Seven Triggers To Breakthrough Companies

SEVEN TRIGGERS TO
BREAKTHROUGH COMPANIES
the playbook for innovating consistent breakthroughs

JUSTIN BECK © Group Trigger, LLC. All Rights Reserved

introduction

Trigger the full potential of your company
• Companies that innovate consistent breakthroughs have a strategy, a process and a culture to achieve
them. The Seven Triggers to Breakthrough Companies is our playbook for innovating consistent breakthroughs.

Any company can think like a startup
• Startups think big and move fast. Startups don't need to be new companies. They can be the way you launch
new services, new products or new approaches to your existing business that make it more remarkable.

Group Trigger launches a startup culture inside your company
• Consistent innovation is a destination. The Group Trigger team is passionate about implementing the Seven
Triggers to establish the culture of innovation at companies. We have worked in Fortune 500 companies and
launched dozens of startups. We bridge the gap to help your organization think and act like a startup to unlock
your full potential.

Contact Group Trigger today to get more "innovation" from your business.

© Group Trigger, LLC. All Rights Reserved

the seven triggers

1. create a place for innovation

2. define a process for vetting ideas

3. take viable ideas to market

4. move profitable ideas to operational teams

5. channel resources to the breakthrough ideas

6. cultivate non-breakthrough results

7. transform the culture to embrace breakthroughs


1. create a place for innovation


there is a reason for the state of decline

Innovation is in your genes
All companies that find success start with innovation.

At the point of creation, many critical decisions and
innovations are generated daily. For this reason, many
people are drawn to early stage companies where
creativity is peaking and contributions are highly visible.

Your organization suffers in two ways. The talented
Then there is a need to define your service or product
people become disenfranchised. Your remarkable
with boundaries to allow your team to focus. Your
product or service starts to dim in the eyes of the
organization benefits from this focus and grows into a
market.
remarkable company.

You somehow find your organization in a state of
Along the way, the boundaries that created focus and
decline. It can happen to any size organization at any
channeled energy become the stumbling blocks to
time.
innovation.


the place for innovation

Innovation is physical and cultural
Take a look around your organization and see if there is
a physical environment to foster innovation. Chances
are, the utilitarian needs of your organization overrun
the fundamental enablers of innovation.

Is there an endless sea of high cubicles and is
management’s office door closed? The space to
engender spontaneous interaction among all
Your people and their innovation is your greatest asset.
employees is an important physical requirement to
Re-creating the physical and cultural place for
foster innovation.
innovation is the critical first step.

What is management’s perception of the innovative
culture of its organization? More importantly, is it in line
with the employees’ perception?


2. define a process for vetting ideas


innovation rules

What are the unwritten rules?
Sixty days later the install targets were met, but that
All companies have rules regarding contribution and
same employee was gone and it was the worst period
innovation, regardless if they are written or not.
for customer support ever.

For example, at my first company meeting at a midsize
The unwritten rule here was employee contributions
company, the CEO asked if we should push during the
were not respected. In time, I observed employees
month of December to meet our install targets or
exchanging good ideas, but they did not risk taking
decrease the targets so employees could be with their
them to the top.
families during the holidays?

In most other examples, it is the people, not the
One employee answered that he wanted to have some
management that stifle innovation. Consistently recruit
family time during the holiday. I sensed it was what
and introduce new people to your organization who
many wanted to say, but did not. The CEO immediately
have no allegiance to “the way we do things around
reprimanded the employee in front of everyone for not
here.”
pushing to meet the targets.


making the process real

Making rules to break the rules
Google made corporate sponsored innovation famous
with its 20% rule for their engineering staff. The rule
states engineers should spend 20% of their time (one
day per week) working on projects that personally
interest them.

The 20% projects led to such innovative products as
The important concept is that there was a rule and a
Gmail, Google News, Orkut and AdSense. In 2006, a
subsequent process created that made innovation a
Google analysis reported that 50% of the new product
clear strategy. Find a rule that will work for your
launches originated from its 20% rule.
organization and then go out of your way to support it.

