2026 is around the corner. How is your innovation strategy looking?

Dear Reader

As we come to the end of 2025, it’s time to reflect on the year’s achievements, and lay the groundwork for the year ahead.

It's a great time to bring your next innovation steps into focus - which is often easier said than done. If you’re like many organisations and find yourself with without a clear innovation plan or an endless backlog of ideas that never get implemented: you're not alone.

Four steps to a resilient innovation strategy — that can gain traction quickly

​In a rapidly evolving landscape, we have on top of what’s shifting - so we can keep serving our current customers and tap into new markets.
This practical framework can help you to set direction and catalyse action.

1. Develop a strategy around your niche focus
   ​Start with a strategy framework that maps the changing context with your direction, resources, and constraints to create a living strategy highlighting opportunities unique to your circumstances - bringing in the new tech and product goals.
2. Generate actionable initiatives
   ​Often, ideas stall because they require expertise or budgets beyond our capacity. Instead, take an approach that turns your unique opportunities into initiatives that are actually within reach. Balance quick wins that boost productivity and loyalty with bolder differentiators that set your offerings apart, and set metrics that align with your vision and help you know if you’re getting there.
3. Validate bold ideas
   ​Bold ideas transform our view of what's possible. We can de-risk them through customer insights and market analysis, followed by rapid prototyping and testing that grow your team’s skills and deepen insights, turning the learnings into a solid business case with measurable ROI.
   Don't forget to share the learnings - especially where you aren’t moving forward - to strengthen your next experiments. With innovation costs falling, testing and refining your concepts becomes the most strategic move you can take.
4. Get ready to implement​
   Once you have validated ideas - both quick wins and high-potential innovations - you're ready to integrate them into your roadmap. With metrics aligned throughout the process, linking KPIs to the vision makes it easy to visualise your impact as you go.

Traction: immediate and short term outcomes

As industries transform before our eyes, procrastinating on innovation risks missing opportunities and falling behind. This approach can help you creates a living strategy and an actionable portfolio in days.

Small wins can gain traction within weeks, and with Design Thinking we can validate big ideas alongside them, establishing a business case for delivery within the quarter.

If you’d like help turning your innovation hopes into a successful 2026 roadmap, book a quick discovery call to discuss your innovation goals.

Wishing you insightful thinking, bold experimentation, and productive innovation in the coming year.

Cara Turner Innovation & Agile Coach M: +27 84 500 4425 ​E: coach@caraturner.com | www.caraturner.com​

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