Process Jolt #12 - Define the soul, not just the goal

Welcome to our Conscious Innovator® process!

Are you ready for a new, insight-provoking “Jolt” … something that challenges conventional thinking about the "right" mindset for being innovative? It's not that the conventional understanding is wrong - just limited.

Jolts wake us up. They emphasize a shift of focus that taps into a deeper, more expansive consciousness. The result can be profound insights into yourself and others that bring out your full, innovative potential, whether in small, daily tasks or major projects. 

Jolt #12: Define the soul, not just the goal

We innovate in a world of goals… Long range goals. Short term goals. Performance goals. Social goals. Profit goals. Service goals. Life goals. SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timely).

If we’re “good” at it, we set an innovative goal, make a plan, get to work, persist, and achieve an innovative result. We might even get high performance reviews and attain our career goals.

All well and “good.” Yet, always thinking towards a greater future means we’re likely missing the aliveness and endless creative possibilities in the present.

Google and others have found that goals, even WIGs (wildly important goals), are not enough to inspire dedicated, engaged, motivated, innovative work. Through years of research, they found that 2 of the 5 characteristics of their most effective teams were:

• Meaning of work: “We are working on something that is personally important for each of us.”
• Impact of work: “We fundamentally believe that the work we’re doing matters.”

This means going beyond just declaring something “important” in terms of work outcomes. It means defining the true soul of a project, as experienced by the people working on it and the stakeholders impacted by it.

Each person relates to the concept of “soul” differently. For some, soul is “an active, inner-directed force” – the power of our being, expressed through our doing in the world. For others, it’s what gives a heart-to-heart connection with others for doing good in the world.

Niran Jang, former Marketing Manager for SC Johnson, once lead an acquisition project team when the company was going through a stagnant growth period. After extensive research, the team identified Ziploc as a prime candidate for acquisition, which resulted in one of SC Johnson’s largest and most successful achievements. Niran describes how “soul” defined and shaped their ability to be innovative:

“There was a true respect for and feeling of equality on the soul level with everybody in the team; nobody was afraid of opening up. We were passionate. We had a strong curiosity, which I see as a life force. We all felt a great commitment. This is why we succeeded.”

-=-=-=- Now it's your turn -=-=-=-

Being a Conscious Innovator® has a 3 phase cyclical process: become aware, capable, and versatile. Try on this Jolt in your life and work, then take self-reflective time to engage in the process:

-=-=-=- An invitation to join our process and share your insights -=-=-=-

If you haven’t already, we’d love for you to join our process and share your own experiences, while learning from the experiences of others! We appreciate what one person said about the Jolt process itself:

Innovation is a world by itself. It can change lives and help people become more positive. Doing a Jolt is already something! A new habit that promotes innovation and reflection.

It’s totally FREE to participate. To sign up and join us, go to this link and follow the easy directions: https://innovate.vci.global/p/the-conscious-innovator. 

Even if you haven’t participated up to this point, it’s never too late to start the process! It’s like a concise gym workout that provides an insightful “pause that refreshes” and evokes your unique, innovative potential in life and work.