of a situation and then in ways we never imagined, solutions will emerge from our creativity and that of the people around us. The major challenges to innovation are found in four key areas: technological, financial, organizational and political spheres. Innovation would make us tackle these constraints within the situations we find them, without necessarily trying an out right change. In order for us to employ innovation in anything we intend to do, we have to consider the following things:
1. Let learning lead: Learning is the driver of innovation. Sometimes a company, country or person who wishes to innovate would have to go through a process of learning and sometimes unlearning of old ways. Learning and innovation go hand in hand. 
2. Learn to see: The customers and members of the public we deal with on a daily basis can teach us profitable lessons for innovation. There is discussions, criticisms and desires could be a pathway to our success if we learn to see things from their point of view. 
3. Design for today: We need to focus on today's needs. Great ideas will always remain great ideas and nothing else if they have no bearing on the needs of the day. 
4. Think in pictures: Stimulating the minds of individuals is a grand approach to innovation as things that can be captured in a picture could attract the support of people that see it. 
5. Capture the intangible: Quite a number of solutions to major challenges in your environment could be found in the stakeholders minds. Try to address the emotional requirements of the people you relate with. 
6.Leverage the limits: Resource limitation can lead to creativity. Whatever resource we have should be utilized to its fullest.
7. Mastering the tension: In order to have a break through, you have to have a challenging situation. Turning tension and trials into achievement is the way to go!
8. Check the numbers: Analyze your costs and keep analyzing till you are able to learn how it can be done more proficiently. When we look at costs closely there is always some waste or oversight that can be eliminated. 
9. Strive towards perfection: We have to consistently try to improve upon what we are doing. We ought to get better as we proceed at whatever we are doing. 
10 Keep it lean: Complexity kills! Keep whatever you intend to do lean and simple. That way you will find it easy to repeat what you are supposed to. 
The piece was inspired by Sanjay Dalal who has written a lot about innovation.