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“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference”

Robert Frost, in The Road Not Taken

 

“The introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something” is the official dictionary meaning for the term “innovation” and it is easy to relate this description with some of the most important characteristics of a great leader: someone that is open to new ideas and has to be continuously able to renew and create new things, to motivate teams and achieve specific goals. Today, innovation-driven leadership is key. Innovation has proven effective in improving leadership for it to become a success driver and the accelerator of opportunities to face the challenges of a constantly and rapidly changing environment within a digital transformation era.

 

A leader can inspire a whole company
Innovation begins in changing the way of thinking when facing a specific challenge. That is why leaders should empower every single member of a team. An innovation-driven leader should be open, should give moral do their teams and enable purpose and impact. All of the above are only possible if you can be a leader that “walk the talk” and find a way to lead by example, to make it easier and natural to take your team along with your ideas and goals. These leaders are also curious, open and humble, and most of all know how to communicate their purposes very clearly to make sure everyone is on board. An effective leader is someone who is capable or promote innovative thinking, collaborative work, have clear and efficient communication, does not have resistance to error in order to achieve innovative formulas and, also, is be able to reward these behaviours and approaches.
More than innovate in business processes, it is necessary to evolve the leadership foundations and one of the current tendencies today: the purpose. Purpose-driven organisations have more profits, more loyalty from their employers and the traditional metrics reflected on better results and it is easier to achieve the purpose goals if the innovation is at the core of the day-to-day actions.

Leaders with a vision for innovation are also those who manage to integrate their practices as a leader in their way of living. Therefore, an innovative leader is someone who knows their own purpose and how to transmit it to those around them and strives to develop their own potential, serving as a direct example of the organisation’s excellence they lead.

 

The power of innovation inside companies
Some studies show that the relationship between leadership and innovation is stronger inside organizations that promote a culture of innovation that encourages creativity and leadership can be decisive. A survey of 600 senior leaders by Deloitte in Deloitte Business Confidence Report 2014, reveals that “leaders who seek innovation but are unsure of how to make it happen can easily undermine those same goals”.
As so, the empowerment of the teams will be an essential factor to give them the necessary confidence to be more innovative and think “outside the box”. This empowerment will gain even more strength with an investment in diversity policies and practices, through which becomes possible to bring out the best of each person’s potential and skills.

As so, the empowerment of the teams will be an essential factor to give them the necessary confidence to be more innovative and think “outside the box”. This empowerment will gain even more strength with an investment in diversity policies and practices, through which becomes possible to bring out the best of each person’s potential and skills.
At the end of the day, more diverse ideas will generate more chances to create innovative solutions for leadership and business challenges. A study from ManPowerGroup in Portugal shows the Portuguese companies that innovate more are also the ones that generate more job opportunities.

 

A powerful tool in times of crisis
Nowadays, innovative leaders are also the ones that focus on developing more “soft skills” than “technical skills”, as they need to be more sensitive to one’s individual feelings and fears during complex times. That is one of the goals of The Lisbon MBA Católica|Nova holistic development approach that enables to adapt the programs by reinforcing the leadership, namely through a transformational journey that combines state-of-the-art management expertise and transversal skills development to support leaders in their self-discovery and leadership growth.
In that sense, innovation is a true possibility to overcome the challenges during times of crisis such as the pandemic that swept across the world. During complex times, innovation-driven leadership can really make the difference and be a starting point to build resilience for the future and to overcome the great challenges ahead.