What Innovators can learn from the Obama presidential campaign

Obama's presidential campaign provides us with valuable lessons on building a successful innovation effort in a corporate setting. Obama attracted passionate and engaged volunteers to his campaign, based on his vision for change. He introduced new social media tools and new methods to interact with and sustain their energy and passion. In contrast, most businesses assign a poorly defined innovation task to people who are not passionate about change or innovation, resulting in a team of the uninterested focused on the abstract. To create a successful innovation effort, businesses should focus on creating a clear and compelling vision, attracting passionate and engaged employees, building on their passion and engagement, and giving them the necessary new tools to succeed. Innovation does not have to be expensive or difficult - given the right goals, clarity, and opportunity, people will rush to the right vision and opportunity, and will work far beyond normal office hours.