Top 5 Key Drivers for Running a Business as an Innovator

Regardless of a company’s size, every company can become what the biggies are at the forefront today as long as it is persistent enough! But is that enough really? It is very commonly known that almost all companies strive to drive excellence through strategy and innovation but only a few come across as being able to produce the rightful results in terms of bringing to the market profitable yet innovative products/services. So why do some companies struggle as being strategic innovators, inspite of spending a good amount of money on research and development?

“Not all successful people are born in Gold cradles”

While it may seem appealing and justified, money is not the only key that drives a business growth. I come from an experience in all things Technology from a time in India, when Technology in itself was not a known concept, in fact the whole idea was alien. I was fortunate enough that I realised my passion and purpose in this living world in the field of Electronics back in the time, when we did not really have leadership mentors nor was it a time when the society adapted to the idea of venturing into private sectors, leaving behind the idea of having a well-settled and convenient government job. Because I always had an entrepreneurial spirit in me “I will pave my own path, I will do my own thing”. And trust me the journey wasn’t as easy as my words may seem at the moment. I worked with various corporations across the globe and paved my own knowledge streak towards Global Electronics and Technology as a whole. From what today has been an experience of over 25 years, I can only say that the journey from an R&D Engineer to the CEO of Glide Technology, couldn’t have been any better.

My prime driving factors of being the best at what I have done so far is by following my personal mantra – “To grow as ever and learn forever”. Being a Techie with a Business acumen needs an amalgamation of (Innovation + Strategic Thinking) X Disciplined Execution – the absolute rightful formula to be the best at anything you aspire to do. To put it in simple words, the following are my top followed key drivers I have used in my professional and day to day activities, be it in a role of an Engineer or to this day as being a Leader at my Organization:

• • Curiosity – Curiosity is the greatest leadership trait of all time. Being in an industry like Electronics and all things Tech, it is on the more vital to have an attitude to constantly outgrow our own set solutions. Innovation’s primary driver is a curious outlook to things and the streak to know more and how!

• • Risk Management – With the adoption of a curious and an innovative approach for a better performance, comes the risk of being exposed to repercussions of a bad strategy, if at all. The idea is not only to play safe, but to play and mitigate in a manner that any situation incurred would be acted upon in a practical and timely manner. My own personal streak at such situations is driven by a self-dialogue like – “Stop and look at the downside risk of every decision. If you can live with the consequences of a decision, then stop analysing and go ahead and make the decision.”

• • Opportunistic Attitude – Being an innovator for your business, it is crucial that one is proactive and takes initiative and ownership for success in their venture. With such a regular practice, comes the habit of anticipation of the pros and cons of the next step in action as a whilst also avoiding over-analysis. An eye for detail is essential for a business innovator to be aware of the new opportunities coming their way or otherwise.

• • Strategic Outlook – Having a Strategic perspective helps maintain the business innovation strategies at the optimum level. As a leader, such an attitude is my motivating factor to be aware of the industry trends in the market and its implication on my organization.

• • Excellence in Execution – Lastly, as an innovative leader my excellence is my confidence in authority and the vitality to turn tough situations into prime opportunities. As long as you are focused, competent and passionate towards your goal nothing can beat your drive to a quality execution excellence.We at Glide Technology drive innovation excellence built in a multi-year effort. Our journey continues to assimilate these leading practices, forming an essential operating model for innovation in our company’s organizational culture and structure.

I encourage each and every one reading this to follow suit and make a difference in their own respective ventures!

Feel free to connect with me or message me your thoughts on LinkedIn.