While you may initially think that only companies like
Your best way to provide support is to create a process
Google can afford to have a rule like that, do not
for vetting ideas. This is where some rules will benefit
dismiss the potential a similar type of rule may have on
to help keep the process safe and neutral for the
your organization.
contributors.


3. take viable ideas to market


it is easy and inexpensive to test ideas

target. The number 30 helps you get statistically
Let the market decide
significant results.
Once the ideas start taking shape you can implement
the next trigger to test the ideas. Your vetting process
It is also important to give the same pitch to all 30
is your internal evaluation. Ideas that pass the internal
people so you have a clear picture of your results. I
process should then be taken to market for their
remember pitching prospects at my start-up company
ultimate test.
and adapting the message each time based on what I
learned from the last person. We pitched 30 people,
Remember that not all breakthrough ideas will be new
but in the end had no clear takeaways on what was
products or services. It could be a better way to
good or bad about our proposal.
generate leads. It could be a way to reduce supplier
dependency or a long list of other innovations that will
With the same pitch, you will start to consistently hear
make your company more remarkable.
what aspects are good or bad. If there is enough good,
re-create your pitch and then present it to 30 more
There is a successful process to test the innovations
members. It will be clear when your results indicate
that are commercially viable. It is to create a pitch and
you have a winning idea.
present it to 30 members of your target market. It may
be current customers or new prospects you want to


4. move profitable ideas to operational teams


you know who to put in when you need a homerun

Expect great from the great
Anyone who has been on a baseball team knows some
hitters are better than others. And everyone on the
team knows who they are. When you are at a critical
point in the game, the whole team will rally around to
support those hitters in getting the job done to get the
win.

I have seen good ideas fail because they are given to
The same is true for your organization. If you have
the people who are below average performers. If they
successfully implemented the first three triggers, your
cannot succeed in something tried and proven, they
organization will begin to have confidence that this
generally will not succeed in something new.
process is for real. And they will want a win.

The argument against this is that you cannot afford to
The principle here is to give every opportunity the best
take your best hitters off your core business. If you are
chance it has to succeed. Sure everyone on the team
in decline, you cannot afford not to.
can hit, but we need the best hitters on the team
swinging for the homeruns when we need them most.


5. channel resources to the breakthrough ideas


clear the path

No new wine in old bottles
This is what you worked for, an innovation
breakthrough. Putting a breakthrough innovation into a
process that has been bureaucratized over time may be
a sure way to stifle its potential. If you are already in a
state of decline, there are multiple reasons for it.

Remember, during the creation process innovations
Be clear with your team that your processes may need
are a daily occurrence. Use the breakthrough as an
to change for your innovation to succeed.
excuse and an opportunity to rethink many parts of your
business. Clear the path to let your breakthrough
Your team will rally with you when processes are the
succeed.
problem. Your team will resent you if people are the
problem. So properly prescribe where you want their
The breakthrough and the entire process of getting
renewed creative energy applied.
there will trigger life and creativity throughout your
organization. Your people will be the greatest resource
to help your innovation succeed.


start cheering

Get the most out of your win
It is critical to properly celebrate the win to perpetuate
the innovation triggers. As a leader, generously give
credit to everyone who contributes to the success.

Changing the culture in your organization is no small
task. There may not always be an abundance of great
opportunities to seal up these cultural changes in the
eyes of your people. These breakthrough moments are
those times.
As the organization reaps the rewards of a
breakthrough, be sure to not just reward your people
You are polishing your people; gems that may have
with praise. Try to find a way for them to financially
become tarnished or grown dingy over time. They are
benefit as well. It does not have to be big, but doing
still gems waiting to shine again. Be gracious. Breathe
something will go a long way to leverage your win.
life back into them and reap the full benefits of an
entire organization that is fully engaged and innovative.


