P: How do you bring customers into the innovation
process?
S: Ask them! Sounds simple, but ask them. But don’t use
boring, one-dimensional surveys that make it easy for you to
collect data. Take the time to engage in meaningful discussions with your customers. Ask them what could have been
better. Find out their ideas. Run a focus group event, and in
return, for a free [spa treatment or] session, have your best
customers go to town on how and why you are great, and
even how [the spa can] be better.
The biggest mistake companies make is they want customer input but want to get it in a way that is easy for them,
not for the customer.
improve lead conversions or reduce cost. Managers can
control many of these.
The other big role managers play is [the role of] gatekeepers to participation. It is the manager who should actively
seek insight from the front line.
P: What innovation tools or resources would you recommend for those needing creative inspiration?
S: I like to read [about] things [outside] from my industry. I
get real value from interesting business models from unfamiliar industries. Read a lot [including] business magazines. But
the real key is to stop after you have consumed content and
ask: What does this mean for my industry? What could I
apply? How would I apply it?
P: What is the best way to sustain a constant flow of
ideas in the workplace?
S: Event insight and collaboration. Literally, create structured
and time-limited opportunities for people to solve specific
business problems. Running a 24/7 ideas blog or suggestions
box soon loses its appeal. It is better to have short, structured
opportunities for inputs and to build them up and invest in
the experience (have them facilitated) than have a low-level
engagement tool, like a survey or a blog that sits there with
no staff use.
P: Who is your idea of a great innovator?
S: I like people behind the scenes who create amazing
processes, rather than great new products. The vast majority
of businesses are in need of waste elimination—wasted
effort, wasted potential, wasted energy from both staff and
customers. I have always loved what Tim Cook did behind
the scenes at Apple.
I also like Dr. Devi Shetty, a heart surgeon from India, who
has taken the Ford production line concept and applied it to
heart surgery.
P: What is the best way to say “no” to an idea without
discouraging future innovation?
S: Explain “WHY.” The one thing people crave more than
anything else is “WHY.” Every denial is an opportunity to give
your team even greater insight into your business model and
what is needed most to drive it forward. Plus, justification
might force you to open up your own mind as to whether it
really was a bad idea.
P: What role do managers play in innovation?
S: Managers are, in many ways, keys to innovation. An idea
without execution is merely a novelty. The real value is
created when an idea is successfully executed on. Managers
drive this. Plus, more often than not, the most useful and
profitable innovations are ones that are simple tweaks in how
we operate, like those that elevate the customer experience,
WANT MORE INSIGHTS? Register for the 2012 ISPA Conference
& Expo at ispa2012.com to see and hear ChangeLabs CEO Peter
Sheahan in person from 10 – 11:30 am on Oct. 17, 2012 during the
Wednesday General Session.
P: How do you live the spa lifestyle?
S: I travel a lot and, every now and then, spoil myself with a
treatment while on the road. I like deep tissue massage most.
I am taking a sabbatical this year to rejuvenate. I guess you
could say that is living the spa lifestyle. ■
Factors That Can Derail Spas
From Innovating
MARGINS: Innovation can cost money. At the very least, it has an
opportunity cost as it can take your attention away from other activities.
TIME: If you run from one activity to another, you will likely find it hard to
think of creative new ideas for your businesses. It takes time to think. Even at
the peak of Microsoft’s growth, Bill Gates would still take his twice-a-year
“think weeks” when he would reflect and conjure up all sorts of new insights
and strategies for growing his company.
ATTENTION: Are you even looking for ways to improve? If you aren’t, and
you are not asking provocative questions, it is likely that your business will
continue [with the same processes and results].
July 2012
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PULSE 23