How do you get to effective innovation at an organization or company? Well, by innovating of course.
Hidden in that cheeky answer is a real insight that’s easy to overlook: innovation isn’t a one-time event. It’s a practice. A habit. Something you should be doing regularly. Kind of like going to the gym!
And just like the gym, getting started can be tough if you’ve been off the treadmill for a while. You start wondering: Where do I begin? What’s worth improving? What risks can I take? These are tough questions. But they shouldn’t keep you from moving, because one of the keys to getting to great results is that innovation compounds.
The unstoppable force of math
Just like financial capital, innovation capital grows when you keep investing in small, consistent improvements with each one building on the last. That compounding is an amazing force – as anyone that works in finance can tell you.
This kind of innovation doesn’t usually make headlines. But it steadily moves companies forward. The winners aren’t always the ones who hit a home run from a single moonshot. They’re the ones who build today’s improvements into tomorrow’s foundations, again and again.
The Figma example
When it launched, Figma didn’t try to replace Adobe overnight. It focused on a deceptively simple goal: real-time collaboration in the browser. No downloads. No version conflicts. No email chains titled final_FINAL_v6.sketch.
That first insight became the cornerstone and found an audience. Yet, over the years, they layered features, improved performance, sharpened usability and unlocked entirely new workflows via relentless innovation (among other things).
They disrupt design software with a bang. They chipped away at the pain points, one by one. Now? They’ve redefined how teams design at scale.
Start small, think long
Innovation doesn’t have to be flashy. It doesn’t have to be expensive. It just has to be consistent. A better process. A clearer insight. A tighter feedback loop. The point is to keep moving! Because when you do, those small moves start stacking. They amplify. They compound.
The companies that thrive are rarely the ones that swing big once and hope for the best. They’re the ones putting in the reps. Building on yesterday’s gains. Making today’s improvements the foundation for tomorrow.
So if you’re wondering when to start, the answer is now! Even if it’s small. Because innovation compounds.
Juan Saavedra 