Exactly as the name suggests, the Innovator represents innovation, experimentation and a thirst for continuous improvement in Alchemist’s leadership framework. Without innovative leadership skills, you might notice stagnated development, reduced creativity and a struggle to find solutions that really work. This role is all about driving efficiency. They are constantly looking for new and better processes that will help the organisation streamline and get more mileage from its set up. They prioritise new idea generation and take action to reduce the bureaucracy involved in implementing new strategies.
Experts in creative problem solving, the Innovator’s obsession with finding better alternatives keeps momentum in the organisation’s development and fosters an environment that thrives on idea sharing. They are a secret weapon, offering a competitive edge helping the business to stay ahead of the curve.
Innovation is one of the core characteristics, but what else does someone with this innate style of leadership excel at?
Innovative Problem Solving
The Innovator is a natural at problem solving. They approach problems with deep curiosity and a critical eye, allowing them to uncover the root cause of any issue. Their critical thinking skills allow them to systematically analyse situations to find creative and pragmatic solutions.
Modelling curiosity is key in their innovative leadership. By encouraging their team to dig for information and take alternative approaches to overcome hurdles, they find innovative solutions that set them apart from the crowd. Cultivating this environment of ingenuity for their people allows them to explore and experiment with remedies that will help the business thrive. Conversely, without an Innovator, teams may accept a fate that is predetermined by the status quo.
Their flair for solving problems isn’t just relevant to new obstacles that arise, but also to how they approach old, outdated processes. Innovators are passionate about lean process improvement. They thrive finding fresh perspectives and processes that will maximise value and minimise cost for the organisation.
Continuous Improvement
Related to their creative solution finding, Innovators are hugely influential in the continuous improvement of a business. Not only do they push for innovation, but they create an environment that keeps their team invested in the development of the business.
The Innovator understands that this constant improvement means better efficiency. It’s easy to stay stuck in the rut of “this is how we’ve always done it”, but innovative leadership minimises this acceptance. They challenge the status quo with new idea generation and encourage their people to do the same.
Instilling shared ownership in their team and the organisation, Innovators facilitate more experimentation. In doing so, they dismantle the bureaucracy involved in implementing new ideas. They also enable people to take calculated risks as pat of this process, which inevitably unlocks greater value.
Creative Thinking
Adept at creative thinking, an Innovator will always think outside the box to find improved ways of doing things. This is true of both their innovative leadership and their problem solving skills.
With such a high value placed on innovation and experimentation, Innovators are superb at leading in creative environments, enabling their team to embrace divergent thinking. They understand the impact that company culture can have on innovation, which is backed up by research1. By carefully cultivating a forward thinking culture that values invention, they elicit these same skills and values in their team.
This creative outlooks flows even further in that Innovators are able to find inspiration in seemingly unlikely places. By taking concepts from other teams, businesses or industries, they are able to dissect processes and find ingenious ways to apply them in their own team. In doing so, they amplify their value and increase competitiveness in a rapidly changing landscape.
The Innovator’s skills are essential in leadership development. A key driving force in the business’s continuous improvement, their passion for experimentation and innovation will constantly challenge the status quo. Rather than allowing a team to rest on their laurels, Innovators will proactively seek new, scalable ideas.
By constantly driving lean process improvement with their innovative leadership, the skillset they possess will prevent a business from accepting and existing with inefficiencies. Constantly striving for better and fostering ingenuity mitigates risk of unrealised potential.
This role is a crucial block in the bedrock for success as it pushes the team to strive for growth through alternative routes that competitors may overlook.
Drive Innovative Leadership With An Alchemist Development Programme
Building Innovator skills in your leaders is easier than you might think. In a leadership development journey from Alchemist, your leaders can develop their problem solving and creative thinking skills and learn how to create an environment that supports continuous development. With a blend of immersive, experiential and digital delivery, together we can capture the imagination of your leaders to work on sustainable outcomes that can transform your organisation. Get in touch with Alchemist to find out how our leadership enablement approach can benefit your people.
1Dyer, Gregersen & Christensen, 2011