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impact we want to achieve more than simply the physical thing. these, seeking them out, applying them in the right amount and at the right time whilst adapting, reacting, and leading the world around you to create the conditions for the “thing”

Innovation Today to ? ourish and scale up achieving real impact, that is true in-

I believe that we live in a world where technology is mov- ing so quickly that true innovation needs to be directed at the novation.

adoption and scale of new technologies rather than any new technologies or discoveries themselves. Our natural thirst for The Real Meaning of Innovation adventure and understanding will always force us to “come up I realize that this goes very much against the grain of what with something new” but innovation is about creating the con- we typically assume innovation to mean. Many people might ditions in which these new things can actually achieve impact assume that the version of innovation I have spelt out equates in the real world. Creating and orchestrating the conditions to to “getting stuff done”. However, achieving this on scale is allow this to happen is extremely dif? cult. It’s that moment fundamentally essential to actually getting important things where businesses either succeed or fail, or where ideas be- done, no matter the new ideas, technology or engineering. come reality or simply wither away. This innovation can only Seeing this as an integrated partnership is true innovation that be done by humans, and it’s a state of mind and set of human will have the largest and longest impact. It doesn’t take a lot behaviors that lie at the core. They aren’t new, shiny or par- to work out that my innovation is essentially the core traits ticularly innovative in the common understanding of the term, required to “get stuff done”, something we all possess. If we but rather they lie at the heart of what I believe innovation to can truly hone this to create those conditions for the “things” be and are essential to create the conditions that allow some- to ? ourish and achieve impact at the right time, then that is the thing to have such an impact that it fundamentally shifts our key surely? Keep the good ideas, clever engineering, amazing interaction with the world around us and how we think about science coming and pair it with my innovation and that’s our it; bold ambition, clarity of goals, building relationships, be- future neatly sown up. If only it were that simple! The thing ing vulnerable, focus and hard work, diversity of skills, ex- about innovation is that it is completely subjective. Overlay perience and cultural background. Recognizing the need for that on my de? nition, and we are back to square one.

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