1. The innovative leader works with the world instead of against it.
I like this dimension. I've spoke on the tendency for academics to view the world the way they want it to be rather than the way it is. I feel this affects more than just academics; the phrase cognitive dissonance can apply to a whole host of people that are unable to reconcile their view of the world with the actual reality. For the leader, myopia is a crippling affliction, even if your goal is just to maintain the status quo. However, the innovative leader wants to bring about change. Change, in business units, appears to be reactive in nature. It's only recently that agri-business discovered profit in organic goods so new business models cropped up (pun intended) to capitalize on organic spinach. However, people have known for years that pesticides in foods and goods drenched in chemicals were having negative effects. An innovative leader would lead a trend towards organics rather than waiting for the populace to demand them. Apple has built an empire based on generating needs where people never knew they needed things. "Hey! I never knew I needed an ipad...thanks Apple! Here's all my money." However, even Apple isn't truly innovative, they make neat gadgets but are still stockholder, not stakeholder, focused and their labor and environmental problems seem to be recurring .
All of that being said, innovative leaders still need jobs. It is my belief that if you want to change the beast you must first look like something the beast wants to eat. Innovative leaders understand that they aren't going to be Dali Lama of hedgefund management without first getting a job as a hedgefund manager. Once established it can become difficult to overcome institutional barriers to innovation. It is a double-edged sword; to first become part of an organization you have to be something the institution wants, but once you try and change the institution you may find yourself without an institution to change. So what does it mean when the leader must view the world as it is? The innovative leader will utilize skills such as emotional intelligence, multi-cultural viewpoints, and communication techniques to grasp a realistic vision of how the section of the world in which they are operating actually operates. From there they can begin to devise strategies to move the markers further away from status quo and into innovation. To get somewhere new, you first must understand where you are. Be aware that resistance will be met at some point along the change process. However a proper usage of Lewin's Change Management Model may help. Also keep in mind that change is a process that takes time; don't expect to change the world overnight but by working within a company's policies and with proper support from superiors, it is possible to innovate in established firms.
The other option is to create your own business and many entrepreneurs are doing so. Several green companies are springing up to fill a consumer need for green goods and services. Here leaders are free to be as innovative as they please, and if successful they will create profitable companies with boardrooms, and CEO's, and CIO's, and all the trappings of hierarchical leadership.
2. Innovative leadership doesn't depend on the hierarchical authority.
Hierarchical authority structures usually wind up existing only to perpetuate their own existence. Don't misunderstand, someone has to call the shots but that someone needs to understand that shot calling can be trusted to other people as well, and creating new shot callers means pushing authority as low as it can go. Strict adherence to a command structure limits creativity; people need the room to make their own choices if they are to truly innovate.
In our successful green start-up, Patrick's Organic Spinach and Management Consulting (I call dibs) eventually Patrick, if he's not careful, will assume his innovation is better than some middle manager or sales clerks' innovation and will start to consolidate power in small rooms. Instead, Patrick needs to provide the resources and support to allow the sales clerk or middle manager to develop their ideas. This may mean investing resource and treasure into dead ends, but true innovation means learning from failure as much as successes. People need to know that failing does not mean a loss (and then termination), but rather a learning opportunity. To do that, you have to let them make their own choices. It is perfectly fine to provide a framework for operation but be sure to make that framework as broad as possible.
3. Lastly innovative leadership builds on personal integrity.
This is sort of a no-brainer if you ask me. People have to trust in you in order to have them believe in your ideas. Last week I equated public speaking or "working a room" with performance art. But I also said that you need to be sincere. Sincerity comes from authenticity and when you are authentic people will connect. You can be authentic and still play a part when speaking to a crowd. Your passion for your ideas is authentic, your desire to improve is authentic, and while it is true that you may need to provide data to back your dreams that is where integrity comes into play. If you are seen as a person with integrity, people will be more inclined to believe your data and the conclusions you draw from it. Remember we must deal with the world as it is, and in the real world data drives decisions. When you are authentic and viewed as someone with integrity, it becomes easier to convince others your innovative dreams are the direction in which to go.
These three dimensions of innovative leadership are dimensions that blend very well with my vision of leadership. I believe that understanding how the world works, pushing authority to its lowest level, and being authentic make up the foundation of innovative and transformational leadership.
Denning, S. (2011). The leader's guide to storytelling. San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass.
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