While we firmly believe that everyone has the potential to be innovative, it does appear that Nanovators are wired a certain way. There is a difference between innovating and being an innovative person, between being a company that innovates and an innovative company. In each case the latter is known for having a deep-seated, ongoing capacity to Nanovate. It’s a permanent part of the bloodstream flowing through the person and into the organization.
Who are the Nanovators? How do they think? What makes them tick? What do they bring to the game that makes Nanovation possible?
X-Like Integrity:
To pull off the Nano project successfully there had to be a huge amount of collaboration. But people are only willing to extend a hand and reach across boundaries if there is trust. Trust and innovation are inseparable and trust is built upon integrity.
Authentic to the Bone:
Talk to Ratan Tata in private and you quickly discover that there is a refreshing “realness” in the way he communicates. He’s not a poser. He doesn’t get on a soapbox and he doesn’t pretend to be someone or something he’s not. His authenticity lends credibility and authority to his words. We find this in a lot of great leaders. They don’t try to fit into the world’s notion of what a super smart, extremely confident, in control, savvy and sophisticated executive should be. They are just themselves.
Confident Humility:
When we think about game-changing innovation we don’t think about being cautious, metered and incremental. We think about leaping over industry paradigms, letting go of personal preconceptions, ignoring self-doubt, and hurdling the criticism of those who say it can’t be done. That takes confidence. It takes guts to stand up among your industry peers and define the target, make it public, and stick to it no matter what obstacles you face. But it also takes humility to build a “global powerhouse” that is taking on the world in IT, steel, power, tea, automobiles and other industries and say, “We have so much yet to learn about internationalizing our business.”
Are you wired to be a Nanovator?
What Nanovators bring to the game is their willingness to go the distance needed to make a dream a reality. Not just the vision, they have the drive to lead, the focus to stay on target and the integrity to win the trust of their teams.
They are wired to win, wired in such a way that they turn creative genius into innovations that can change the world.