Trigger Innovation by Removing One Constraint
Unleash Innovation by Deleting Just One Blocker
Innovation doesn’t always need more ideas — it needs fewer limitations.
🔹 1️⃣ The Leadership Challenge
Teams often feel stuck not due to a lack of ideas — but because of outdated constraints: legacy rules, limiting beliefs, rigid budgets, or slow approval chains.
Innovation stalls when we protect what no longer serves us.
🔹 2️⃣ The One-Tip Strategy
👉 Remove One Artificial Constraint That’s Blocking Bold Thinking
Ask: “What if this rule, policy, or assumption didn’t exist?”
Eliminating just one blocker can shift the entire system — and release innovation instantly.
🔹 3️⃣ Case Example
3M’s 15% Innovation Time
When 3M removed the constraint of fixed schedules and allowed employees 15% free time to explore ideas, they invented Post-it Notes, masking tape, and dozens of other breakthrough products.
🔹 4️⃣ Execution Guide
Step 1: Identify one frustrating friction point in your team’s workflow or decision process
Step 2: Ask: “Why does this constraint exist — and what if we paused or removed it?”
Step 3: Experiment by removing the constraint for 1 week and tracking what changes
🔹 5️⃣ 24-Hour Action Plan
- ✅ Host a 10-minute team brainstorm: “What’s one thing slowing us down?”
- ✅ Choose one rule, process, or assumption to pause
- ✅ Track what happens over the next 72 hours
🔹 6️⃣ Strategic Follow-Up
- Use constraint-removal sessions as part of quarterly strategy
- Create a “Kill the Blocker” innovation board
- License this mindset to cross-functional teams for continuous improvement
✅ Call-to-Action
📩 Ready to drive innovation not by doing more — but by removing what’s in the way?
👉 Contact us now — we’ll help you identify and eliminate your biggest invisible blockers.
