Skills for innovation: Revolution Fibres

Albert McGhee and Iain Hosie, from Revolution Fibres, discuss the skills that innovators need and demonstrate.

Further discussion

Albert McGhee considers that innovators have a lot in common, including having a vision, sharing that vision, dedication, commitment, confidence and courage. Iain Hosie goes on to describe innovators as ‘restless people’ who look for ways to get over or around challenges.

Using the Meet an innovator video clips and articles, look at how different people in our Innovation stories describe their key skills, attitudes and values. Compare these and discuss what key skills, attitudes and values you think are important. Are these skills you have? What activities or pursuits might help you develop one or more of these skills?

UPDATE: In May 2021, Revolution Fibres rebranded to NanoLayr.

Transcript

Albert McGhee

Innovators have a lot in common. Most of it’s actually around having a vision and being able to share that vision, being prepared to do the hard work that’s required to innovate. Because it’s not easy, it requires dedication and real commitment, and when you have setbacks or somebody tells you, “You can’t do it”, and “You’re silly, why are you doing that?” Having the confidence and the courage to stand up and do it in spite or despite what everybody else says.

Iain Hosie

I think innovators are very good at looking at hurdles potentially as challenges or something that you can get around or get over as opposed to stop. And that to me seems to be the key driver behind innovators. I find them very restless people, they’re always trying to find another answer to a potential problem.

Albert McGhee

There’s so many different personalities and backgrounds and skills and experience from all sort of innovators. It’s almost a decision you make that you want a better company or a better country. So if you take that decision on yourself to make things better, then you are an innovator.

Acknowledgements Revolution Fibres: Albert McGhee, Iain Hosie Simon Feasey, Hansol Cha, Cody McClure

The Royal Society of New Zealand, TVNZ 7 in partnership with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment