How can you develop leadership skills for driving innovation in a rapidly changing business environment?

Firstly, being a visionary doesn't mean you have to have all the answers, or know exactly how to get there. I've found storytelling with a central character makes the future state feel very tangible, where people can almost see, hear and feel it. "Close your eyes and imagine Mandy...". Couple that with your own excitement (I mean we should be excited about our own vision shouldn't we?) and value of the vision can become a lot more real and inspiring.

Lets try to understand how you get a vision. Vision is a form of thought that comes to you only when you see a goal which has not been achieved. No one will come up with a vision / goal of owning McDonalds franchise store. Now to get a thought of achieving an X goal, comes when you find a gap to fill. Filling a gap is nothing but being innovative. Innovation doesn't strike someone just like a chance, it comes to your thoughts after a lot of experience or knowledge is gained in a particular domain. So read a lot, research a lot and hire fresh minds as well. All of this will lead to creative thinking and bring a vision to lead to so you can become a visionary leader.

Being a visionary requires the use of perspectives. A great tool I use is Rowan Gibson's "Four Lenses of Innovation". They are Challenging Orthodoxy, Understanding Needs, Leveraging Resources and Harnessing Trends. But most importantly, it is about inspiring the people around you.

Being a visionary is not about creating things that were never created before. It's basically the idea that is being captured by human imagination to make human life better than before. It's linked with passion and the subconscious mind, which has the desire to make things better. I can guess when Thomas Edison got the idea to invent the light bulb, it was not the light he wanted to see; it seems the opposite. He wanted to move away from darkness, and that is the force required behind an innovative leader. The human mind is the most valuable gift we have; it depends on how we want to use this gift for personal gain or for something that can benefit the world in caring for humanity and nature we have.

Learning can mean many things here. Learning doesn't necessarily involve learning new books, chapters, news, skills, etc. It also involves about learning new processes, learning from your past mistakes and experiencing something new. Analyzing your current sales figures, processes, etc and bringing about an improvement while focusing on growth. And don't just learn yourself, whatever you learn, train your team on similar ground to upskill and upgrade them.

I always feel learning is just like breathing the day we stop learning that is the day we are packing the bag for our last journey. Learning is should habbit and we should incourge individual to ask question and learn things.

The moment you stop is when you go backwards. It all about reading, talking and engaging in conversations. But more importantly, it's about asking great questions. But this seems to be a lost art. Warren Burger wrote a fantastic book called A More Beautiful Question for those wishing to learn. It should be on everyone's read list.

Always be open minded to new ideas and new learnings. Understand that experimenting, receiving feedback, and a having a willingness to seek honest feedback will pay dividends.

Embrace curiosity. This can then naturally lead on to embracing uncertainty. This then means that there are a myriad of opportunities for learning every day. I have found that I now subconsciously think about a moment as it happens, and consider "is there a way I can tweak this, to learn the most". It actually ended up forming the basis of a framework I devised called "value stacking". To get the most value out of each innovative activity we undertake.

Facilitating collaborative and inclusive environments is key to driving innovation. Emphasizing emotional intelligence and effective communication fosters a space where diverse ideas flourish. One practical approach is to regularly conduct brainstorming sessions, encouraging team members to contribute varied perspectives. This not only enhances creativity but also instills a sense of ownership and accountability, crucial for sustaining innovation. Effective facilitation, rooted in empathy and active listening, is indispensable for leaders navigating today's dynamic business landscape.

New-age leaders know that more minds means more creativity (if channelized properly) The thought Leaders -- as we call them, they engage with their team, vendors, clients, audience and ask for a continuous feedback to improvise a feature or to eliminate one. They strive to make better lives for the people they are responsible for. And thus, they know that they need to get everyone involved in their creation. Imagine if you create something by yourself, you will end up using it for your own purpose only. How many other people will be interested in your creation than their own? Think it well, and thus think it together!

Innovation can be hard for most -> the mindset at least. Fear of failure, discomfort of uncertainty, belief in one "right" answer, scared to make tradeoffs. I have seen incredible talent become paralysed in innovative situations. It doesn't have to be this hard, and a strong innovative leader facilitating the right environment accelerates this transition to comfort. Feedback from my team highlighted two elements making the biggest impact: 1. Encouraging ownership by individual team members, however clarifying the leader retains accountability (especially if something goes wrong). Created a safe space where "failure" seemed a lot less daunting. 2. Stretch the team member's skills and abilities. "I believe in you" goes a long way.

