Creating an Innovative Culture Will Help Your Company Succeed

Cathie Leimbach • November 30, 2021

When thinking about innovation, people often assume it is limited to brilliant people coming up with new products or disruptive ideas. While that is sometimes the case, creating a culture of innovation more frequently helps your organization adapt quickly to new challenges, thrive in unforeseen scenarios, and execute strategic objectives more effectively and efficiently.

 

Gallup reports that only 1 in 3 employees believe they are encouraged to bring forward ideas to improve their company’s products or services. Think about what that might mean for your company. Your employees who are doing the work aren’t encouraged to share how it can be done better. Not only does that lead to a loss of potential profit, but it also frustrates and disengages your most talented team members.

 

Creating an innovative culture requires a shift in thinking. Rather than creating a top-down approach, collaboration is encouraged and nurtured. Risk and failure are embraced as a part of the process. Your employees are provided opportunities to learn, contribute, and grow beyond their job description.  Everyone, from the CEO to the most junior staff person, is encouraged to contribute to your company’s success.  Even the most innovative employee is unlikely to contribute unless the culture supports innovation at every level.  This results in few robust solutions and approaches and diminishes engagement by your top talent.

 

Several years ago, the incoming CEO of Frito-Lay asked ALL the employees to think like a CEO. This motivated one of the janitors to learn more about the company and to develop a spicy snack food that his Hispanic friends would love. His home kitchen became a product innovation space as he and his wife developed and taste-tested spicy Cheetos.  The janitor shared his idea with the CEO. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos have generated 2 billion dollars of revenue for Frito-Lay and eventually Richard Montanez became the company’s product innovation leader.   

 

What would it mean if everyone on your team was clear about the long-term strategic objectives of your company? If they fully understood the goals of differentiating in the marketplace, providing the best product or service possible, and were infused with a sense of purpose? It would be a gamechanger in terms of productivity, profitability, and employee engagement.

 

Sounds good, but you are unsure how to start? Here are some beginning concepts:

 

  • Provide and reward collaboration.  Innovation occurs when every member of your company is involved in solving problems, overcoming challenges, and creating results. Great ideas come from anywhere. Reinforce the importance of collaboration and new ideas. Reward them. The more pronounced the support for collaboration and innovation from recognition to performance reviews, the more you will get.
  • Focus and communicate the big picture. President Kennedy’s space initiative was successful in part because of an inspirational goal. Apple has been successful because of its laser focus on customer experience.  Google’s approach to staff-driven innovation keeps its people engaged, happy, and motivated while helping the company achieve tremendous accomplishments. Zappos has grown, in part, because of its emphasis on every employee using innovative solutions to keep customers happy. Your employees will do more, and your company will be more profitable and productive if they have a sense of shared purpose.
  • Embrace risk and failure. An innovative culture encourages people to try new ideas, solutions, and approaches. Some will work. Some won’t.  And those “missteps” will show a better way to proceed. Let your employees know it is okay to fail. 

 

Consult your employees regularly and get their input in critical decisions geared towards your company’s success that directly impact their work. If their input isn’t accepted as the best path, let them know why in detail.

 

Remember that you win three ways when you foster innovation. 

  1. You get ideas, many of which are good. 
  2. Your employees are committed to executing ideas they have been involved in creating.
  3. You improve both engagement and feelings of inclusion.

 

 

 

Same Conversation, Different Expectations: Why One-on-Ones Need a Clear Close

By Cathie Leimbach • September 29, 2026
Jason left his one-on-one feeling encouraged. His supervisor, Ellen, had listened as he described competing deadlines and his interest in becoming a team leader. They talked about the possibility of shifting some of his workload. Ellen also suggested that training might help him prepare for a leadership role. "Let's work on that," she said. Jason thought help was coming. Ellen thought Jason would bring her a plan. Two weeks later, the deadlines were closer. Nothing had been reassigned. Neither had looked into training. During their next one-on-one, Ellen asked how things were going. "I'm still waiting to hear which project you want me to focus on," Jason said. "I thought we agreed that you would work that out." "And the leadership training?" "Did you find a course?" Jason paused. "I thought you were going to recommend one." They had discussed the same topics. They had left with different expectations. Neither intended to let the other down. But they hadn't agreed on who would do what, or when. Turn a Good Conversation into Clear Next Steps Listening matters. So does what happens after you listen. Before you end your next one-on-one, take a few minutes to make sure you and your employee understand what comes next. Talk about priorities. If everything can't be done at once, agree on what comes first. Ask what might get in the way, and what support would help. Make room for professional growth, too. What does the employee want to learn? What responsibility would they like to prepare for? Identify a step you can each take to move that development forward. Then write down your agreements. Keep the notes simple: what needs to happen, who will do it, and by when. Include your own commitments. Putting It Into Practice Ellen and Jason tried again. "The client proposal comes first," Ellen said. "I'll talk with Marcus today about taking over the weekly report. By Friday, I'll let you know whether he can." "I'll find two leadership courses before our next meeting," Jason said. "Then we can talk about which one fits." Both Jason and Ellen knew what to do next. The following week, both reported their findings and they made decisions on how to move forward. Jason’s work became more aligned with Ellen’s departmental goals. Jason felt valued and appreciated. Their weekly one-to-ones became the backbone of their workplace success. Want to Make Your Workplace Conversations More Productive? Join us for the Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 . Bring a conversation you want to handle more effectively, and let's work on making the next steps clear. Register Here

Want High-Performing Employees? Make Expectations Clear During One-on-Ones

By Cathie Leimbach • September 29, 2026
Sally appreciated that her supervisor made time for weekly one-on-ones. It made her feel valued. But after 18 months with Emerald Corp, something was missing. She rarely received feedback. Her supervisor didn’t tell her what she was doing especially well—or where she needed to improve. And although the company had promised continuing education when she was hired, no development opportunities had materialized. Sally loved learning. Several next-level positions interested her, but she knew she needed additional knowledge and skills. Meanwhile, two college classmates working in other departments had already been promoted. She was a fast learner. She was getting bored. And she was beginning to wonder whether she had a future at Emerald. So Sally started applying elsewhere. During Monday’s one-on-one, she asked her supervisor whether he would serve as a reference. He was stunned. “You’re doing well,” he said. “There are lots of opportunities for you here.” Sally asked whether he would support her applying for an internal position. “Well, you’re doing fairly well,” he replied, “but there are several things you could be doing better. You’d also need more experience or training before you’d be ready for the next level.” Sally was confused. “What should I be doing better?” Her supervisor mentioned a few areas for improvement. “Why haven’t you told me this before?” Sally asked. “No news is good news,” he replied. “You’re certainly not at risk of losing your job.” “But you’re telling me I’m not ready for a promotion. How am I supposed to improve if I don’t know what you expect?” Her supervisor assumed Sally would figure it out over time. Sally had assumed she was already meeting expectations. Both assumptions were costly. Within days, Sally had two interviews with other companies. One-on-Ones Should Help Employees Succeed Employees shouldn’t have to guess what high performance looks like. One-on-ones are an opportunity to make expectations clear and help employees become more successful. Talk about what they are doing well. Be specific about where improvement is needed. Ask about their challenges, interests, and future goals. Then provide the coaching, training, and support that can help them succeed. Don’t wait until an employee asks for a reference to talk about their future. Ask before you assume. Conversation is where leadership happens™ Want to Make Your Workplace Conversations More Productive? Join us for the Workplace Conversations Clinic on October 19 . Bring a conversation you want to handle more effectively, and let's work on making the next steps clear. Register HERE