Innovation requires movement. Moving forward, even when everything is not yet ready, creates momentum and drives ideas to reality. When teams act quickly, something powerful happens: they build, they test, they discover. Often, this very lead is the basis for the ideas that later prove to be sustainable. Speed becomes a kind of catalyst for learning. When a lot is created, the likelihood of something getting right increases.
But this is only half the picture.
The speed that puts out the creative flame
It is easy to confuse productivity with innovation. When the pace is high and the execution is efficient, it may seem like development is moving forward, but innovation requires more than production. Without time for reflection, feedback and innovative thinking, you risk getting stuck in an optimized loop of what is already known. Speed can become the enemy of deeper insights. There is a point where forward movement turns into blindness to new possibilities.
Therefore it is important to distinguish between idea generation and execution. Idea generation is not a moment that just arises spontaneously during the journey. It is a phase of its own, with its own conditions, and requires something that is often underestimated in modern organizations: slack.
Time for the idea is not wasted
Setting aside time to think, sketch, reevaluate and rethink is not a luxury but a necessity. Many managers are mistaken and believe that creativity is something that “just happens” between meetings or during coffee breaks. But for truly innovative ideas, structured space is needed. Time to gather impressions, discuss, reflect and let ideas mature. Here, slowness is an asset, not an obstacle. Without this brake, there is also a lack of direction for the acceleration that follows.
When speed is crucial
Once an idea has been formed and begins to take shape, then the pace is crucial. The implementation phase is not the place for contemplation, but for testing, improvement and launch. It is in rapid, reality-based iteration together with customers and users that innovation becomes useful. Here, solutions must be released quickly so that feedback can be used in the next version. The perfect solution created in a closed room has rarely been right.
Creating the right thing – not just going fast
Innovation is not just about how you build, but what you build. Moving quickly in the wrong direction equals accelerated waste. Therefore, you must ask yourself early on: does this solve a real problem? Are we doing this because it is possible or because it makes sense? Without a strong foundation of ideas, implementation can be impressive, but irrelevant.
The balance between reflection and energy
The most innovative organizations have understood is that they must oscillate between two modes. One is reflective, searching, exploratory. The other is proactive, pragmatic and fast. The real art lies in knowing when to switch between these.
The success of innovation is therefore not based only on speed or planning, but on the rhythm between the two. It requires leadership that dares to slow down when everyone else is rushing and that dares to push forward when doubts are greatest. That rhythm is the key to both creating and realizing what does not yet exist.
The role of the innovation leader in balancing speed and reflection
Leadership is at the center of this rhythm. It is the leader’s job not only to drive projects forward, but to sense when the organization is in the wrong position. A skilled innovation leader knows that innovation is not always a straight path but rather an interplay between different positions. Sometimes a clear push forward is needed to avoid getting stuck in the comfort of planning. Other times, a conscious braking is required to gather new perspectives, invite different skills or simply gain insight into what is not yet understood.
It is the innovation leader who needs to create structures where idea generation is allowed to take place and at the same time avoid the process becoming endless. They must be sensitive to when the team is ready to take the next step, but also brave enough to pause when what is being created risks straying from its purpose. Understanding when to create momentum, and when to create space, is one of the most crucial skills in innovation-driving leadership.
