INNOVATION & LEARNING:

6 barriers blocking
your success

INNOVATION & LEARNING:

6 barriers blocking your success

Innovate or die. Thats what we read or hear in some

to make a significant shift, and this guide has been

shape or form everyday. The creative have found fancier

designed to help liberate you from the six types of self-

ways of saying the same thing tied to ROI or other

talk that will keep you stuck on the hamster wheel of

acronyms that we generally associate with gloom over

dilemmas.

possibilities of good. Like death and taxes, innovation

is inevitable, even if it happens kicking and screaming.
Of course, it doesnt have to be this way! This guide will

Innovation, defined

show you how you can positively influence innovation

First things first, what is innovation? Simply stated,

in your team, department or organization through

innovation is value generation in the form of processes,

something you do everyday: learning.

products and services that enhance quality of life.

When I say learning, Im not just talking about the

minimal required training and development activities
that are more of an onboarding or annual performance
management tick box. Im referring to the sum of work

Innovation is meaningfulit makes things easier, happier

and less complex so that we can spend more time doing
what we want to do, and less time trying to make more
time.

experience paired with the people, environment and

Make sense? Creativity, while empowering innovation

knowledge that you socialize, internalize and synthesize

through the ability to approach what we have always

within your everyday life. Innovation can be a walk in

known in new and novel ways, doesnt necessarily

the park if thats where you connect the dots between

produce value-yielding outcomes. Thus, innovation is the

I wonder and I will to spark the unexpected in your

application of creativity resulting in greater value.

organization. That walk in the park may be online

Okay, so innovation creates new value, but why now?

learning from your industry peers in the comfort of your

own home or office.

Why not now? In her most recent book The New Social
Learning author, business strategist and TED Mentor

Now may be where you say, But were already really

Marcia Conner captures it perfectly: In a world of

creative as an organization and come up with great

rapid change, we each need to garner as much useful

ideas all the time. Two things:

information as possible, sort through it in a way that

meets our unique circumstances, calibrate it with what

1. Creativity and innovation are not the same thing and

2. Leaders (yes, Im calling you out) are pretty great at
designing barriers to innovation.

we already know, and re-circulate it with others who

share our goals.
Innovation is in and of itself the outcome of learning
at its finest. Furthermore, we are living in an era where
social proof is king. One of Facebooks newest ad

Hopefully youre an exception to what I call The Big

But Dilemma, the insecurities associated with doing
something different and deviating from the status quo.
A fear-based mindset is not abnormal when you need

campaigns depicts activities your friends are engaged

in and asks you to click and explore it. It can help
you decide if an activity is right for you or create the
awkward feeling that youre missing out on something
incredible. This is no different in the corporate world.

We take social cues from golf course banter and make

Removing the But thats keeping you from

business decisions using instincts consciously and

innovating and learning

unconsciously influenced by our cumulative engagement

But.

on social platforms. Research more quickly validates, and

impacts are on a much greater scale than ever before.
The fun and compelling fact that there are more people
with mobile phones in the world than toothbrushes
shows just how inextricably technology and learning are
linked. This and that bad breath has nothing to do with
good business, in our digitally connected world!

#1 I dont have time/budget: As a leader, you are likely

already doing things that support innovation in your
organization. You probably read TechCrunch, WSJ or
Mashable and other relevant publications. What are you
seeing that you cant not act on? More importantly, are
you encouraging your people to do the same? Bite-sized
knowledge in real-time through e-learning is one of the
most efficient and effective ways to help build a mindset

Innovate or else

around innovation in the workplace with very little cost.

