BOOK REVIEW
The
Innovator’s
Mindset:
Empower Learning,
Unleash Talent, and
Lead a Culture of Creativity
These new ideas about effective K-12
education can apply to every organization.
In this treatise on rethinking the classroom setting, author
George Couros zeroes in on how innovation is the key to
unlocking students’ potential. His insights into the relation-
ship between administrators, teachers, and students have
clear correlation to how executives and managers can inspire
employees to find creative solutions to business problems.
What Is Innovation?
8 RULES FOR INNOVATION
Couros identifies the characteristics that compose
the innovator’s mindset.
Î Î
EMPATHY. Shift
from speaker-centric
messaging to learner-
centric messaging. Î Î
BE OBSERVANT. Look
beyond expected sources
to find ways to inspire
and innovate.
Î Î
BE A PROBLEM-FINDER.
Encourage the ability
to identify problems as
much as fixing them.
After all, you’ll never fix a
complex problem if you
can’t see it as a problem
in the first place. Î Î
CREATE. Empower
workers to find their
own creative solutions
to problems.
Î Î
TAKE RISKS. Even if
something is working
now, don’t be afraid to
question best practices.
Î Î
NETWORK. Talk to other
managers about what
works for them and incor-
porate it into your business.
Î Î
RESILIENCY. The drive
to overcome setbacks is
crucial to innovation—after
all, some new ideas will
fail. What happens next is
what matters.
Î Î
REFLECT. To move
forward, look back.
What needs to
happen next is
embedded in what’s
already happened.
Couros defines three types of mindset: fixed, growth and
innovation. A fixed mindset is one that is hung up on past
failures. A growth mindset is one that moves beyond failures
and believes change is possible. Couros uses the example of
piano lessons: a fixed mindset thinks it cannot learn; a growth
mindset believes it can, which leads to trying, which leads to
growth. What about the innovation mindset? It goes beyond
growth—it’s an unencumbered way of thinking that can lead
to entirely new things. It believes it not only can learn to play
piano, but it can eventually write a new song!
Does Innovation = Technology?
Innovation is often conflated with new technology, but it is
not necessarily rooted in the material. Technology can be an
integral part of innovation, but it’s more important to help
individuals learn how to think in an innovative way.
The drumbeat is constant: today’s schools need to jettison
dogma and innovate to prepare students for the future.
Schools still have a long way to go to reach that goal, but
education innovators are making headway, and so can you.
Sterling National Bank can provide the support you need to
help your business innovate and grow. Contact your relationship
manager today. Call 855.274.2800.
22 | SNB.COM // CONNECT INNOVATION SUMMER 2017 // RANKED BY FORBES’ 2017 “AMERICA’S 100 BEST BANKS”