Innovation’s Dirty Little Secret by Larry Osborne
What is it that makes serial innovators be successful? Why is it that so many people fail in their
entrepreneurial efforts? Pastor Larry
Osborne tackles this relevant subject in his new book entitled Innovation’s Dirty
Little Secret. After bearing witness to
the crash and burn attempts at innovation in Ch. 1 (18), Larry makes the point
that ‘failure is such an integral part of innovation and change’ (19). Larry
powerfully envisions that successful organizations will not mask their failures
or cover them up through quick fixes but will learn to gain wisdom from the
most trying of situations. This book is
an excellent resource for those in ministry and those in businesses that are
trying to find the right balance of innovation and wisdom.
In chapter 6, Larry points out that two of innovation’s most
powerful igniters are two questions: What frustrates me most and What’s broken
most” (48)? These annoyances aren’t at
the level of another’s workers sarcastic comments but deeper, gnawing frustrations. On one of the most telling lines in this
chapter is when Larry writes, “You don’t have to be a naturally born innovator
to ignite the innovation process. You
just have to be frustrated enough to believe there’s a better way. You don’t have to be the one who comes up
with the better way” (49). If our
frustration with the way things are going is to be overcome, then our
frustration must be fuel for the fire of creativity. Looking for people who are innovative and
picking their brains for a new vision and imagination is key to moving beyond
frustration to a new vision. Larry pointed
out his own problem in this chapter at the church he pastors when the church could
seat 500 people but there were 3,000 in attendance. By promoting video venues where people could watch
the worship service on a screen, the church was able to get the word out without
frustrating growth. The broken problem
turned into a blessing in disguise for Larry and his church.
Lastly, Larry offers some wise advice on surveys in chapter
13. He writes, “When it comes to
innovation, the only votes that matter are the yes votes. You need enough yes votes to support a trial
run….If it proves to b e a truly great idea, the number of no votes won’t
matter. They’ll change their votes and
minds soon enough” (105). Counting the
no votes doesn’t expedite the innovation process and this is one of the biggest
problems with voting. Yet, if you can
get enough people in support of an organizational change, then those who rail
against it will either join the team or get off the tracks. I would add that those who don’t support
change often have thought little about an additional proposal for change but
rather are against the vote no matter what.
Thank to Cross Focused Reviews and Zondervan for the copy of
this book in exchange for review.
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