Explained: The FORGE Methodology
FORGE is the methodology at the heart of The Entrepreneur Within, but what does it stand for?
The design for our FORGE lettering is no coincidence: I see the methodology like a series of pipes, all interconnected but with innovation flowing throughout.
Each of the following chapters that make up the FORGE methodology – Focus, Originality, Results, Growth and Ecosystem – are interconnected elements. While there is a logical order to them, I’m not calling them steps because the relevancy is directly related to where you are in your innovation journey.
The five chapters of the second part of the book brings together a range of tools that will bring you success. I’ve distilled decades of knowledge and experience, and have incorporated advice from interviews with pioneers from some of the world’s most innovative companies, including Apple, Nike and Sony. I’ve spoken to business leaders and organisational gurus. I’ve heard the tales from the frontline of innovation, and where they’ve tripped up or found unexpected success. These learnings are all within the next chapters.
I’ve also been directly involved with hundreds of innovation projects. I’ve seen wild successes and painful (oh so painful) failures. I’ve launched products from scratch and moved products to greater heights. I’ve worked with dozens of organisations too, from major banks to universities, vast corporations to government-run hubs. I’ve had the opportunity to see first-hand why some innovations succeed and some fail.
I started then to organise my experiences to understand why some things succeeded and others failed. What became very clear is that it wasn’t all about the product or service. There were a huge number of factors at play. And I started to group them. When things do go wrong, it’s typically because at least one of the FORGE elements – outlined below – is missing.
Focus
Shine the spotlight in the right place to navigate the labyrinth of possibilities. Connect your purpose, unique capabilities, and market trends to discover the right problem(s) for your business to solve.
Originality
Unseal creative thought to deliver initiatives worthy of earning attention. Original thinking does not require magic stardust, and all the ideas worth doing have not already been done. Genuine innovation has no experts.
Results
Validate concepts quickly in the real world and rapidly adapt to either gain traction or fail without excess waste. Scrutinise the lead indicators of desirability, viability, and feasibility to increase the velocity of learning.
Growth
Transition from start-up mode to scale-up mode without losing momentum. This is the time to place big bets whilst recognising that further innovation and new capabilities are often both required for successful scaling.
Ecosystem
Escape the false boundaries of organisations and embrace the problem-focussed ecosystem. Create the climate for sustainable success and harness the wider community to help provide fuel and develop the pipeline for future growth.
