Innovation Made Incarnate

Much of Apple's success relies on the inspiration CEO Steve Jobs has fostered in employees. Here are seven steps to turn inspiration into innovation

By Robert Brands

When Apple (AAPL) unveils its iSlate in late January, the tablet computer will be just the latest wowing of the world by the pioneering computer company. With its iPhone, iPod, and MacBook laptops, plus the original Macintosh computer itself (and the "1984" TV commercial that pitched it), Apple's innovation has changed technology—and the people who use it.

Often overlooked in these rollouts, though, has been the inspiration behind the products. How does a man—CEO Steve Jobs, who co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak—foster such an upwelling of inspiration? How does a leader motivate teams in the organization and transform consumers into loyalists? More importantly, how can you foster such inspiration in your organization?

Before you can answer these big questions, you need to start with another: How inspired is your organization? In a survey on InnovationCoach.com, a Web site I created with tools and resources for innovators, I asked, "Which elements of an innovation process and/or culture are in place today?" Half the respondents answered "inspiration." The good news was that half realized the need for inspiration. The bad news was that just as many didn't recognize its importance or hadn't put a process in place.

I've worked in innovation for 25 years, and over a 10-year span, I was charged with delivering at least one new product a year. In my new book, Robert's Rules of Innovation, I captured the imperatives of how to create and sustain innovation. In writing the book and creating InnovationCoach.com, I've sought to encourage the creative spark that ignites broader thinking and inspiration, which are vital to the continued growth of any organization. But you must first identify its source within your organization and channel that wellspring.

Inspiration from Everywhere

Inspiration goes beyond the thinking that brought us various Apple products. Inspiration is the creative spark that drives individuals or organizations to consider and create new products, services, or internal processes. It's how people think, collaborate, and then put new ideas into motion. Inspiration comes from anyone and everyone. It reaches from the chief executive to the customer-service help desk, from the factory floor to the retail showroom, from the longest-tenured employee to the newest hire as well as the customer hitting the Web site and submitting ideas via a "suggestions" box or a phone call. Savvy innovators even welcome partners, suppliers, and vendors into the process. No one gets a pass from thinking creatively about how to improve the company, its products, or its processes.

Back in the 1990s, I ran a company called Airspray. The category-killer we created and patented was an inexpensive mechanical pump that created instant foam. With it, we transformed liquid soap into a foamy cleanser. We began with a model for the hair-care industry and then added products for skin care, hand soap, and eventually body wash. This progression met my mandate for a new product each year.

But it all began with inspiration. I led the innovation team that came up with the original ideas. At the table were representatives from across the organization—finance, R&D, sales and marketing, customer service. I empowered them to think creatively by breaking down the barriers between my C-suite status to become "one of them" in the creativity process. I was still a leader, of course, but one who welcomed ideas from all corners, whether that meant engineers or consumers. Our efforts paid off. We sold Airspray in 2006 for $187 million, or 13 times Ebitda.

While thoughtful leadership has fueled other businesses, inspiration remains the spark that drives the creative process.

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