Introduced a novel division at Google, championing my groundbreaking proposals to higher-ups.
Mira Lane, the visionary behind Google's Envisioning Studio, shares her insights on presenting innovative ideas to management. The vice president of Google's Tech and Society division attests to Lane's history of proposing groundbreaking ideas.
Lane's first tip is to develop an attitude that allows for handling rejection well. She advises being open to rejection when presenting ideas to management, emphasising that the idea should not be considered part of one's identity but still important enough to believe in and advocate for.
To make an idea relevant and compelling, Lane suggests starting with a clear problem statement backed by data. This approach connects the idea with decision-makers’ goals, making it more than just an abstract concept.
Lane also emphasises the importance of understanding one's audience. By conducting research on the people she is dealing with when presenting a solution, she is able to tailor her pitch to their interests, concerns, and priorities.
Lane's pitch for the Envisioning Studio, a department investigating societal impacts of technological innovations, was brief, with the document being less than a page long. It aimed to resonate with the reader, making them feel that the problem addressed was relevant and important to them.
Lane's advice extends to building credibility through allies and internal champions across different parts of the organisation. This strategy creates collective endorsement instead of pushing the idea alone.
Moreover, Lane suggests using practical demonstrations or prototypes to show tangible value and make concepts more concrete and credible. She also encourages maintaining a growth mindset and showing confidence in one's domain expertise, even if coming from a non-traditional background.
The Envisioning Studio, led by Lane, consists of creative strategists, philosophers, and researchers. Its inception was anchored to a problem: people feeling they have no control over the future of technology.
Lane's approach combines clear problem framing, audience understanding, persistence, coalition-building, and demonstration to persuade management to back bold, exploratory projects like the Envisioning Studio.
In conclusion, Lane's advice for presenting ideas to management is to be well-prepared, research-driven, resilient, and collaborative. By following these principles, innovative ideas stand a better chance of being heard and implemented.
In finance and business, Mira Lane advocates for a growth mindset and resilience when presenting innovative ideas, ensuring the ideas are backed by research and tailored to the audience's interests, concerns, and priorities. To make concepts more tangible, Lane suggests using practical demonstrations or prototypes, building credibility through allies and internal champions across different business sectors.
Lane's unique approach to technology incorporates clear problem framing, collaboration, and persistence, leveraging her team's diverse expertise at the Envisioning Studio, which includes creative strategists, philosophers, and researchers, to address societal impacts of technological innovations.
