Melissa Jackson, Senior Director of Product Development and Design at Central Garden & Pet, is a key innovator at her company, overseeing the development of a range of products. As a key figure behind the innovation process, Jackson understands the value of a motivated team, a thriving culture and the need to break free from the “vacuum of the office.”
3 Questions with Melissa Jackson
1. How do you motivate your team to come up with good ideas?
To really get the energy and momentum picked up, I like getting the team out of the office or out on the road to a trade show. It's key to get them outside of the vacuum of the office. I challenge my team to focus on categories we want to grow. I always try to motivate them with a purpose in mind. I encourage my team to take ideas from extensions in category that could have a vertical purpose. Fortunately for me, the team motivates themselves quite well already. I can say that everyone is hard working and passionate about the category they're in. I try to add to that motivation with a little extra encouragement to step outside the day-to day business every now and then.
2. Can you describe innovation at your company?
It’s more of a process in other areas. However, my team is exposed to a more rigid format and more rigid processes. I feel like it may hinder their motivation with formal process. I'm also very blessed to have a great relationship with my boss, and it's good to know I can get the "green light" when need be. We also have three important values -- interpret, execute and refine -- which are pored over in the development process.
3. How do you create a culture of innovation?
I think the culture is only as good as the teams that are a part of it. My team is incredibly talented and motivated. As for the culture, there is a collective aspect to it. For instance, we have a phenomenal marketing team that we collaborate with. However, something that is instrumental to our culture and our company are the relationships we maintain with retailers. There is a lot of open communication and access to information with our retailers. It's about building and sustaining that rapport and relationship. By doing so, it feeds back into our own culture and makes us want to innovate even more.
