We are finishing up a two-part series on innovation leaders. Innovation leadership skills go beyond the basic skills associated with managing people or processes. They are leadership styles to increase creativity, competency, and collaboration that result in innovations that contribute to the organization's success.

The Challenge

The Harvard Business Review recently said, "A major paradox managers face is that the systems that enable success with today's model reinforce behaviors that are inconsistent with discovering tomorrow's model." Today's rules and structures for organizations create innovation roadblocks. It's vital to appoint a leader with the characteristics to lead your innovation effort. Secondly, it's essential to support them with resources (people, time, and money) and give them space to work. 

9 Characteristics of Successful Innovation Leaders

Let's look at the nine characteristics every successful innovation leader needs. Firstly, innovation leaders need to be comfortable with risk. An innovation leader must have risk tolerance and analyze possible outcomes to make the best decision. Secondly, leaders need expertise in effective communication, conveying visions, commanding respect, and understanding ideas' inherent risks and advantages.

Thirdly, innovation leaders need to remain humble and open to new ideas. This will help cultivate an innovative organization. Next, innovation leaders need to have low anxiety since unnecessary stress depletes creativity. A leader with low anxiety will make their team feel comfortable and secure. 

The fifth characteristic is self-confidence, as innovation leaders constantly deal with unknowns. An innovation leader believes they'll succeed and stay positive. The next characteristic is being oriented towards action. Innovation leaders feel energized by action and enjoy leading change that produces innovation. Next, innovation leaders are active collaborators, creating a culture of trust, mutual respect, and shared aspiration of a mutual goal. Innovations that come from collaborative sharing can propel organizations to greater heights.

The eighth characteristic is being a rule breaker. Innovation leaders understand that consistently following the rules can become rigid and put people in a rut. They seek to generate insight and knowledge through non-traditional ways, such as experimentation, free exploration, improvisation, and breaking the rules of doing something. Lastly, an innovation leader needs to be a keen observer, perceiving new patterns and details. The ability to notice things that may have gone unnoticed helps innovation leaders make accurate assessments and figure out the best solution to a problem.

Resources

• https://yscouts.com/10-innovation-leadership-characteristics/
• https://blog.trginternational.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-collaborative-leadership
• https://workingcapitalreview.com/2019/12/removing-roadblocks-on-the-road-to-innovation/