My Innovation Journey

Are you innovative? Does this fit your persona?

I manage a great team at Hastings Mutual Insurance and I am looking for someone that has a true passion for web development. Does this fit your persona? If so, contact me ASAP at rpeel@hastingsmutual.com

I need someone who likes to attend .NET user group meetings and enjoys reading about and staying up to date on the latest development methods. I need someone who can look at a web page that another company has developed and be able to figure how it was developed and have a drive to want to make something better than that. I also need someone that will listen to users and code to specifications but also isn’t afraid to suggest something that is new. I need someone who is creative and innovative and likes to be first in the marketplace. I need someone who is versatile and can give me examples of how they developed the code for both an application (back end) AND a user interface (front end) for the same project. I need someone who knows what a user story is and why they are important to web development. I need someone who has attended a conference like Code Mash because they wanted to and not because they were told to go. I need someone who is likes to have fun at work and browses book stores just to see what new technology they can read about. I need someone who is enthusiastic about listening to users but can also “bring” technology to them through quick yet well thought out verbal communication. I need someone who is very eager and wants to learn how to code in the latest technologies such as Silverlight and HTML5. I need someone who wants to work in an environment where challenges abound and your opinions are heard.

 

Five lessons I learned facilitating Innovation Games at the PDMA 2010 conference.

1. It is OK for participants to struggle with the game. This is a GOOD thing. It shows they are thinking. Engaging thought is not easy.

2. You are not facilitating problem SOLVING, you are facilitating problem UNDERSTANDING. This is important and as a perfectionist, I forget this. A LOT.

3. When you practice anything, you build muscle memory. Innovation Games facilitation is no exception. Muscle memory gives you confidence that you'll be able to perform when you venture into unknown situations.

4. Playing Speed Games is totally worth it and still generates a ton of meaningful stuff.

5. Facilitating w/ complete strangers w/ no knowledge of what an Innovation Game is helps you get better at elevator pitches.

I became a certified facilitator 6 months ago and honestly, I don't think I could have learned these lessons w/o having practiced. I don't think you can learn these things by reading a LinkedIn post. Soooo, get out there, play, and build up that muscle memory!