A New View of Leadership

True leaders enable others to innovate.

Traditionally, leaders have been viewed as heroes who have all the answers. This perception is an obstacle to innovation. Under that model, employees attempt to innovate if they are told to innovate, when they receive their directions from the top. They feel they do not have to think for themselves; that is what their leaders do.

When leaders of an organization are seen as heroes with all the answers, creative thinking and innovation are stifled.

The systems approach to innovation suggests a special kind of work for leaders. Today, effective leadership is more about knowing oneself, modeling the right behavior and enabling others to perform at their best. As we said earlier, an enlightened leader is a gardener who assures his or her people have the right empowerment and environment in which to innovate. People follow these leaders because they believe their leader is guiding them toward a better future. Anyone in an organization can be a leader, for it is not defined by one’s position in the organization hierarchy, but rather by one’s attitude, knowledge and skills.

Attitude

Innovation leaders recognize that they make a difference in the organization. In some cases, they make the difference. This type of leader very often takes a service approach to asking what he or she can do to help others succeed. This stands in contrast to the command and control style of leadership. Innovation leaders simply desire to make a real contribution to their organization and the lives of the people they work with every day. They are committed to doing what it takes to see that happen.

Knowledge

Leaders of innovation have a knowledge base that extends well beyond their industry. They know how to build a shared purpose and a desired future state for the innovation. They are able to hold onto the ideal when reality appears quite bleak. They know how to challenge the status quo for the purpose of creating a climate for innovation and change. And they build commitment to the actions necessary for innovation, thus attracting and retaining quality people.

Innovation Leadership Skills

The three skills leaders of innovation need to possess are what we call

1. Modeling
2. Enabling
3. Introspection.

With these three skills a leader can guide others in innovating successfully time after time.

We will explore each of these skills in more depth a a short series of articles later on this week and the next.  In the meantime, ask yourself this question:

“What are some ways I can enable those around me to innovate?”