I'm very honest with my clients.
If they ask for a 2-day Design Thinking workshop I'll ask them why they want one. There are only 2 types of response they can give (there are variations on these two but they always boil down to one of the two).
- They've heard that they are interactive, fun, and are a good way to bring teams together
- They want their teams to be more innovative
If the client wants a Design Thinking workshop because of the first reason we're aligned and good to go. DT workshops are great for this kind of outcome.
If a client is looking to make their teams more innovative then I'll tell them that a 2-day Design Thinking workshop isn't going to work.
Being innovative is a skill that can be taught and learned. It can even be taught and "learned" in 2-days. After a 2-day workshop, everybody can regurgitate the process and tools that they used.
But innovation is a skill that needs to be practiced. So even though you can learn the theory in 2-days, it doesn't mean you'll be able to apply it effectively.
Being innovative is about the mindset, not the tools, frameworks, and methodologies.
And training the mindset takes much longer than 2-days.
It's like learning how to drive a car. You can learn all about it from a book or YouTube. But being able to drive a car on the road is a completely different beast. It requires skill, nuance, and practice that you can't get from a book or video.
Of course, there is always an exception to the rule. Some people already have a great mindset for innovation due to their background. They can pick up the theory and apply it with success. Designers and engineers generally fall into this category. But for the rest of us, it's going to take a lot more effort, repetitions, and coaching.
This is why coaching is so important for innovation teams. Especially for those new to it. They don't know what they don't know. A coach can guide them, challenge them, and see things the teams may have missed.
Of course, it's possible to learn the theory and build your skills through practice yourself. But it's a long journey full of mistakes.
Why do people hire driving instructors, golf coaches, or business coaches? Because they guide your learning, share best practices, and provide insights that accelerate your results.
An innovation coach does the same thing for your teams. Innovation is inherently risky, having a coach helps you to mitigate the risks.
This is why I won't do a 2-day DT workshop if the client expects that their teams will be able to innovate afterward. They're setting their teams up for failure. It reflects badly on the concept of innovation, and it's ultimately a waste of money as I know we can't achieve it.
I'm not in the business of selling false promises in the hope of making some quick money. I want to partner with clients. I want to create a real impact for businesses and help people grow. And this simply can't be done through a 2-day Design Thinking workshop alone.
