Budgets and innovation? Where are those carrots?

Unless you’re living under a carrot patch you know - and to quote the Treasurer directly as he delivered the Budget speech - “We live in uncertain times.”

We’ve always experienced uncertainties (they just look different each time they come around) and we do know where the carrot is - it’s in the ability to mindSHIFT.

Budgets are a chance to create a vision and look over the horizon at the challenges of the future. They allow our governments to put in place a series of spending commitments that prioritise action and solve the challenges identified.

It appears we are divided on the problems worth solving for Australia such as jobs, higher wages, lower cost of living, better health and aged care, more support for education, less reliance on fossil fuels and more.

What we are seeing is common to most companies and organisations. It’s misalignment between stakeholders and the actions that are planned. It’s a focus on solutions - not the problems they solve.

In times of global shocks knowing what problem to solve first is a craft. In many ways, it’s not about the carrot - it’s about the patch. Just as the federal budget looks into the future and then chooses a prioritised program of activity - so too can you.

Rather than focusing on the solutions, think about the problem you are solving. Don’t think about the carrots, think about the patch. Remember, we need the environment and conditions that can enable our organisations to thrive and it is our job to create that.

To learn more about how we can help you innovate in changing times, contact us today.

For industry disruptors (like Mike Cannon-Brookes), global and local policies on climate change present not just challenges but also exciting opportunities. To help make sense of the policy positions, Stephanie Hall took a deep dive into the global conditions and the policy positions covered by the Coalition and the ALP ahead of what promises to be a fraught election cycle.