Imitate Before Innovate
At Vivid Image, we see this play out all the time: people are eager to grow, but learning rarely feels straightforward. It’s tempting to want to prove yourself right away, skipping past the basics. Maybe you’ve been there. Wanting to put your personal stamp on things before you’ve had the chance to truly learn from others. On the flip side, some of us hang back too long, sticking with what feels safe and familiar. Both approaches can hold us back from the confidence and progress we’re aiming for.
When individuals innovate too quickly, they risk creating shallow solutions that lack depth and may compromise existing processes. They may get excited but quickly burn out or miss important details. On the other hand, those who stay too long in imitation never discover their own voice or unique contributions. They remain dependent, hesitant to step forward, and can feel stuck in a cycle of repetition. The result? Frustration, stalled growth, and missed opportunities for both the individual and the organization.
The Effective Learning tool provides a roadmap: Imitate before you innovate.
At Vivid Image, we use this as a cultural guide for how people learn and grow. It reminds us that every learner must move through the stages of Information → Imitation → Innovation. First, you receive knowledge. Next, you imitate—copying what works, learning the basics, and practicing with consistency. Only after you understand and master what already works can you responsibly innovate and make it your own. The danger zone is leaping too quickly from information to innovation, skipping the discipline of imitation. This creates excitement without mastery and leads to shallow innovation. By recognizing your natural tendencies through the 5 Voices lens, you can learn when to slow down, when to step forward, and how to balance learning with creativity.
Voices That Jump Too Quickly to Innovation
Creatives, Connectors, Pioneers
- Strength: Visionary, future-oriented, love newness.
- Risk: Skip imitation → shallow innovation without grounding. This is the danger zone of Effective Learning: moving to innovation too quickly creates excitement without depth, momentum without mastery, rework and team frustration.
- Behaviors:
- Get bored with repetition.
- Want to customize before mastering.
- Reinvent the wheel instead of learning from proven models.
- Coaching Cue: Slow yourself down. Remind yourself: “Master before you modify.”
Voices That Stay Too Long in Imitation
Nurturers, Guardians
- Strength: Diligent, trustworthy, value-tested methods.
- Risk: Overdependence on past patterns → resistance to innovation.
- Behaviors:
- Prefer proven paths, hesitate to risk.
- May not move beyond copying.
- Can hold back change out of fear of loss.
- Coaching Cue: Push yourself forward. Try “safe experiments” that preserve values while moving into innovation.
Individual Application
- If unchecked:
- Creatives/Connectors/Pioneers → innovate without credibility.
- Nurturers/Guardians → stagnate, staying too safe.
- Healthy growth:
- Future Voices learn patience through imitation.
- Present Voices gain courage through small steps of innovation.
Reflection Question: In your personal learning, where do you tend to get stuck—imitating too long, or innovating too soon?
Want your team to be guided through this process?
Visit www.stevegasser.com for individual and group led sessions or take the 5 Voices Assessment and understand your primary leadership voice.
