Innovate to Increase Personal Effectiveness

Innovate to Increase Personal Effectiveness
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Innovation is not just about breakthroughs and high level thinking!  It can – and must - be applied at the human level to increase personal effectiveness.  Everyone says that the most important thing on the project, in the organization, or indeed in life is the people!  That observation alone is enough motivation to apply innovative thinking to all things related to ‘people’! The idea is to think creatively – innovatively – about how to help people achieve their goals, improve their skills, elevate their level of satisfaction, and enable them to increase their contributions.  This article poses some approaches to apply innovation to the people side to increase personal effectiveness.

This is the fourth of a series of four articles on “Innovation”, where we explore how to innovate at various levels and in different domains.  This article, Part 4 in the series, “Innovate to Increase Personal Effectiveness”, encourages you to apply innovation in a number of ways related to our most important resources, people!  Part 1, “Innovate for Strategic Gains”, looks at how to get into the right mindset to innovate at the strategic level. Part 2, “Innovate for Tactical Improvements,” looks at how to innovate while focused on implementing at the tactical level.  Part 3, “Innovate for Incremental Benefits,” raises the idea that innovation is not just done up front, but can effectively transform projects in the execution phase.  

It’s not just about getting the project done…or meeting schedule and budget…or achieving even a stunning breakthrough!  It’s about doing it through the most important resources of all – people.

Here are five ways to generate some innovative ‘human-centric’ thinking into your planning.


  1. How can individuals improve their performance?  Everyone wants to excel, contribute, and improve their worth.  Seek to understand just what is important to each person, and how you can help.  If you can’t do that for every single person, make sure someone can.
  2. Can you provide training opportunities?  There may be a training budget, which can be helpful.  Try to accommodate personal needs in addition to project needs.
  3. Are there some on-the-job growth and stretch opportunities?  What areas can provide the chance to grow but with flexibility to endure a little more time or some mistakes?  And how could you control the latter for the least downside and most upside?
  4. How can the team support each other?  How much does each team member know about the next?  Do they have structured and unstructured opportunities to communicate in that way?  What can be done to facilitate this type of positive networking?
  5. Keep aware of aligning personal goals – In planning for the project, incorporate personal goals into the equation.  It’s the best way to achieve alignment with project goals.

Have you incorporated some innovative thinking reading PEOPLE on your projects?

This Article is Part of the Series: Innovation

These articles explore how to innovate at various levels and in different domains.

  1. Innovate for Strategic Gains
  2. Innovate for Tactile Improvements
  3. Innovate for Incremental Benefits
  4. Innovate to Increase Personal Effectiveness