The power of disruptive thinking
idoba CEO, Sarah Coleman shares how diversity drives innovation
The mining sector is grappling with increasingly complex problems and we need to challenge how things have always been done to remain relevant in times or rapid change.
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” So said Henry Ford, the man who revolutionized the motor industry. A century later, his words still hold true.
We don’t have time to sit back and hope that by doing the same thing, the same way we’ve always been doing it, is somehow going to miraculously give us innovation. It’s imperative that we disrupt our way of thinking. We need to nurture innovation – or risk going the way of the horse and carriage.
Lead by example
In my role as CEO of idoba, I’m on a mission to slay the “killers of innovation”. As a CEO, the change starts with me. I need to create space for people to shine. That usually means getting out of my own way – and my teams’ way. To do that, I need to know my own biases, like really know them, and challenge them every day. Honest self-reflection is tough. But if we can’t disrupt our own ideas and ideological constructs, we will not be able to innovate. That holds true for me as an individual. idoba as a company. And mining as an industry.
Create a safe space
The other non-negotiable for innovation is diversity. And that goes way beyond gender. We need the diversity of thought that can only be achieved by having a truly representational workforce. I want “I’ve never thought of it that way before” to be the most overused words in our company. I also believe we don’t have a diversity and inclusion problem in industry, we have a diversity and inclusion solution to an innovation and creativity problem.
In the just over a year since idoba was launched, we’ve grown to over 160 employees from 27 countries. Nearly 40% are female, 25% neurodiverse, and ages range from 16 to 71 years old.
It’s not enough to just have a diverse workforce. We need to make our people feel safe so they can show up as their true, imperfect, authentic selves - and have the confidence to share their unique take on things. We embrace the individual and their ideas.
Diversity is at the very core of idoba’s being. Our company was formed two years ago when five independent companies, each with their own area of technical expertise, came together. Like threads of twine that interweave to form rope, we are collectively stronger when we pull together.
Free information from silos
By relooking at company structures and freeing information from silos, we created an innovation ecosystem where ideas can spark and flow. As the mining sector heads into a period of increasing complexity and uncertainty, we’re all going to have to get out of our silos. The issues we are facing are too big for one individual or one organisation. Partnership and co-creation need to become the norm.
—
About Sarah Coleman
Sarah is an experienced mining and management consulting executive with an impressive background spanning operations, improvement, innovation, technology and asset management. She has worked with a wide range of top tier organisations across industries of mining, oil and gas, manufacturing and healthcare. Sarah has been recognised for her excellence including being named the 2022 Women in Industry Excellence in Mining winner, WA Business News Top 40 Under 40 in 2013, a CME Most Outstanding Young Professional female finalist in 2013, AIM WA 2015 State Owner Manager of the Year and was a Women In Industry Awards finalist in 2016.