The relationship between attention and innovation is complex. As we know, managing your attention well falls within the EI domains of self-awareness and self-regulation.
But to better understand how attention plays a role in innovation, let’s first look at the stages of creativity.
First, you've got to recognize that there is a creative challenge. The research on innovation in business shows there are two approaches: exploitation and exploration. In exploitation the creative challenge is to find new ways to make the most of the products you’ve got. In exploration you look widely to see what else you could do that is new and different. Leaders need to know when to explore, when to exploit – and how. And that starts with the simple awareness of what you are doing.
