Four Ways to Spark Innovation THE C-SUITE By Anthony Lambatos
A s a parent, there are few things I enjoy more than watching my kids play; those times when their imagination is on full display—when they make up games, leverage creative juices, and come up with new uses for the toys, boxes, and objects that are sourced from around the house. Children by nature are incredibly innovative, yet as we get older, we lose some of that magic. We have different priorities, and when we realize that our time can be monetized, it changes how we spend it. Instead of time for imagination, thought, and wonder, we obsess over how much we can do or accomplish to pay for the things we need and want. We become more aware of social norms and develop a fear of looking silly or out of place when our ideas are too far outside the box. We stop questioning things because we worry about being wrong or looking stupid. Children are great at putting things together that seemingly don’t belong, and in the process of growing up, we stop making those random connections that have the power to fuel a creative solution. For many companies this creates limitations on their ability to be innovative. It’s easy to throw money at problems; it’s harder to challenge your team to problem solve with limited resources and tap into their creativity. As caterers, we are constantly asked to stay on top of industry trends, and often we are put in situations or events that require innovation. Out of our element without endless equipment or additional food at our fingertips, we must rely on making do with what we have to make sure our events go off without a hitch. Here are four ways to generate new ideas and spark innovation among your team. 1. Celebrate the process, not the result Too often we highlight only the solutions that work, but this encourages team members to play it safe and only pursue initiatives that are guaranteed to be successful. Innovation is a numbers game and the more attempts we put out there, the more potential we have for great ideas and solutions to get implemented. Without the safety to throw all ideas out there, we miss those “bad” original ideas that someone else builds on and eventually turns into a great idea. 2. Innovation can come from anywhere Innovation should not be assigned to one person, limited to senior leaders or only given to creative individuals. Companies who value the contributions from all of their team members create an environment where they are
empowered to find solutions and improvements to everyday systems, processes, procedures, and services. They encourage everyone to make suggestions, provide feedback, and take ownership for what they do. They create a culture where everyone is responsible for innovation, not just the people in charge. 3. Don’t overlook the small things When most people hear innovation, they think about wild, bold, and transformational developments. While these are indeed factors in innovation, they neglect to highlight all the small steps that preceded the result. Small incremental improvements over time add up to significant outcomes. A minor change to how an item is prepped in the kitchen might be part of many things that make a kitchen more efficient, thus saving time and money. Different placement of items in the warehouse might clear the way for a new racking system and in turn improve the overall organization. 4. Infuse purpose into the process Team members are sometimes told that something needs to be better but are not told why. This creates a missed opportunity because the focus becomes very narrow. When we understand the purpose of why our work matters, we are more motivated to find creative solutions and more likely to explore a wider range of possibilities to get there. If you’re looking to unleash imagination and unlock innovation in your organization, find ways to celebrate those who are curious and willing to take risks. Encourage creativity from all team members, don’t downplay small improvements, and remind your team the “why” behind their everyday work. When leaders empower their team members to innovate, amazing things begin to happen. A child-like spirit begins to infuse creative thinking into daily responsibilities, resources are utilized in new ways, and momentum begins to snowball into a culture that stays at the forefront of trends, maximizes efficiencies, and creates events that inspire all that are involved.
Anthony Lambatos grew up in the catering business working for his father and founder of Footers Catering in Denver, CO. Anthony and his wife, April, purchased the business in 2010 and have successfully made the transition to a second-generation family business.
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SPRING 2025 ■ CATERSOURCE
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