The Innovation Story - What's Yours?

As a consultant, I am often asked to solve a problem or to recommend a course of action for a client.  But over the years, I have found that my role as a consultant has evolved beyond simply telling clients what they should do. It equally involves asking clients provocative questions to prompt a discovery of their own answers to the situations they face. It’s a balancing act I often find myself in, serving as both consultant and coach.  I am learning to say, “What do you make of this information?” rather than “I believe you must do this, based on this information.”

Questions are important tools.  I’ve written and presented on this topic often.  Asking thoughtful questions is often the beginning of effective listening. It’s how we learn about each other.  It’s how one can invite others to join you in collaborative work.  If you want to see more, I encourage you to check out the blog posts Asking More Beautiful Questions and Asking Beautiful Questions.

Over the past year, I helped to launch a new grant program focused on innovation for a family foundation.  This project has raised my awareness of grant programs, books, and more that focus on the important topic of innovation.  It’s got me asking myself, “What excites us so much about innovation?” or “What does innovation mean to me?”

This month, I’m creating a space in which people can explore innovation using questions as a starting point.  Over the coming weeks, I will be sharing questions that I hope will get people talking and thinking about their own “Innovation Story.” I will be adding questions periodically to a special "Innovation" page on my website. Check back often for new questions as well as selections from the responses I get.

In my “other life” I am an artist, and I believe strongly that the goal of art is to provoke a reaction. Love it or hate it. Inspiration or disgust.  There are no right or wrong answers. The goal is to get you thinking and talking about it.

The same goes with the questions I will pose over the coming weeks.  There are no right or wrong answers.  The goal is to prompt thoughtful conversations.

They are not necessarily directed solely at nonprofit staff.  They can be conversation starters for funders, for board members, for donors, anyone.  So, feel free to adapt these questions in a format that speaks best to you, then try to answer them from your perspective.

There are no right or wrong answers.  The goal is to prompt thoughtful conversations.

Finally, this is meant to be interactive! You are welcome to “like” or “celebrate” this post, but it would even better if you shared some thoughts, reactions, and ideas.  Make a comment, share them with colleagues and invite others to answer.  I will collect the responses and ideas and see where we go from there!

I am looking forward to hearing the conversations.

Mount Desert Island from the water, (c) 2025 by Marshall Ginn

For more information about my art, visit my gallery website!