Eleanor Roosevelt spoke one sentence with respect to innovation, which every Executive should write down.

“Do something that scares you every day.”

Innovation does not happen in a zone of comfort.

Innovation happens in a zone of discomfort.

My friend and mentor on positioning, Jack Kraushaar from Omnicom, put a slight spin on it. “If it doesn’t make you uncomfortable, it won’t succeed.”

Innovation may come naturally to some…but innovation can be accelerated, can be nurtured, can be optimized.

#1. Write down the one sentence of Eleanor Roosevelt “Do something that scares you every day.”

Obviously don’t jeopardize your personal health by rock-climbing, sky-diving, or riding motorcycles…do something that scares you and challenges you.

Get outside your comfort zone in a variety of ways.

#2 Physical: can you go 32 minutes on the treadmill at a 12% incline at 3.5 mph?
Challenge yourself physically (but safely). It has been demonstrated that more blood-flow to the brain actually produces a higher level of mental alertness. Mind is Body. Body is Mind.

#3 Mental: if you’re reading books about your own industry, if you’re looking for inspiration in your own category…think again.

Fellow Penguin/Portfolio author and speaker Jason Jennings never reads business books…yet he is one of businesses most popular speakers! His inspiration comes from outside the normal environs.

Mentally, you need to go to a different place and experience things completely outside your comfort zone.

Are your friends all from your industry?

Make new friends outside the industry.

Have you never been to France? Does it make you nervous? Good. Go. Now.

Because things that make you nervous…once you experience them, and once you overcome that nervousness, build confidence.

And this is the innovation equation resulting from confidence:

(Confidence + Talent) X (Desire to excel) = Innovation

Do something that scares you every day, and not only do you build confidence, you exercise your “desire to excel” muscle.

Have you done the equation?

Listen to Eleanor.

Mark Hughes is a professional speaker, consultant, and author of the book Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff (Penguin/Portfolio).