6. cultivate non-breakthrough results


how do you treat perceived failure?

The only true failure is no innovation
Treating your failures properly is more critical than
anything you will ever do with your successes.

This is the time naysayers appear from the background.
It is important to be critical with the results, but never
allow anyone to undermine the innovation process.

Innovative people will be innovative as long as it is
safe. If there are major consequences from a
perceived failure, make sure the culture to innovate can
remain healthy.
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Chances are you are close. Take what is good and try
- Thomas Edison
to recycle it. If it is a dead end, take what was learned
and celebrate the lesson. Then get back in the ring.


build balance into the framework

Innovation needs execution
As you continue to cultivate your non-breakthrough
ideas find a balance in innovation and execution.
Remarkable companies are not just filled with good
ideas. They have discipline and execution.

The framework you create to cultivate breakthroughs is
important. The measurement will not be the quantity of
innovations or breakthroughs, but how well they
perform. The framework needs to nurture, integrate
and execute.

As you execute on your breakthrough make sure you
do not eclipse your innovation process. The key is to
not let innovation or execution eclipse each other. A
culture that has success with both is remarkable.


7. transform the culture to embrace breakthroughs


not everyone likes innovation

Expect change
Most people like innovation, but some people will resist
the changes it brings. This is true for your employees,
and your customers and partners as well.

You will likely lose some employees, customers and
partners along the way. If these types filter out in the
process, it is better in the long run. There are plenty of
non-innovative companies out there to give them
shelter.

You are likely to gain much more than was ever lost in
new customers and new partners. These new additions
your organizational transformation. Your best people
will be more abundant contributors to helping your team
will have more satisfaction in what they do. They will
succeed.
create a renewed energy that will attract new people,


time seals your transformation

There are no shortcuts
Three words describe the commitment needed to re-
create a remarkable business in decline:

1. Diligence – constant and earnest in effort and
application. Work hard at the process. Work hard
at the breakthroughs.

The seven triggers are the guideposts, but time is the
2. Perseverance – Steady persistence in a course of
element that seals the transformation and makes it
action, a purpose, a state, etc. You can overcome
complete. There is no formula for how long it will take
the difficulties, obstacles or discouragement that will
to get from each trigger to the next.
surely come.

Your business is worth re-creating. Your people are
3. Continuance – To go on or keep on without
worth the investment of time and energy it will take to
interruption. Stand firm in the place that allows
restore remarkable to your business.
innovation to work. It will give back.


about the author

Sweet Spot was successfully acquired in 2007 by
Justin Beck, CEO CEO
DirectPointe, Inc. Justin then worked for DirectPointe as the
Justin is a true entrepreneur with a rich
Vice President of Marketing and Products. Justin helped
background. Through all of his experiences he gained a love
DirectPointe launch an online marketing strategy with a
for business strategy. He founded Group Trigger to help
1,000% return and earn the ranking as the #1 Managed
remarkable companies innovate consistent breakthroughs.
Service Provider in the world in 2008.
In its first year, Group Trigger helped launch seven startups
and now Group Trigger helps launch startups inside larger Prior to his entrepreneurial career, Justin gained Fortune
companies. 100 experience at Sprint and signed a $30 million contract
with a top 10 client. He also worked at Eclipse Marketing
Justin founded two companies prior to Group Trigger. He where he helped Eclipse grow rapidly and earn a spot on the
was CEO at Home Market Inc., his first venture. Home Inc. 500 list of fastest growing companies in both 1997 and
Market was a Web 2.0 portal for community contributed and 1998.
mashed-up localized content. He then co-founded and
served as CEO at Sweet Spot Solutions, Inc., which was a When Justin isn't working he loves spending time with his
software application pioneer for flash memory platforms. family creating a little "innovation" at home.
Justin was an inventor on two patents and brought Sweet
Spot from startup to acquisition in less than 5 years. Find Justin at www.grouptrigger.com


Seven Triggers To Breakthrough Companies

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