How do you lead your innovation team?
Innovation will not fly without strong leadership. When we talk about ‘servant leadership’ the emphasis is often on the serving part. And it’s true there is often much to gain from that. But let’s not forget the leadership itself.
Leadership is about influence. Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a certain goal. The core of this is that everyone recognizes who the leader is, and why. Because serving is not the hardest part. Tea, anyone?
But what are the leadership qualities that make team members happy to comply? I have clustered my observations from the past years into seven key forms of leadership. Maybe you recognize some of them.
1.The Go-to Guy
“If you want to have something done, you have to talk to Herman.” Herman is the manager with internal influence. The man who ultimately deals with the promotions, the training budgets, and all of that. Herman knows whose buttons he needs to press (and how hard) to make things change.
2. The Expert
“Jacqueline is better than anyone I know when it comes to programming!” Little has changed since primary school: The best football player was the class star. It is a nice form of leadership, but one that requires a lot of maintenance. Because at some point, Cobol will not be that hot anymore.
3. The Analyst
“Inez just always makes the right decisions. Always.” Intelligence and analytical skills are beautiful talents. Managing is often about making the right decisions quickly, and everyone understands that these talents are helpful. This is often the manager who convinces with arguments.
4. The figurehead
“Megan is in all sorts of complicated boards and knows important people. The prime minister, for example.” People are sensitive to external visibility and influence, even if it makes little difference for their own daily situation. It’s not uncommon for the figurehead to be a bit of a crappy manager, but that doesn’t matter. Because through them you also know the prime minister, and it’s lovely to bask in that knowledge.
5. The Charismatic One
“When Jonathan starts talking, you just want to get behind him.” Charisma is a nice foundational pillar for leadership. It’s free, it tempts people and you only need three seconds to transfer it. Charisma is strengthened by a deep-rooted belief in the joint cause. Yes We Can! However: you either have it or you don’t.
6. The People Person
“If Anton asks for something, I am always happy to do it for him, and that applies to everyone.” Some people are so nice, you just want to be nice back. Anton is probably always there for others. If this is the only foundational pillar under your leadership you might run into problems, but it can be a huge boost for the other pillars and for innovation culture.
7. The Bossy Boss.
“Wim always says ‘well, because I say so’, and then ends the conversation.” We call this kind of leadership formal leadership. Formal leadership is great for toddlers — ‘because Daddy says so’ — but among adults it is not the best managerial style to fall back on. It doesn’t create connection and it makes people doubt your other talents. And they will usually be right to do so.
In short …
If you lead innovation, this can help you think about what your leadership looks like. What do you want people to say when asked why it makes complete sense that you are the Leader of the Pack?
Once you know the answer to that question, you can strengthen your leadership profile and let it flourish. And then you can put all your energy into giving your team what they need to be the best they can be.
Found this interesting? Then click the little hands on the left! Do you recognize what I write? Do you have additions? I’d love to hear from you!
