For organisations, this is great news. It means innovation isn’t limited to a handful of extraordinary individuals or departments. It’s accessible to everyone when teams are empowered to work together and take ownership of creative problem-solving.
We have to break the Myth of the ‘Eureka Moment’. The idea of sudden inspiration is appealing, but it’s largely a myth. Breakthroughs rarely happen in a single moment of clarity. Instead, they are the result of years of hard work, countless failures, and incremental progress. Thomas Edison didn’t wake up one morning with the fully formed idea of the light bulb. Instead, Edison and his team tested thousands of materials and prototypes before they found the right solution.
The takeaway for organisations is clear: innovation requires patience and a long-term mindset. Leaders must shift their focus from expecting instant results to fostering a culture where continuous improvement is valued. Celebrate the small wins along the way – these are the building blocks of larger successes.
The myth of the lone inventor is equally misleading. Whether it’s the Wright Brothers or Steve Jobs, the reality is that even the most celebrated innovators relied on collaboration. Steve Jobs may have been the face of Apple, but his vision was brought to life by talented collaborators like Steve Wozniak, Jonathan Ive, and countless engineers.
Organisations often underestimate the power of teamwork in innovation. Great ideas rarely come fully formed from one person. They are shaped, refined, and improved through dialogue, feedback, and collaboration.
To harness this power, leaders need to foster a culture of inclusivity and teamwork. They must encourage cross-departmental collaboration and bring together people with diverse skills and perspectives. In addition, they need to create structures like ‘Innovation Hubs’ or task-forces that enable employees to work together on solving challenges. And most importantly, recognise and reward collective achievements. When teams feel valued, they are more likely to contribute their best ideas.
Another common misconception is that innovation is all about having a ‘great’ idea and not only a ‘new’ one. In truth, ideas are abundant – it’s execution that separates success from failure. Many groundbreaking ideas fail because they lack the resources, strategy, or timing to succeed.
Consider James Dyson, who spent years refining over 5,000 prototypes before developing his revolutionary vacuum cleaner. Or the Post-it Note, which started as a failed adhesive experiment at 3M and only became a success after years of development and creative marketing.
For leaders, the lesson is clear: invest in your teams’ ability to execute ideas. Provide them with the time, resources, and support needed to turn concepts into tangible results. And don’t be afraid of failure – it is often a necessary step towards success.
Another big challenge in driving innovation isn’t coming up with ideas – it’s getting people to accept them. Resistance to change is natural. New ideas can feel risky, and they often disrupt the status quo. Even history’s greatest innovators faced pushback. Resistance shows up as hesitation, scepticism, or outright opposition. As a leader, it’s your job to champion new ideas and build trust within your team. Communicate the value of innovation clearly and show how it aligns with the organisation’s goals.
Everyone can be an innovator. One of the most empowering truths about innovation is that it doesn’t belong to a ‘select few’. It thrives in environments where people at all levels feel encouraged to contribute. Some of the most successful organisations in the world have embraced this philosophy.
Take Toyota’s Kaizen approach, which empowers employees at every level to suggest and implement improvements. Or Google’s famous ‘20% time’ example which I keep repeating; and one that allows employees to dedicate part of their workweek to passion projects. These initiatives recognise that innovation can come from anyone – not just leaders or specialised teams.
For organisations to truly embrace innovation, leaders must rethink their role. Innovation doesn’t require you to be the smartest person in the room or the ‘sole’ source of ideas. Instead, it requires you to be an ‘enabler’ of collaboration, creativity and execution.
Start by building psychological safety within your team. Create an environment where employees feel safe to share ideas and take risks without fear of judgement or punishment. Recognise and reward resilience by celebrating lessons learned from failures as well as successes. Encourage cross-functional collaboration to break down silos and bring fresh perspectives to the table. And above all, empower your teams by providing them with the resources, support, and autonomy they need to innovate effectively.
Innovation isn’t magic – it’s a process. It’s not about sudden flashes of genius or solitary inventors; it’s about teamwork, persistence, and a willingness to learn from failure. For organisations, this means that innovation is within reach for everyone.
By fostering collaboration, investing in execution, and championing new ideas, leaders can unlock the creative potential of their teams. The future of innovation lies not in lone geniuses, but in the collective effort of individuals working together to drive meaningful change.
So, let’s retire the myths and embrace the reality: innovation is a team sport, and everyone has a role to play. Join us next month for another edition of Workplace Watch, where we’ll explore more trends shaping the future of work. Until then, keep growing, keep learning, and keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
The author is a growth advocate
&uuid=(email))