What would they NEVER say about you?

What passes for innovation in your organization? A new feature? A product line extension? Bundling offerings to create a new 'solution'?

Do these drive real growth? Or do they just maintain sales at minimally acceptable levels?

Real growth requires real innovation. In the customer experience. In business models. In products or offerings that solve a customer problem. And it's hard. As Seth Godin writes

"Ten or fifteen years ago, I'd sit with publishing chiefs and say, 'lets imagine how the world looks when there are no mass market books published on paper...' Before we could get any further, they'd stop the exercise. 'It's impossible to imagine that. Paper is magical. Are you saying you don't believe in books?'"

Real innovation requires a fresh look at the world. You need to challenge orthodoxies. Ask:

• What would customers never say about us?
• What would partners never say about us?
• What would suppliers never say about us?
• What would competitors never say about us?

And, most importantly,

• What would we never say about us?

Then ask, why?