One thing that stifles growth and creativity in an organisation is the phrase “that’s the way it’s done” or “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” If a leader constantly repeats this, he can limit the members’ thinking and creative abilities to the way things have always been.

Tradition is good but fades when it doesn’t welcome advancement in knowledge. It may still retain a few diehards, but its influence is bound to fade and wane with time because it fails to adapt to changes in its environment. It fails to respond to the stimuli of growth coming from its surroundings. 

You can embrace advancement without compromising your core values. Innovation is not watering down your character and that of your organisation.

Many young leaders have been frustrated by an old system, some even ended up adapting to what they know is not working or could be improved. Their innovative edges become blunt, and they become as the old. The other extreme, however, is young leaders who believe they can change traditions without listening to anyone in the organisation.

One of the headaches of leadership is the best way to introduce innovation into a system you didn’t build. This is further complicated when you have other leaders or co-workers who must approve your innovative ideas before implementation.

Examples of people who challenged tradition:

•  The Lord Jesus introduced the doctrine of grace which was a major shift from the law that the Jews were accustomed to. Despite the mighty divine manifestations that accompanied him from birth, the leaders of the Jewish religion fought him violently to the point of false accusations and crucifixion. However, his divine innovative teaching on grace permeated the hearts of men and continues to spread like wildfire across the globe. Yet, Jesus did not fight any wars, insult others, or commit murder to accomplish this.

• David challenged the way battles were fought with swords in ancient times. He had a history of using his hands to rescue his sheep when predators took them. When faced with a major challenge such as that of halting the advancement of the Philistines and the great warrior, Goliath, he brought in a crazy idea of fighting with sling and stones. He knew that swords, spears, and horses meant nothing in the face of Goliath. His brother, Eliab mocked him, but his innovative way of fighting brought victory and catapulted him to the throne.

• The Jews have always been circumcised since Abraham received that instruction as a commandment from God to seal the old covenant. So, becoming Christians, the Jewish believers wanted the Gentile believers to circumcise themselves and keep the laws of Moses as well. This was impossible for the gentile believers to keep, and Apostle Paul challenged that tradition. Meanwhile, the Jewish believers in Christ were ready to cause major problems in the church because of that belief system. Acts 15 verse 5. Paul and Barnabas stood their ground and effectively changed that perspective. 

• Peter didn’t want to eat the animals in the vision because they were unclean. Yes, he was keeping the law as given in Leviticus but when a new revelation from God comes, you need to be spiritually sensitive to capture it. So, he arose to eat. Accepting and aligning with that revelation led to the conversion of Cornelius. Acts 10. He broke tradition to bring in something better. 

On his return to Jerusalem, the Jewish believers who were concerned about circumcision wrongly accused Peter of going to uncircumcised men and even eating with them (Act 11:2-3). He needed to calmly explain how God was the one who asked him to break the custom for the sake of the new thing He was introducing – salvation and Holy Spirit baptism to the Gentiles.

How to improve traditions and introduce innovations

Below is my idea on how to manage traditions and introduce innovations:

1. Understand the tradition and what informed it. Know the story. Speak with those who were there before you. Keep your vision aside for a moment and understand the vision of the founders first. One of the things I learnt from Jesus is that he was apt to learn. Though he was God, he spent time in the synagogue listening and asking wise questions to understand. Peter and Paul understood the Jewish customs and were even custodians as in the case of Paul who fought for and vehemently defended the Jewish religion.

2. Respect the tradition and the men and women that built it. It was this respect that made Peter explain the details of his visions to his compatriots. If you come into an organisation but do not respect the tradition that brought them this far, you will have difficulties getting people to your side to change it.

3. Why did the organisation ask for you? What went wrong or what were they in need of? If you grew with the organisation, what did you see that needed improvement? In summary, what are your vision and mission? These have to be understood and clearly defined as you set out to drive a change, especially when the change will be drastic.

4. Introduce innovations and evaluate the results.

Innovation does not imply an automatic increase in revenue, acceptance, and growth. Therefore, introduce your ideas one at a time or similar ideas at once, not multiple things at once. Of course, the big picture of what you want to achieve should be explained, but implementation can be staggered.

Jesus did not wipe out the entire Jewish customs and traditions on the first day. He spent years teaching and preaching, introducing a few things at a time until he was done. Even after he left, the Holy Spirit continued the work of teaching. Imagine that Peter was still making a distinction between clean and unclean animals while he was with Jesus. It was much later after the Pentecost in Acts 11 that that law was changed.

After each introduction, set a time to evaluate the effects of the new ideas. The ideas of Jesus, Peter and Paul didn’t take so long to yield the desired fruits as many Gentile believers were welcomed to the fold and the Gospel spread.

So, one thing at a time and be patient about it.

5. Be ready with answers for those who are stuck with the memories of how things worked in the past. Some people will always feel nostalgic and remember the years of glory of the institution that entrenched the tradition you are coming to change. Therefore, you must have answers for them and not be dismissive.

Possibly you were called because the old traditions needed some improvement, so be firm even as you are understanding.

6. Be clear with your message when bringing innovation. Communication is key when innovating. Granted, not everyone will agree with what you’re bringing in, but let your message be clear that everyone understands the why.

7. Admit that you don’t know it all because whereas traditions have been tested, your innovations are yet to be evaluated or even if statistics are backing your innovation, they probably don’t date as back as the tradition you are trying to change. So, no arrogance. The Bible says that we know in part and prophesy in part as well. Permit me to paraphrase that prophecy to forecast or projection. So, we partially understand and can partially forecast the effects of our innovative ideas. Remain humble.

8. Love the organisation. Don’t take yourself as an outsider who is coming to change things, but as one who is passionate about the organisation and take it as your own. A hireling leaves the sheep when the lion comes but a good shepherd has no option but to stay and save his sheep. Let statistics not be your only guide. Let the desire to radically change not drive you. Let the excitement not come from just your past results. But love what your forerunners have done and desire to be part of the legacy of the company.

9. Pray and ask God for help. Many times, Jesus prayed to the Father to assist him in the journey of changing the minds of men who had been so used to a certain pattern. The Jews worshipped in temples, but he was teaching about worshipping in Spirit and Truth. They carried phylacteries, but here he was talking about having God’s law written in the heart. The change was massive, so he always asked God for help as he explained the original meanings of certain practices to them and discarded others. Even his disciples were convinced with time.

As earlier said, Peter was still making a distinction between clean and unclean animals while he was with Jesus until the visions of God in Acts 10. So, the help of God in helping you drive a change cannot be overemphasised. Also, pray for the people to understand what you are doing.

A leader needs to understand the tradition of his company, especially when it has a good legacy, but he shouldn’t allow that to stifle his initiatives and those of the workers in the organisation.