Danny Davis

Governance is the framework of rules and practices that governs your business, and how it operates day-to-day.

Increasing numbers of business leaders have started to see that those who succeed are those who are constantly developing and innovating to stay ahead of the rest of the pack.

With so much emphasis on environmental responsibility, many business owners spend money implementing sophisticated waste reduction schemes but many important resources are still overlooked.

According to Charles Darwin, the key to survival is the ability to adapt and respond to change. This is particularly relevant when running a business.

We all recognise the importance of social media but many companies take a generic approach to marketing themselves online – without considering how a different, more innovative strategy might benefit and even transform their business.

Recently, the Australian government acknowledged the importance of innovation by offering a new research and development tax incentive for innovative businesses, which allows business owners to claim up to 150% of their research and development expenses on their 2012 tax returns.

“It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” This insight, attributed to Charles Darwin, could easily be the most important business management mantra for the decade – here’s why.

Many business owners make the mistake of assuming that productivity means working themselves and their employees harder, but putting more pressure on your staff to get more done can actually be counterproductive. When it comes to increasing productivity, what most businesses need is innovation.

Do you ever feel like your business is stuck in a rut? If you feel you could be more proactive when it comes to moving your business forward, maybe you should consider being more innovative.