Gates thinks that banks are dinosaurs, and none of us bankers could convince the others that we alone knew the right way to avoid becoming extinct. We needed a referee. Allen may not be a referee, but by drawing on a third lesson, she just might be able to teach those bankers how to play together. Her first step was to form an advisory council that consists of one high-level executive from each of BITS's 13 largest member banks and one representative each from the Independent Bankers Association of America and the American Bankers Association. In the book, Allen and her coauthors offer unorthodox techniques for teaching even the stuffiest banker how to think more creatively.
People here know that they can bring in wacko ideas and still be received with respect.
Now we're trying to get all bankers to think of themselves that way. According to Catherine Allen, people who work to innovate within big companies need to develop several essential skills. Innovators who work in an organization that lacks shared ownership of new concepts often end up getting shot, like the people leading the front lines in the military. When you have a great idea, the first thing that you need to think about is marketing it internally. Ask yourself who will be impacted by it.