Nurture proactivity

Every innovation leader I meet wants a more proactive team. They want people who spot the problem, see the opportunity, run the experiment, make the call, and do not wait for the decision makers' blessing.

Their usual attempt at "fixing" the situations is to focus on either developing the innovators' skills, so they can do the work better, or providing reasons why being more proactive is beneficial.

And while "can-do" and "reason-to-do" are very important for becoming more proactive, the underlying base is "energy-to-do." In other words, if there is no passion, no desire, no strong emotion regarding the innovative idea at hand, then no amount of can-do and reason-to can compensate for it.

That's why indifference is one of the most valuable signals. If innovation team members are apathetic, then immediate action must be taken. Get in the room with them, and figure out what is draining their energy. You might be surprised with what you learn.