Over the last twenty years or so, Google has become synonymous with web search, email and innovation. Of these, innovation is perhaps the most important. Who remembers when Google acquired YouTube for more than $1.6B back in 2006? Or the creation of Google Glass in 2012? Whether these ventures were a success or a colossal flop, the important takeaway is the priority placed on all the innovation constantly being worked on.
So, you’re not Google. But so what? Any business should always be striving for innovation just like they are — although maybe not on the same scale. Here are six lessons on innovation you can learn from Google.
Have a Mission
Google states their mission is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” When you work towards something you believe in, whether it’s bringing the world closer together via the internet or building a clean-energy plant, you get more inspired every day. That simple statement of your company’s goals and values can and should guide all of your decisions when it comes to new products and developments.
A mission should focus on your users, and every employee should feel connected to it in some way. When your team shares in your vision, everyone is working harder and smarter to achieve goals in innovative ways.
Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
There’s risk associated with everything, but if you let that stop you from trying, you’ll never make any advancements. Google’s short-lived foray into automated TV advertising through Google TV Ads is considered a failure by many people, when really, it was just ahead of its time. Today, automated TV-buying platforms are popping up all over the place and changing the way TV advertising is bought and sold.
Just because something fails the first time doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. Remember that each failure is a stepping stone to a greater success.
Share Everything
Even if something is a passion project of your own or only concerns the top level of your team, you should share it with all of your employees. By sharing everything from earnings reports to product decisions and new policies with everyone, you’ll encourage discussion and reinterpretation of ideas and developments.
When you’re the closest person to a project, you’re often thinking within a certain box, and it can be difficult to step outside of it. This can lead to easily missing details and opportunities that would be highlighted by thinking in a different way. By having conversations with your employees or colleagues, you’ll get a fresh perspective on things and may even spark a new idea.
Spend Time on Side Projects
A few years ago, Google instituted a policy that encourages a kind of work-work balance. In other words, employees are encouraged to spend about 20 percent of the work day on dreaming up and working on new ideas for the company, rather than on their direct jobs.
It may seem counterintuitive to take away from the tasks at hand, but side projects that are more experimental in nature can lead to some fantastic innovation. Google isn’t the only company that has adopted this time structure. 3M’s famous Post-It Note was invented during one of these work-work balance innovation times.
Find Partners Outside Your Field
Not all innovation has to be done within your set vertical. An excellent way to branch out and spark new ideas is by taking on a partner in a different industry. Google’s latest push into the realm of self-driving cars has given way to a partnership with Ford. Their partnership will combine Google’s software for autonomous cars with Ford’s vehicular engineering.
By taking on a partner in a complementary field to your own, the possibilities for innovation become even greater.
Don’t Shoot for Perfection
Perfect doesn’t exist. No one is perfect, and that translates to your projects as well. If you want to innovate, work in iterations. Thanks to its search engine, Google has become a very commonly used verb, but that wasn’t always the case. Google releases version after version of its products, making changes and upgrades every time.
Each iteration of a product comes that much closer to perfection. Start from the bottom, and take it one step at a time.
When it comes to innovation, there are quite a few lessons you can learn from Google. It remains one of the most exciting companies out there, and it’s definitely not the youngest. By adopting some of these habits in your company, you can jump-start your innovation as well.
