Helen Potter, Co-Founder and CEO of Potter Innovation, explains her passion for Innovation Engineering (IE) and how anyone willing can learn how to innovate.
Innovation Engineering is a scientifically proven framework that transforms the mindset of people and organisations, enabling them to work smarter, faster and with increased creativity to accelerate the development of more profitable products, services and internal work systems.
IE began in the United States and is taught in over 20 universities as a new form of leadership science. Used by thousands of organisations worldwide, including Proctor & Gamble, Walt Disney and Toyota, IE has been proven to get products to market six times faster and with a ten-fold increase in the chance of success. Doug Hall, whose 40 years of research has given rise to the new discipline, has applied the systems-thinking of Dr W. Edwards Deming to innovation, turning it from a random gamble to a reliable science.
How did you become qualified to teach IE?
I discovered IE while I was working as the Innovation Manager for The Famous Grouse. IE was in its infancy, so I decided to fly out to Doug Hall’s Eureka! Ranch near Cincinnati to learn more. I had the chance to pilot many of the tools I now teach while at The Famous Grouse, adding over £12 million profit through innovation and portfolio expansion. I qualified as a Black Belt in IE soon after and when my role was made redundant, Doug offered me a license to teach and bring IE to Europe. I am currently the only female IE Black Belt outside North America and I am passionate about enabling people, no matter their skills or backgrounds, to innovate.
What drives your passion for IE?
I am living proof that anyone can learn how to innovate when given the right tools and training. When I began studying IE, it was life changing. My Career accelerated and along the way I became more resilient and I found myself better able to deal with change. Learning how to innovate using IE also builds courage; it is empowering to approach the unknown with a data-driven system that shows you the steps to move forward. I also love teaching others and enabling people to do the things that matter to them the most. One client has added a new division to their business with a multi-million-pound order book after only two years. Another, since taking part in our “Quick Start” programme, has been promoted to head up Innovation at
a major energy supplier, and is the youngest person to ever hold the role.
What is the IE Quick Start programme?
Working with our colleagues at Eureka! Ranch we have condensed the Graduate Certificate taught on campus to a short, immersive course on the fundamentals of IE which we call “Quick Start”. This is delivered in three steps:
- Half-day home study to introduce the concepts of IE
- Two and a half days in class working through interactive application exercises
- 60 days mentorship and real-world application to embed learning.
Participants have access to me as their coach and various tools through our cloud-based software suite for digital learning.
The Quick Start programme enables anyone, no matter their educational background,
sector or ambition, to work smarter, to problem solve effectively and to find, filter and fast track big ideas.
Where can I find out more?
I will be touring Scotland this spring as part of the Can Do Fest delivering my workshop, Being Meaningfully Unique™, where attendees can discover practical tools and techniques to measure the probability of success of an innovation. I will also be running various Quick Start courses throughout the year and can be booked for speaking engagements, bespoke workshops and one-to-one mentoring.
To find out how Innovation Engineering can help your business, get in touch for a free consultation:
