When a South American mining company asked employees to suggest ways to improve daily operations, one idea focused on improving the gold and silver recovery process at one of the company’s mines.
It didn’t promise transformation. It wasn’t a moonshot. But the idea added nearly $40 million in value over seven years. It was a smart, evidence-based idea from people closest to the work — and it paid off in a big way.
This is the kind of innovation that often gets overlooked. It doesn’t come with headlines or hype, but it’s measurable, scalable, and highly valuable. Some business leaders don’t want to hear it, but if you’re serious about building an innovation program that delivers measurable, long-term impact — this is where you start.
Why Flashy Innovation Wins — But Rarely Works
Not all innovation is created equal — and not all of it delivers. While there’s a lot of talk about bold, disruptive technologies, most companies over-index on this kind of innovation far too early. They aim for a “next big thing” before building the foundations that allow ideas to scale or succeed.
Part of the appeal is understandable. Flashy innovation is:
- Easier to promote internally and to leadership
- A morale booster for teams hungry to work on something new
- More likely to attract external attention and media buzz
The problem? These kinds of moonshots often struggle because they lack the essentials: a clear understanding of customer needs, operational alignment, and a realistic path to execution.
There’s nothing wrong with bold thinking. The problem is when companies bet everything on “the next big thing” without first building the foundations that actually make innovation sustainable.
That’s not strategy. It’s storytelling.
The innovation that drives real impact usually doesn’t start in the boardroom or in strategy decks — it starts on the ground.
Real Innovation Happens in the Trenches
The innovation that drives real impact usually doesn’t start in the boardroom or in strategy decks — it starts on the ground.
It happens through:
- Conversations with frontline employees
- Small fixes to persistent problems
- Practical solutions born from firsthand experience
These are usually examples of First Horizon innovation — incremental improvements to existing products, services, or operations. They don’t grab headlines, but they create the momentum, credibility, and the capacity for bigger bets later.
A balanced innovation portfolio needs all three horizons:
- First Horizon: Core innovations that strengthen and optimize today’s business.
- Second Horizon: Extensions into adjacent markets or offerings.
- Third Horizon: Exploratory innovations that could redefine the future.
Big bets and disruptive innovations are exciting, but it’s the consistent execution of Horizon 1 innovation that creates the stability, resources, and organizational confidence needed to pursue larger, riskier opportunities.
Why It’s Hard to Get Excited About What Works
Incremental innovation delivers results but it rarely sparks excitement. A 1% improvement in a key metric might generate millions of dollars in ROI — yet it won’t get the same attention as a moonshot idea, even if that idea never makes it past a prototype.
Why? Because the incentives inside most companies aren’t built for patience. They reward visibility, not viability. The projects that get celebrated tend to be the ones that look good in a town hall, not necessarily the ones that improve margins or reduce risk.
Innovation teams feel this pressure daily. They’re asked to produce high-impact wins quickly, even when real progress comes from slower, more systematic efforts.
Without meaning to, companies prioritize excitement over execution — and leave enormous value on the table.
How to Shift the Mindset (Without Killing the Buzz)
Companies don’t need to choose between exciting innovation and effective innovation — but they do need to re-balance the focus. The goal isn’t to kill ambition. It’s to create a system where ambition is supported by structure, and where small wins are recognized as building blocks for bigger ones.
Here are a few ways to make that shift:
- Celebrate the quiet wins. Publicly recognize the ideas that improve how things work — even if they’re not headline-worthy. It signals what the company truly values.
- Diversify your innovation portfolio. Make room for both incremental improvements and longer-term bets. The point isn’t to limit bold thinking — it’s to ground it in a pipeline that delivers.
- Put the right tools in place. Idea management software makes it easier to capture, evaluate, and scale ideas systematically — helping you build a stronger, more balanced innovation pipeline.
Sustainable impact beats short-term excitement every time. That’s the hard truth we do tell companies, but it doesn’t always land.
Boring Is the New Bold
The innovation that delivers the most value isn’t always exciting. It doesn’t look like a product launch or a viral keynote. It doesn’t feel like a revolution.
It starts with a small idea from someone who knows a process inside and out and grows from there.
These ”boring” innovations create the foundation for everything else. They build trust, momentum, and the operational muscle needed to make bigger, riskier innovations succeed down the line.
Companies that recognize this — and build innovation programs that reward outcomes over optics — are the ones that see real results.
They don’t chase hype. They build systems.
And over time, that’s what separates innovation theater from true business impact.
Steve Reed is Director of Innovation Solutions at Qmarkets.
You must be logged in to post a comment.