Handle small failures with honesty.
Innovation rarely happens when you're afraid of making mistakes.
Look for low-stakes opportunities to try a new approach or a different tool. If you have a repetitive task, spend thirty minutes trying to find a more efficient way to automate it or a new way to show the results. Even if your experiment doesn’t work perfectly, the act of trying to improve a process prevents you from going through the motions. It shows your manager that you have a mindset focused on continuous improvement rather than doing the bare minimum.
A “test and learn” approach builds your creative problem-solving skills. As you move up, you’ll be expected to find new ways to save the company time and money.
An experiment will go sideways. Use it as an honest learning moment instead of trying to hide the error. Share it with your team by saying, “I tried to streamline this task using a new method, but I found that it created this specific issue instead.” This level of transparency is refreshing and encourages a team culture where others feel safe to innovate too. The goal is to be a fast learner who’s not afraid to test the boundaries of how things are currently done to find a better way forward.
Put these approaches into practice.
Let’s look at practical ways to treat repetitive tasks as low-stakes opportunities for experimentation.
"I had a weekly task of manual data cleanup that took two hours. Instead of just grinding through it, I spent 30 minutes of my innovation time trying to write a basic script to automate the formatting. The first time it failed, but by the third week, I had cut my work time down to ten minutes. I turned a chore into a skill-building win."
DON’T wait for a formal invitation or a massive project to suggest a change in strategy.
DO look for small, repetitive tasks to test a new tool or a different workflow for thirty minutes.
"I used to present my monthly reports using the same old template. I decided to experiment with a new visualization tool to make the data clearer. My manager noticed the change immediately and said, 'I appreciate that you’re looking for ways to make this more useful, not just finished.' It signaled I was ready for more strategic work."
DON’T go through the motions of a task just to get it done, ignoring the potential for a better way forward.
DO focus on continuous improvement rather than the bare minimum to show your manager you have an ownership mindset.
"I tried a new project management app to organize our team’s files, but it ended up confusing everyone. Instead of quietly reverting back, I sent an email: ‘I tried to streamline our filing with X tool, but I found it created a sync delay. We’re moving back to the old way for now, but I learned a lot about our specific needs.’ My boss thanked me for the honesty and for being the only one trying to find a better way."
DON’T hide an error or a failed experiment out of fear that it will make you look incompetent.
DO share the failure honestly with your team as a learning moment to encourage a culture of safe innovation.
"My team always used a specific vendor for printing. I decided to test a local startup for a small internal project. The quality wasn't as good, but their turnaround was 50% faster. I shared the results: 'Great for speed, bad for high-end clients.' My lead started coming to me for logistics advice because I was the only one with actual data on our alternatives."
DON’T fear testing the boundaries of how things are currently done because you’re worried about the status quo.
DO position yourself as a fast learner who uses every outcome—successful or not—to find a more efficient path.
"I noticed we were paying for three different software subscriptions that did the same thing. I ran an experiment where I mapped our team’s needs to just one tool. I presented the $4,000-a-year savings to my manager. I wasn't just a new employee anymore; I was a contributor who understood the bottom line."
DON’T experiment just for the sake of novelty or to avoid "boring" tasks.
DO aim your creative problem-solving specifically at finding new ways to save the company time or money.
Is there a small, manual task you do every day that you’ve been wanting to try a new shortcut for?
Integrate these professional strategies into your workflow—whether you’re refining your own work or mentoring your team or clients.