IL2008 Helene Blowers

Helene started her presentation with a great idea- have people share business cards with two people…
How do you start making change happen in your library…

Note to self: difficult to follow when speaker goes to back of room

Innovation is not the terms we use – it’s about taking some fresh ideas and doing something with it. Not about best practices- it’s about fresh practices. Don’t duplicate… innovate.

Innovation is just about being remarkable. “Innovation Circle” by Tom Peters. These books are really about changing the organizational process to allow for innovation. Because innovation is messy. Make it an iterative process. It’s constantly always in Beta- changing. You are delivering at 80% and always refining. It’s about risky behavior and being comfortable with risk and knowing you may fail. And looking for new patterns. Knowing that what we are doing today isn’t going to be sufficient for tomorrow.


Seeds of Innovation

1. Creativity - thinking of new ideas – wee need a “shower office”. Focus on Quantity not quality. Let those ideas be as crazy as you want be a collector of ideas. Take your office somewhere else. Bounce your ideas with others to get those ideas moving and see which ones have some stickiness.

Strategy - This is the one we need to focus on the most. You are going to be a change agent and change your organization.

Here are some tips
1. Make it believable- to convince your administration to put time make sure you tie your idea to the MVV- Mission, vision and values. AND communicate in those terms.
2. Create alliances. You must make those connections. You need to make really, really good relationships.
3. Don’t ask for permission, ask for support to build a leadership opportunity and run with it.
4. Sell your vision personally. You can’t sell your vision on paper…. Ake an appt with the most strategic person in your organization to the people who will champion that idea.
5. Find a champion who will support your vision, ideas.


Implementation
Projects and project management. The triangle talks about the constraints – resources, time and scope of work.

Profitability
The change that is going to occur- the outcomes. How does it make it meaningful for your organization.


THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY INNOVATIVE PEOPLE

1. Persistence – many people give up once they try something and it doesn’t work. Keep at it. A lot of erosion to make a mountain of change.
2. Remove self-limiting inhibitions
3. Take risks, make mistakes and forgive yourself
4. Escape and explore new angles
5. Collect ideas and write things down
6. Find patterns create connections – try to connect ideas
7. Focus in the input – stay curious and ask “why”



Employees
How to convince your management to give you the time

Managers
How do you support innovation- get out of the way and let the creativity grow. Your job is to inspire passion and innovation.


Audience
- Think tank at Omaha PL- starting a wellness 2.0 Helene is building in mini think tank sessions
- Ask management for support, accept leadership and take responsibility foe the risk. Know what’s important to your management. No magic formula, persistence is huge, don’ give up. Refocus, rethinking, try another way.
- I want to start a pilot program- start small and get excited
- Don’t care about credit- give it to management!
- Management’s job is fertilizing to help people grow to support them to take leadership and taking risks to make amazing things happen.
- We are remphasizing customer service – remembering how we treat people is how they are share their experiences- relaunching customer service
- “Other side of the desk: - schedule a ride along to get an indea of where they are coming from….