This might seem a strange moment to talk about innovation.
It would be natural for any SME to be concentrating their energies on the latest price shock or supply issue.
New stuff can wait until things stabilise, right?
Well, it depends on what you mean by innovation.
When I arrived at this business 15 years ago, I found it stuck in its ways and fearful of change. People told me they didn’t think they could innovate in their role. It wasn’t in the job description.
This depressed me. It became one of the first things about our culture I set out to change. Feeling free to do what you do, but better, is right at the heart of personal job satisfaction and overall business health.
Innovation in a typical SME isn’t like bringing out the next iPhone.
It can be about the smallest gains and improvements. If your forklift operator finds a way of doing a task more efficiently, this must be taken seriously and celebrated.
We prefer to talk about innovation as ‘finding new ways to do business’. This is something everyone can do.
Yes, that might mean a big move like identifying a new supply chain that’s not at the mercy of the Strait of Hormuz!
But it’s much more likely to be something that moves a dial by just 1%.
Do both and your business will thank you.
