A Fresh Innovation Playbook for Today's Leaders: How Everyday Leaders Can Harness Innovation to Drive Meaningful Change

In the latest episode of The High Performance Leader Podcast, I sat down with Robyn Bolton, founder and chief navigator at Mile Zero, who brings a wealth of experience from her time at iconic companies like Procter & Gamble and her academic stint at Harvard. Robyn shared her unique perspective on innovation—not as monumental disruptions but as actionable shifts that leaders can implement within their teams. This discussion highlighted the importance of innovation leadership training for modern leaders.

Innovation Redefined

Robyn introduces a refreshingly accessible definition of innovation: “Something new that creates value.” This simplicity is a call to action for leaders at all levels to view innovation as part of their daily operations, not just a siloed project for special teams or the R&D department. By broadening the definition, innovation becomes less about earth-shattering disruptive innovation and more about incremental, value-driven improvements that contribute to long-term success.

The work that Robyn does in support of organisations really meshed with our own ideas around curiosity and experimentation which was really great. This aligns perfectly with core innovation management and corporate innovation strategies.

The Expertise Paradox in Leadership

One of the central themes we explored was the paradox of expertise in leadership roles. Leaders often rise to their positions because of their deep knowledge and problem-solving skills. However, the landscape of leadership and innovation requires them to cultivate a different set of skills—ones that prioritize questioning over answering and exploring over exploiting.

Navigating the Shift from Expert to Facilitator

Transitioning from an expert who has all the answers to a facilitator who nurtures discovery is a challenge for many leaders – nearly 50% according to research. Robyn emphasized the need for leaders to adopt a dual mindset: operational excellence must coexist with a culture of experimentation and curiosity. This balance is crucial in environments that are rapidly changing and where staying relevant means staying adaptable.

This also means sometimes you have to “feel your way forward” versus knowing the answer and this can be really uncomfortable – especially for those managers who like to play in the realm of certainty and expertise. In fact, the less like this you are, the more likely you are to exhibit the innovative leadership strengths of high performers. Embracing principles like design thinking and open innovation can help ease this transition.

Practical Steps to Encourage Innovation

Drawing from our engaging discussion, here are a few actionable strategies for leaders eager to embed innovation into their leadership style and foster a strong innovation culture:

•Encourage Diverse Perspectives: Innovation thrives in environments where varied perspectives are welcomed. Leaders should strive to create spaces where team members feel safe to express unorthodox ideas, a key component of intrapreneurship and creativity.

•Normalize the Learning from Failure: By reframing failures as stepping stones to success, leaders can build a culture where risk-taking is not feared but encouraged as a path to discovery. This entrepreneurial spirit is vital for any organization.

•Adopt Intelligent Risk Management: Balancing the need for innovation with the need to manage risks is a skill that leaders can develop through practice and reflection. It’s about knowing when to push boundaries and when to hold back to ensure sustainability.

My conversation with Robyn Bolton illuminates a path forward for leaders looking to integrate innovation into their leadership arsenal effectively. The key takeaway? Innovation leadership isn’t about discarding what you know but about expanding your toolkit to include the facilitation of exploration and creativity.

Leaders who embrace these practices, perhaps through targeted innovation leadership training, may find themselves at the helm of a more motivated, forward-thinking, and resilient team. By focusing on a robust innovation strategy, leaders can ensure their organizations remain competitive and continue to thrive in an ever-changing market.

Where to take this next

If good ideas keep dying somewhere between your leadership team and delivery, that is friction in the system rather than a lack of effort. Take the Leadership Friction Finder and see where the drag actually sits. It takes a few minutes.