Last week I presented at the ICE conference, and I’ve been sharing the thoughts of the education specialists I met, on barriers they’ve hit when trying to get innovative projects off the ground. The two previous posts covered Backward Focus and Inward Focus; today it’s the turn of Downward Focus.
Here are some of the Downward Focus barriers the delegates mentioned:
- Fear of trying something new
- Promotion given to those who tow the company line
- Giving with one hand while taking back with the other
- Playing the game by the rules because fear the consequences
- Punished for speaking my mind
- Short termism
- Political ownership
- Constraint of corporate mission
- “It’s not what you’re paid for”
- Being ‘put in your place’
- Get described as a ‘loose cannon’ if you suggest anything innovative
- Uncertainty of others’ agenda within the organisation
- Increased stress
- Fear of humiliation or disinterest
That’s a lot of barriers to get through…and Downward Focus is the hardest barrier to identify, yet probably the most destructive. The ICE delegates have provided a strong list of indicators, so if you sense any of these are at play in your situation, then it will be Downward Focus that’s putting up a barrier.
Even though this is the trickiest barrier to uncover, BBM will help you shine a light on it, and eliminate it!
The last 2 barriers are coming up – Left Focus next time.