Creating an Innovation Culture

Greetings.  After a bit of sightseeing in Delhi, I headed to the airport and took a 40-minute flight to Lucknow on Kingfisher Airlines.  One of several low-cost airlines operating in India, the whole experience–other than the process of going through security–was fast, efficient, upbeat, and enjoyable.  But then, there are a lot of people who need to be employed here.  Kingfisher and it's flamboyant CEO, Vijay Mallya, have received a lot of publicity and he is regarded by many to be "the Richard Branson of India"–a dynamic and visible leader with a keen focus on the customer experience and growing businesses.

In Lucknow, a city of more than 3,000,000 residents that very few people outside of India have heard of, I gave a keynote address to the Uttar Pradesh branch of the Confederation of India Industry.  This is the leading business group in India and the program brought together corporate and government executives to share ideas on how to strengthen the economy of India's most populous state.  A state that is home to almost 200 million residents and, if it was its own country, would be the seventh largest by population in the world.  It's a state that is heavily dependent on agriculture and also manufacturing and one of the real challenges is to create greater opportunities for all of its residents by building companies that are innovative and truly world-class.  It also faces the need to accommodate an increasingly urban population in a way that is humane and environmentally responsible.

My presentation focused on the keys to unlocking the genius in the region's businesses, people, and government agencies–sharing examples of companies and communities around the world that have built innovative and entrepreneurial cultures.  Then I asked participants to be open to a world of possibilities that, when combined with their greatest skills, could be used to strengthen India's position as a highly-respected global business partner.  I also suggested that there was a lot more potential in I.T. outsourcing if we could move beyond the simple notion of help desks to a more compelling approach focused on driving knowledge and solutions to customers.  All of which sparked an interesting discussion at the 10:00 p.m. dinner that followed the program.

We win in business and in life when we understand the necessity and power of innovation.  And when we never stop exchanging ideas with others in places near and far.

Cheers!