By Mayur Ramgir, founder of Zonopact, Inc and author of “Unbarred Innovation: A Pathway to Greatest Discoveries“
A ship that is tethered to the harbour is not going anywhere – think out of the box and allow innovation to flow by making simple switches to your lifestyle and mindset.
The ideology that innovation comes only with talent is a misconception as any person, business and organisation has the potential to be a world-changing innovator.
Explore the journey to this limitless ability starting with the first steps to innovation; one of which is removing all mental barriers that can prevent you from becoming the best version of yourself. As shared in my book “Unbarred Innovation: A Pathway to Greatest Discoveries“, the process starts the moment you decide to transform yourself and your way of thinking before you can see visible results. Innovation can flow after that with aid from simple strategies, which can become a routine part of your life.
Discover the benefits of creating a trans-disciplinary team that allow innovators to create a bubble of influence that can aid them in their endeavours – no matter how knowledgeable one may be, gaps that prevent a holistic worldview are inevitable. And that’s what a trans-disciplinary team can fill; beside a unique perspective, members can provide passive contributions that might provide innovators the key to unlock their potential and flourish in their respective fields. This dedicated network can also encourage you to keep your thinking out of the box with brainstorming sessions, utilisation of lateral thinking and keeping negative thoughts at bay.
As such naturally, the next step is self-realisation through self-exploration. Never underestimate existing abilities and to allow your passion free reign by disregarding doubts and insecurities. Granted, this approach may seem a little self-centered but the sheer number of benefits it offers makes it worth it.
Self-motivation and the belief that no difficulty is insurmountable are the keys to success – the reason most people lose motivation after starting their journey is because they fail to create a plan at the beginning. A passionate person knows what he/she wants and creates a plan accordingly with actionable steps. Of course, before you can determine your strengths, you have to test yourself by taking risks and through them, understanding the values offered.
With that, you can then take the insights received through self-actualisation and use them to make innovation a part of your lifestyle; one of the ways most successful innovators achieve is by broadening their horizons through travel. This removes barriers from the thought process and provides you the unique opportunity to evaluate yourself without judgement and influences that might be holding you back. The sense of achievement comes with the realisation that the only thing holding you back is your own preservation. This can also inspire you to increase your perspective by taking a proactive approach to your growth such as taking part in talks, workshops and seeking feedback on your ideas from experts.
The proceeding chapters discuss the barriers that we usually set up, preventing creativity. Some of those include perceptual barriers, monetary barriers which some believe are prerequisites to success, personal biasness between individuals belonging to different backgrounds and cultures, over-reliance on logic and last but not least, thinking that a degree is more important than acquiring a good, holistic education.
The last chapter in “Unbarred Innovation” is particularly important since it is a global concern, and one that has clipped the wings of a number of potential innovators and revolutionaries in a number of industries and fields – advice for educational institutions and students alike in this regard and how they can ensure maximum impact of existing curricular, and detailing the importance of innovation in a corporate setting especially when it comes to providing value for customers. In order to ensure growth, companies have to encourage innovation individually from the executive to the junior level to cut costs and increase value via an internal and external analysis.
“Unbarred Innovation: A Pathway to Greatest Discoveries” inspires with the concept that innovation is not limited to a few people only. It is an ongoing process that is inherent in each and every individual who is passionate about their success and want to broaden their horizons. From students and travellers to educationalists and office workers – the unique perspective about innovation will allow you to realise the meaning of life and how it can also contribute to the society.
Mayur Ramgir is the founder and CEO of Zonopact, Inc. He leads a team of 20 cloud experts at Zonopact, a complete business IT and consulting firm that helps clients solve complex problems within budget. He is the author of “Unbarred Innovation: A Pathway to Greatest Discoveries“.
