Innovation Models: Fail Fast or Succeed
Many would identify failure as an undesirable outcome of an initiative. However, an innovative organization expects failure much more frequently than success. Innovative failure is only negative when nothing is learned in the process. Although failure is clearly not the objective in any strategic plan, it can provide learning that will help shape future plans […]
Leadership and Innovation
Innovation Ecosystem
Speaking of innovation as taking place within an “ecosystem” suggests the complexity of organically diffusing elements of innovation across an organization. All healthy and growing ecosystems consist of adaptive capabilities and diverse elements working as a whole, much like a healthy organization. To fully harness the idea of innovation, an organization must entirely embrace the […]
Leadership and Innovation
High Impact Leadership
Leaders endeavor to see into the future and create a strategy for an organization. In addition, they can communicate that vision in a way that excites and inspires. What remains to be done, however, is the work of making that strategy a reality; changing the output of strategic thinking into achievements. This course focuses on […]
Leadership and Innovation
Focusing on Results
Team members naturally tend to put their own needs (ego, career development, recognition, etc.) ahead of the collective goals of the team when individuals are not held accountable. If a team has lost sight of the need for achievement, the business ultimately suffers. The pursuit of individual goals and personal status erodes the focus on […]
Leadership and Innovation
Flexing Your Leadership Style 101 and 202
Flexing Your Leadership Style is a course designed to help participants recognize and develop their unique leadership styles. In this course, participants complete a self-assessment to identify their preferred leadership style and explore the strengths and potential disadvantages of each style. Through a variety of exercises and refection activities, participants deepen their understanding of self […]
Leadership and Innovation
Facilitative Leadership
Individuals in leadership roles know the importance of collaboration during meetings. Groups must solve problems, innovate, make decisions and action plans, and ultimately achieve consensus to be effective. They also know that many groups find these meetings frustrating, costly, and often a waste of time. Facilitation adds another dimension to the new face of leadership. […]
Leadership and Innovation
Engaging, Encouraging, and Challenging: Innovating Across the Organization
For successfully harnessing and promoting an innovation mindset across all levels of an organization, a switch in the organization’s culture is necessary for accommodating a free flow of new ideas. An organization’s change agents can facilitate the diffusion of this innovation mindset by consistently engaging with others, encouraging their sharing of new ideas and thinking, […]
Leadership and Innovation
Empathetic Listening
Empathetic listening is the ability to hear both the idea conveyed by another’s words and the emotional tones being expressed and taking each equally into account. Recognizing when a teammate is upset, discouraged, or excited allows a leader to communicate more effectively, responding appropriately to the other’s state. Responding well to the emotions of others […]
Leadership and Innovation
Embracing Accountability
When teams do not commit to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven individuals hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that may seem counterproductive to the overall good of the team. The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort prevents team members from holding one another accountable. A cohesive team’s […]
Leadership and Innovation