Motola Oyebanjo: Innovation? What a Terrible Idea!
May is Innovation Month here at Union Bank as we think up great ideas via our Ideas Bank to create new products and improve our processes, so we can give more value to our customers.
As the month progressed, I realized the task of inspiring innovation can actually be daunting. There is so much work to do and everyone is terribly busy doing important stuff. Add to that the fact that a recent visit to the petrol station reminds me boys and girls are not smiling... and now you are asking them to take time out to innovate? Who came up with such a terrible idea?
After some thought I hope you come to the same conclusion I have.
Who are those who call for innovation? Those who see beyond the here and now. Those who know that today's challenges are opportunities for gain. Those who recognize that tomorrow's opportunities will be met by solutions created today.
The New York Times recently shared an interesting story. About 100 years ago, Rau Harroun participated in the first Indianapolis 500 automobile race as a one-man team. This doesn't sound like a big deal until you discover that back then, race cars always had two men on board. One of the key jobs of the second man was to look backward and alert the driver to what was going on behind him.
So why was Harroun going solo? He assured officials he had rigged a 3-inch-by-8-inch mirror in a makeshift case mounted above his dashboard, so he didn't need a second man.
This is the first known use of a ‘rear-view mirror’ in car racing and yes, Harroun went ahead to win the race. He did this in part because of the aerodynamic advantages his one-man car gave him over the others.
That’s the benefit of innovation. Innovation helps us win. It helps us advance. It helps us discover. It helps us tap from within and it gives us a real sense of fulfilment. Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple Inc, stated that “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” I have to agree.
If you invest the time to come up with something great, you could actually turn your ideas into money in the bank, change an existing paradigm, create immense value or even saves lives.
What new idea have you thought up and tried out recently? Don’t be too ‘busy’ to innovate. Let’s make our lives count.
Motola Oyebanjo is a Strategic Communications Consultant and trained Economist. She is currently the Head of Strategic Communications and Media at Union Bank of Nigeria. She has served as Client Service Director, AerialView, Managing Editor, Study International, Head of Corporate Communications, British Council and Internal Communications Manager, Unilever among other appointments.
