Great insights on leading innovation by Larry Osborne. Huge distinction that applies directly to our situation:

Start-ups have only a future to create. All of their energy, thoughts and effort can be focused on finding new and better ways to do what they do. They have little to lose, and their small size allows for lots of quick mid-course corrections along the way should a path prove to be a dead-end.

Existing programs and organizations have a past to protect. The moment a program or organization moves beyond the start-up phase it no longer has just a future to create. It also has customers or members to hold onto.

He had a 25 year old church and thinks he has a past to protect. He should try 150 years.

We definitely need to pay attention to this. We need to find ways to make it safe to innovate (and safe for the innovators) even while we protect the past. Read the whole piece.