Innovation isn’t neat. It’s not about perfect plans or lightning bolt moments of genius. It’s messy, awkward, and often starts with a question that feels impossible to answer. And that’s where the magic happens — when we let go of the need to know everything and start digging.
So how do you start digging? Here are some lessons from the trenches — ideas we’ve tried, things we’ve learned (sometimes the hard way), and what might help you wherever you’re working, whether it’s in local government, a startup, or a big organisation.
1. Go beyond quick fixes
It’s tempting to jump straight to the solution — especially when there’s pressure to deliver results. But digging deeper means asking hard questions like, “Why is this problem here in the first place?” or, “What’s the root cause we’re missing?”
When colleagues of mine started the Sussex Bay project, it wasn’t just about coastal biodiversity. It was about looking at the bigger picture: how to balance economic resilience with environmental sustainability. That meant getting uncomfortable, challenging assumptions, and staying open to ideas from unexpected places — like fishermen who knew the waters better than anyone or local businesses thinking about their carbon footprint.
Your takeaway:
- Before you jump to solutions, take a step back. What’s the real problem? What’s under the surface?
- Try asking “Why?” five times. It sounds simple, but it’s amazing how quickly it takes you to the root cause.
2. Build teams, not just ideas
Here’s the thing about great ideas: they’re useless without the right people to bring them to life. It’s not just about hiring the “best” people — it’s about creating teams where everyone feels like they belong and has something valuable to bring to the table.
With the Worthing Heat Network, the big win wasn’t the technical solution. It was the relationships built along the way — between engineers, community groups, and council teams. Those relationships didn’t just make the project better; they’ve created a foundation for future collaborations.
Your takeaway:
- Spend time building trust. Good ideas need strong foundations.
- Be the person who connects others. Who in your network should meet? Make the introduction.
3. Meet people where they are
Not everyone is going to show up to your workshop, no matter how many invites you send. Sometimes you’ve got to meet people where they already are — physically, emotionally, or digitally.
When we carried out community listening to shape our future priorities, we realised the best conversations didn’t happen in meeting rooms. They happened over coffee, on walks, or in local parks. It wasn’t always easy, but it meant we heard from people who wouldn’t normally get involved — and that made the work so much better.
Your takeaway:
- Take your ideas outside the usual spaces. Hold a session in a park or a cafe.
- Listen more than you talk. People are already full of ideas — they just need to be heard.
4. Focus on relationships, not just outputs
This one’s personal for me. I’m naturally someone who likes to tick things off a list, so I’ve had to learn that sometimes the best work isn’t about what you deliver — it’s about who you connect with along the way.
With our future priorities, we’re still figuring out some of the big questions. But what’s been amazing is seeing how much people care — how willing they are to collaborate if you give them the chance. Those relationships are what will make the project work long-term, even if the short-term feels slow.
Your takeaway:
- Redefine success. It’s not just about finishing a project — it’s about what you’ve built along the way.
- Invest time in people. Send a thank-you note. Check in with someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.
What we’re learning
We don’t have all the answers. But here’s what’s keeping us going:
- Birmingham City Council’s Citizen Panels: By inviting residents to lead discussions on air quality, they uncovered hyper-local solutions often missed by city planners.
- The Dutch City of Utrecht: Their circular economy experiments started with digging — literally — into waste management data to understand behavioural barriers.
- Australia’s Safe and Equal initiative: Instead of tackling domestic violence prevention in silos, they brought together survivors, policymakers, and service providers to co-design interventions.
A call to action
So here’s the challenge: What’s the thing you’ve been avoiding? The uncomfortable conversation, the unresolved problem, the project that feels too big? Start there.
- Ask questions. Lots of them. And don’t be afraid of the silence while you wait for the answers.
- Get uncomfortable. Real change doesn’t happen in your comfort zone.
- Keep digging. Because sometimes, just below the surface, you’ll find something extraordinary.
Let’s stop looking for the easy wins and start digging for the hard stuff.
