Five practices optimize for successful innovation

Berkun suggests five key ideas for successful innvation:

Gain self-knowledge. “Every tough decision is made in part by how the innovator feels about herself: none of us is as logical as we like to believe. Being aware of the environments or challenges that inspire the best results for your personality helps you make smart path choices.”
Reward interesting failures. “If you are exploring the unknown, failures will happen. Having a positive attitude about failure is therefore critical.”
Be intense, but step back. “Many successful innovators work passionately, but periodically step back and ask, ‘What is happening in the world that impacts my goals?’ or ‘What else is my work good for?’”
Grow to size. “No patent was written and filed in an hour, and no symphony was orchestrated overnight. Changing the world or revolutionizing an industry is a nice fantasy, but it’s foolish to start with those ambitions because they’re out of any individual’s control.”
Honor luck and the past. “The great egos of innovation have one success story that they repeat (to the misery of their companions) forever. Never having the courage to attempt something new or admit the role of luck, they spend much of the present talking about the past.”^[1]