Fresh content, delivered in a lean way through video
or short courses infuses technical learning with fresh
insights. Innovation is about looking at the everyday with
a different perspective and recognizing whats relevant
to your business. You dont need a big budget to create
culture curiosity. Free trials for e-learning programs are
an amazing source of ideas and inspiration. There are

If youre still not convinced, think of Blockbuster and

Kodak, companies that failed to innovate and did
indeed die. The emergence of Netflix, iPhonography and
Instagram changed the game so fundamentally that
reactive measures had no chance. When it comes to
innovation, being proactive and experimenting is key
everything else is an exercise in futility. Always be on the

companies who design mobile and digital learning for

this very reason so experts in the field can bring content
to life with stories and examples of whats happening in
the world right now, when it matters.
Motivation is the catalyzing ingredient for every
successful innovation. The same is true for learning.

hunt for the next tweak that will take your organization

Clayton M. Christensen, Author & Innovation Influencer, Disrupting

to the next level. Yes, tweak. Innovation is not necessarily

Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns

a light-bulb moment for something revolutionary.

Great innovations can be incremental in scope but
revolutionary in impact. Take self-serve technology for
example. It hasnt entirely changed the way we function,
but has enabled us to spend more time doing the things

#2 I dont have enough/right people: Perhaps you

have some roles to fillvacant or occupied. This is often
the reality but dont let this get in the way of doing what
you can with the people you already have. Here are

we want instead of waiting in long lines to check-in at

some hacks to maximize your people resources:

the airport, check-out at the grocery store or check-up

Use low-cost, high value assessments like Cliftons

on our benefits and vacation time at work. Uber and

StrengthsFinder 2.0, Myers-Briggs, DiSC and

Airbnb (whose most recent innovation is a fantastic

Kolbs Learning Style Inventory to get a deeper

tweak on branding) are other examples of how mobile

understanding of the talent you have. Your Learning

technology trends have simplified life.

& Development or HR Team may already have a

Think about innovation as an exercise in becoming

treasure-trove of this data waiting to be discovered in

an expert learner. Leveraging every opportunity for

knowledge, informally and formally, through a network
of experts and personal experience will set you on the
right course. Lets get those hurdles removed so you can
resolve the Big But Dilemma and get into action.

a whole new way.

 Empower your people to shine by assembling teams

that leverage their best skills at the right time in the
innovation processbe it generating and vetting ideas
or piloting viable ones. Start by thinking about the
projects and tasks in which each individual has had
high achievement (and enjoyment).
Use your existing internal communication structure

Life is what happens to you when youre busy making

other plans.
John Lennon

#4 Im not an innovative person. I wont go meta

on you with an anecdote on the power of intention
or start explaining quantum physics. Instead, I will

for gamification opportunities to highlight individuals,

say, trust whats in your gut. We are the most creative

ideas and strengths. People love contributing ideas,

and innovative when we do and be more of whom we

and competition leader boards with the promise of

already are when we are at our best. Learn this about

getting recognition of an idea worth spreading is

yourself and help your employees see it as well. What

a great non-cash incentive. Hackathons are great

is it that you do naturally, almost unconsciously, that

examples of socially facilitated learning.

you are known for? Is it your ability to hire excellent

Ultimately, its about discovering the unique value that

each of your current employees brings to work everyday.
By connecting the dots in a novel way, you may see an
entirely different picture that reveals new possibilities.
Onlyness: Each of us is standing in a spot that no one
else occupies. That unique point of view is born of our
accumulated experience, perspective, and vision.
Nilofer Merchant the Jane Bond of Innovation, three-time TED

talent, develop resilient business strategy or lead your

organization through massive change? This is the space
to incubate your innovation magic. When you know
it, capture it and share it through podcasts and other
media that automagically becomes e-learning in its
collective form.
Follow your instincts, thats where true wisdom
manifests itself.
Oprah Winfrey

Speaker and Author of #TheSocialEra

#3 There are more urgent needs: There will always be

more urgent needs. Innovation, though, is important.
A push-aside-and-pray mentality delays the inevitable.
While youre busy putting out fires, your competitors
are finding a way to do both. Make the time and space
to think and act collaboratively on tangents that may
create brilliant paths to profitable opportunities and
encourage your staff to do the same. Hold brief web/
video meetings. Record them and provide shared access.
Its great for those who missed the conversation as
well as to spark new thinking for those who were there.
This type of digital archive can be a form of social and
collaborative learning if a space is created to start and
continue discussions. Chevron uses a social conversation
technology as a way to deliver live/recorded Health
& Safety training and to discuss development
opportunities. And, if you dont get together with your
team regularly for updates or training, why not? Get on
with it.

