10 tips for a successful innovation initiative

Ten Innovation Tips_web
It’s not enough to think out of the box, you should step out of the box

Maher Mezher – one of the top experts in innovation in the region, shares his ten recommendations to follow if you want your innovation initiative to succeed.

Have a Vision or an Objective

Innovation must have a direction or purpose that will help your team understand and remember information. It is important to streamline efforts in one direction to increase success rates. It’s up to the leader to illustrate the vision, objectives, and role of each team member to inspire and engage them to become passionate and make things happen.

Think Like an Artist

Start by breaking the rules by challenging all assumptions and thinking out of the box. Only those who dare to think big can change the world. Having a free mindset is crucial to unlocking new opportunities. Be imaginative.

Act Like a Leader

How many times have you had creative or new ideas but were puzzled or afraid to implement them? Fear is the biggest enemy of innovators. Take action to champion your ideas.

Accept Failure 

You must encourage people to come up with creative ideas and give them the freedom to share them. Boosting creativity and self-confidence is the key to building an innovative culture. In other words, foster failing forward as stated by Nelson Mandela, “Leaders don’t fail, they either win or learn.”

Build Partnerships

Build your kingdom by signing partnerships with passionate and unique partners that believe in you and what you do. Two brains are better than one and two partners are stronger than one.

Foster the Concept of Simplified Daily Innovation

Daily work should be done as incremental innovations. People tend to wrongly think that they have to come up with breakthrough innovations and that only geniuses and executives can do so.

It’s not enough to think out of the box, you should step out of the box 

It’s good to come up with creative ideas, but it’s never enough to do so. Transforming your ideas into real profitable innovations is the name of the game.  Therefore, applying an innovation process with tools makes it easier.

Rewards and Recognitions

Remember that people work for money and die for recognition, as Dale Carnegie discovered.  Individuals all over the world ask themselves one question whenever you introduce a new concept: What’s in it for me?Learn to reward effort and celebrate success.

Apply the Surprise Factor

We’re living in a distracted world. Therefore, if you don’t create a memorable experience, no one will remember you. The surprise factor is a shortcut to trust –  surprise or be surprised.

Perfect Your Pitch

Most ideas don’t see the light of day because of a weak pitch.  Practice makes it perfect.  Both internal and external audiences should believe in you and in your idea.  Perfect your pitch until you have a solid convincing story.


About the author

Maher-Mezher

Maher Mezheris one of the top experts in innovation in the region. He launched the Fertility Loan, the first of its kind, gaining international recognition and positioning First National Bank as the most creative and innovative in its products.

Maher is the inventor of the Innovators Tool® the first Innovation App built on sound effects, 3D animated images, dynamic quotes, sonic and strategic tailored questions, that guides innovators to transform their creative ideas into profitable innovations. He is as well the inventor of the Innovators Process® the newly designed agile Innovation Process along with the Innovators Notebook©that helps embed the innovation culture and regain creative self-confidence. He is the founder of Innovators League SARL –  a leading regional Innovation consulting and training company.

He launched 3 innovative retail banking products and has filed a number of patents and innovations in different industries. He is currently finalizing his book on innovation “Leading Through Innovation©” believing that nowadays the only way to lead and grow is through innovation and leadership. He holds a master’s in marketing and communication from ESCP- Paris and a master’s in marketing from ESA – Beirut.

Maher is a lecturer at Saint-Joseph University, an instructor at the Bankers Academy in New York, a Chartered Financial Marketer and a lead trainer at the American Academy of Financial Management, as well as a Certified Innovation Trainer by Solution People – USA.

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