The Keynote Speech Topic every CEO wants to hear at every Corporate Event.

No matter how much I speak about Innovation, CEO's can not get enough. They want to know about the Mindsets, the Tips & Tricks, & most importantly how to embed Innovation into their Culture. So while the topic of Growth still remains the number one CEO topic, (see article: Business Growth) they always want to hear about the key driver of growth: Innovation.

The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of Innovation in the minds of CEO's around the world, so you can make a more informed decision when choosing the theme of your event and the topic for a keynote Speech.

Why Innovation is a key Topic for CEO's. One of the reasons CEO's can not get enough of the topic of Innovation is that all too often Innovation is sporadic, inconsistent, and only initiated in emergencies.

Instead, CEO's understand that successful organisations look at Innovation differently: they see Innovation not as department, or as a side activity, but rather as a daily habit. Successful organisations have embedded Innovation in their day-to-day operations. 

CEO's want to hear about Innovation until it has become the defining Mindset of everyone in the organisation and therefore the quality that defines the operational Culture of the organisation. See also: The Top 3 Reasons Why CEO's Love a Great Keynote Speaker.

CEO's embed Innovation into day-to-day operations.

CEO's start with the right Mindsets. To create a Culture of Innovation, CEO's start by stimulating the right Mindsets. Because once they have a few key people with the right Mindset in place a Culture of Innovation will follow.

A Culture is a collection of individual Mindsets.

This is why we can see a pattern of action when new CEO's arrive in an organisation: they start a process of transformation by changing the Leadership team. They either do this literally by bringing in new people or they do this by training the existing team to develop new Mindsets. In both cases, the CEO introduces new Mindsets of Innovation. For more information see: How a Professional Keynote Speaker Refreshes your Corporate Event.

CEO's, Questions, & your Corporate Event.

Simulating an Innovation Mindset starts by asking questions. Indeed, many of the CEO's I have interviewed talk about how they use any opportunity to ask questions.

They use failure to ask questions about what has been learned; they use problems to ask questions about what we want to focus on instead; they use events to ask questions about what possibilities can be explored.

So CEO's understand that stimulating an Innovation Mindset is not about giving people answers. Instead, it is about getting people to ask better questions. Because the right questions fuel Innovative Thinking; they are dynamic and liberating; they open up possibilities and help navigate teams in new directions.

The right questions fuel Innovative Thinking.

So the topic of Innovation is essential until it is embedded into the Culture of Organisation (and even then CEO's want to hear more about it). And a Culture is created from individual Mindsets, which in turn are created with the right set of questions.

Therefore, there are a number of conclusions for your Corporate Event:

1) Talk about Innovation at every Corporate Event.

Whatever the theme of your Event is, make sure you infuse it with the topic of Innovation. The importance of Innovation in the mind of your CEO needs to be reflected in all activities, including your Event.

2) Talk about Innovation directly or indirectly at your Corporate Event.

You can introduce the topic of Innovation directly, for example with a keynote Speech on Innovation, or indirectly, by asking the right set of questions (see below). Whatever you choose just make sure the topic of Innovation in part of your event.

3) Use Questions to stimulate Innovation at your Corporate Event.

The right questions fuel Innovative Thinking.  Here are some examples that you can use, no matter what theme your event is dealing with:

How do we do what we do better? & How do we do what we do differently?¹
How do we involve others in what we do?²
How can I enable the changes that need to happen?³

1. There are only two purposes to innovation: to improve something that already exists or create something new. To improve something is evolutionary innovation, to create something new is revolutionary innovation. If you wish to do Evolutionary Innovation (improve what exists) focus on 'How do we do what we do better?' If you wish to create something new (revolutionary Innovation) focus on 'How do we do what we do differently?' Of course it is the combination of these two questions that allow a mature innovation process to emerge. Innovation takes place along a scale where at one end we have improvements and at the other end the have "new". Starting with these questions allows you to work with the full scale or possibilities of Innovation. These questions will additionally help you manage your perceptions by checking your assumptions and reflect on what you are currently doing and what you could do instead.

2. This question is the first step toward Open innovation. This is where you involve your colleagues, your organisation, your clients, and a wider society in the innovation process. The best innovation processes are always open. This question helps you manage your perceptions by involving others in a collaborative process.

3. To change the world you begin by changing yourself. You need to be the change you wish to see in the world. By asking this question you stimulate yourself to become more flexible, more adaptive, and embrace learning as a mindset and habit.

The importance of Innovation is central in the minds of CEO's around the world because it drives Growth. So they want to use every opportunity to embed it within their organisation, including your Corporate Event.

To find out more about how you can use a Professional Keynote Speech to embed innovation in your organisation and at your Corporate Event, download: Guide on how much does a Keynote Speaker cost.