I know that for every incredible idea that I gave above as an example, there were countless innovative ideas that failed and innumerable rejected projects that never would have been successful. But truly innovative organizations create a culture that embraces new ideas and takes calculated risks in order to stay ahead of the curve.

I would offer 2 suggestions. First, foster an environment that encourages the creation and backing of bold ideas. Regular meetings are often very purpose driven and it is hard not to just shoot down new ideas because of time constraints. Create meetings or communication channels that are just for discussing new ideas, maybe as a once-a-month meeting or even something as simple as a slack channel.

Secondly, create a system to evaluate new original ideas that come from those meetings or communication channels. In Originals, Adam Grant presents a ton of research that managers are often not then best people to evaluate new ideas because they are in a position that requires them to evaluate risk at a higher level. Instead, the most accurate evaluators of new projects are actually peers of the innovators. They don’t have the same risk-aversion as the managers, and they also don’t have the false positive inclinations of the person who came up with the idea. So create a system that allows peers to judge new ideas that members of your team generate.

I hope these ideas help and your organization starts implementing bold, creative new ideas soon!