Innovation
Creating new ideas and better ways to solve problems or improve things.
Why this matters
Innovation matters because "Creating new ideas and better ways to solve problems or improve things" can either stay abstract or become something people can observe. It belongs to the moments where trying again matters more than already being good. It appears in the small verbs around it: create, design, and develop. That keeps innovation from becoming decoration and turns it into something a person can actually practice.
Examples in action
- The company encouraged innovation by setting aside time for employees to experiment with new ideas and celebrating creative failures as learning opportunities.
- One small example is a learning choice: using "develop" to make innovation observable in one decision.
- A repeated sign of innovation is the willingness to design even when the reward is delayed, private, or hard to measure.
How to practice
- Compare innovation with Beauty, Craftsmanship, and Fine Art; notice where they support each other and where they ask for different actions.
- When the situation gets blurry, return to the action words: create, design, develop, and pioneer.
- Turn the definition into a sentence that starts with "Today I will..." and includes one concrete behavior.
- Make the value visible to one other person through a choice they could actually notice.
Associated verbs
The verb map below gives innovation a practical shape: each action is one way the value can become visible.
Related values
These related values help place innovation in context, especially when one situation asks for several values at once.
Frequently asked questions
- What does innovation mean as a value?
- As a value, innovation points to Creating new ideas and better ways to solve problems or improve things. You can usually recognize it through concrete actions such as create, design, develop, and pioneer.
- How do I practice innovation?
- To practice innovation, pick one of its verbs, such as "develop", and apply it to a specific conversation, decision, routine, or repair.
- What values are related to innovation?
- Beauty, Craftsmanship, and Fine Art are useful companions to innovation. They show where this value may need support, balance, or clearer boundaries.