Gaining Leadership Backing for Your Innovations

When you have a groundbreaking idea for a new product, it can be challenging to know how to proceed, especially if the idea doesn't align with your current department's responsibilities. Rather than waiting for the right group to pick up your idea, it's essential to push forward without hesitation. Many companies, such as Google and 3M, actively support employee innovation by granting specific periods during the workday for employees to develop their own projects.

These firms often allocate around 15% of an employee's time to such initiatives. The 3M "15 percent culture" is one such example, where employees are allowed to pursue their own ideas during work hours. This policy gave rise to the Post-it Note, developed by a 3M scientist named Arthur Fry. Similarly, Apple's original Macintosh computer was built by a small group of engineers, known as pirates, who were pulled away from their regular duties.

Google's Gmail system, although often mistakenly attributed to their "20% time" policy, was actually an official assignment. However, Google's true innovation engine lies in its secretive "moonshot" lab, X, where projects like self-driving cars and Google Glass were incubated. Amazon's Lab126, which started as a small skunkworks subsidiary, now has nearly 3,000 employees and is responsible for products like the Kindle and Echo.

To successfully drive change in your organization, it's crucial to build a promoter triad around your idea. This involves identifying a technology promoter, who has the idea and possesses technical expertise, process promoters who understand the organization's networks and decision-making processes, and power promoters who have the influence to get the idea approved and implemented.

By developing a strong network of these promoters, you can increase the likelihood of your innovative idea becoming a fully implemented and scalable solution.