Top Tips for Leading Innovation and Change Initiatives

Innovations almost never end poorly; they start poorly.
Many affected change initiatives are asymptomatic early in the project lifecycle.
It is beneficial to invest early on in innovation projects.
President Lincoln's advice: "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening my axe."
- A naive leader starts chopping immediately and becomes tired without making great progress.
- A wise leader spends time sharpening the axe before chopping.
Model for innovation change: Spend the first two-thirds of the time on the front end before even announcing the initiative.
Fundraising example: Harvard raises 60-70% of the goal before publicly announcing it.
Change initiatives shouldn't start poorly to avoid ending poorly.

People will be resistant to change, it's human nature.
The body maintains the status quo (homeostasis). If the temperature goes up or down too much, it may lead to death.
Buddha's insights:
- People suffer change due to fear.
- Fears include fear of the unknown and the impact of the change on one's job.
- Impossible to get anyone to change when their job security depends on not changing.
- the suffering of change. People fear change even when it's for the good.
- Leaders need to understand that positive change can still be scary.

For leading successfully, be a "purple squirrel."
A purple squirrel has the perfect combination of hard and soft skills.
Ideal professional/leader/employee is ambidextrous: possessing both hard and soft skills.
Mentoring: cultivate both hard and soft skills.
Example: Someone with great soft skills but lacking technical skills or vice versa; someone with fantastic hard skills but poor emotional intelligence.