#5 Everything is working fine. How different are you

from your competitors? Do you know? Are you clear
on why your customers choose you and feel confident
they will keep doing so if everything remains the same?
Im not saying look for things to break. Im saying dont
be afraid to break what could be reassembled in a more
value-creating way that will make the decision easy for
your customers and talent to choose you, every time. If
youve tried and failed in the past, study and learn from
it. Dig deeper beyond the inbred ideas that arise during
your internal meetings and relentlessly elevate your
focus on innovating to own the market.
In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be
different.
Coco Chanel

#6 Perhaps your but is - But I dont have full leadership

In my personal manifesto, I share my philosophy about

support. This is a tough one when a culture of innovation

the modern world at work. I speak about innovation

doesnt yet exist. Here are some ways you can start

specifically,

influencing one as a leader:

Innovation Beyond Invention you dont need a patent

Set an expectation to do things differently/better.

to ignite potential, just a fresh perspective.

This can be through performance conversations oneon-one as well as by sharing examples of how others
on the team or across the organization have done this.

Fresh perspectives are hidden in plain sight. Take one

from this guide and co-create a better everyday life for
the people you serve.

Get innovation on the agenda at all meetings the

ones you lead as well as the ones youre invited to.
This helps create a habit, which helps curate a positive
culture and mindset. If your organizations values are

REAL TRAINING. REAL BUSINESS. REAL RESULTS.

rooted in thinking and being different, use this to get

If you want an elite technology team, give them training

buy-in to make it front and center.

they can take seriously. Pluralsight gives you access to:

Clear the way for new ideas to take root. This may
be in the form of approvals, budget or clearly stating
your sponsorship of a project or idea. Sometimes its
pushing for access to technology that will connect
your team or organization in a more meaningful
way. Every organization should have an internal
communication ecosystem that enables multi-way
communication. There many solutions with low

3,000+ IT, developer and creative online courses with

new ones added daily
Original content authored by the industrys top experts
On-demand learning so employees watch where they
want, when its convenient and on any device
Corporate management portal and reporting to
monitor progress

barriers to implementation and adoption. Be generous

with the full power of your leadership.
Recognize and reward risk and effort. Failure is a
necessary part of innovation. New program pilots
may not always go smoothly or experiments may be
outright flops. When this happens, talk about it and
document it as a learning opportunity. Encourage

Ready to empower your team and say goodbye

to classroom-based training? Contact us:
sales@pluralsight.com
1.888.368.1240 | 1.801.784.9007

project managers to share this knowledge across the

organization. Doing this creates a safe place for people

AUTHOR BIO:

to fail moving forward.

Dont forget to tie innovation to company and
department measures. By doing this, you will speak
the language of organizational leadership and help
create a more common language across titles, levels,
departments and countries.
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a
follower.
Steve Jobs

Salima Nathoo

Named one of the Top 100 Most Social

HR Experts on Twitter by Huffington Post,
Salima Nathoo is a talent development leader,
executive facilitator and social learning
strategist. Her big thinking approach, expertise
in learning-design and LeanLearningTM
methodology, help companies elevate human
potential and profit. Salima has over 12 years
of experience in the field of HR & Workplace
Engagement and contributes to top workplace
and leadership blogs TalentCulture.com
and SwitchandShift.com. She has a B.A. in
Economics from NYU and a M.Ed. in Adult
Learning & Global Change from the University
of British Columbia. Salimas latest project
is Founder/Editor of RocktheGlow.com, a
destination for beauty, fashion and lifestyle
wisdom so anyone, anywhere can Play Smart.
Feel Fabulous.