To facilitate we need to collaborate. Ideas will come from many perspectives. A great book I read was written by Zachary Tumin who I had the fortune to discuss his book in Boston many years ago. Collaborate or Perish, Reaching across boundaries in the Networked world. Which is part of Rowan Gibson's work with the four lenses. That of Leveraging Resources.

Echoing @Moritz Miedler: transferring energy is key. I remember during leadership training, being shown an old YouTube video of a crazy guy dancing away on his own at a music festival. Everyone else was sitting on their picnic rugs enjoying the afternoon show (and the music). But his passion was unrelenting, he kept dancing; flailing his arms about. A minute goes by, someone takes off their shoes, trots over, and joins in. Another minute, another person. Then it accelerated, people begin moving their picnic rugs out of the way to make room for the swarm of people dancing. An innovative leader's "dancing" is a combination of their energy, creativity, communication and commitment to taking action.

I would say, be a guide to creativity. Don't handhold the process of creation, let it flow, let it free. Creativity and innovation cannot happen in a dictator-like environment. It requires the mind to be free. Let people brainstorm, let them work from home, office, cafe, or elsewhere. Give them the freedom of speech and thought as well.

For me, learning how to transfer energy has been a game-changer in leadership. It's not some mystical or esoteric concept, but about how real passion for new ideas and change can really catch on with my team, customers or partners. This takes a lot of energy, and honestly, there are days when it's tough. But now, I see it as a key part of my job. The big lesson for me was realizing it's not up to others to keep me upbeat; it's on me to bring that positive vibe to them. That shift in thinking has been a major step in growing as a leader and helped me in developing/improving this key leadership skill.

As they say, Birds of a Feather, be a catalyst and seek out others of like minds as they say it's hard to fly like an eagle if you mix with turkeys. :)

A leader needs to inspire loyalty and trust. For this, it is crucial that your team always feel like you are someone they want to become or inspire to become. Everyone has shortcomings, but an innovative leader who is a role model accepts and acknowledges these and demonstrates a strong internal locus of control. When operating in an environment that demands innovation, or can benefit from it for competitive advantage, the team have to collectively follow principles of open innovation and for that, they have to aspire to contribute towards the vision and purpose of a leader who sets the standard.

A role model, lets understand what a role model is. A role model is not the one who can do things on behalf of one who is not able to. But a role model is one who guides and directs one in the right manner and direction to make things happen via the person who is expected to do. Be a king-maker and not a king's minister. Motivate and channelize. Support and listen, analyze, and rectify or have a scope for rectification. This is the role of a leader and not a dictator.

Leading is much easier and more effective when you are trusted. Trust is built by being consistent, honest and open. This doesn't mean that tricky situations that require difficult decisions won't arise. However by staying true to your personal values, it will make navigating these situations easier, maintaining the trust in your leadership, and you won't be formulating "stories" to try and make your different sides appear consistent.

Most importantly: Keep trying. Just as we are looking to innovate within business, keep trying new things in your own day to day leadership. This experimentation will lead you to continually evolve your leadership style into one that suits you.

Firstly, cultivating a mindset that embraces change and uncertainty is crucial. Leaders should be adaptable, open to new ideas, and willing to experiment. Continuous learning is key; staying updated with industry trends and technological advancements enables leaders to foresee and leverage new opportunities. Building a diverse team and fostering an inclusive culture where different perspectives are valued is also essential. This environment encourages creative problem-solving and novel approaches. Moreover, effective communication skills are vital to articulate vision, motivate teams, and manage stakeholder expectations. Lastly, resilience and the ability to manage failure as a learning opportunity are crucial traits

Keep learning; spread your interest, as it will provide many different angles and perspectives. The more you read, the more the diversity of the topics will add to your tapestry of understanding. A Saying I live by was attributed to many, but I found my version attributed to Dr P Drucker. If you wish to predict the future, create it! Either you shape it or it will shape you.