Leading Innovation…the Ultimate Experience Model

Leading innovation is fun for me.  Not because it is easy, but because it is about doing the work that matters for our future.

But it requires your leadership to engage yourself AND others in the “doing” not just the “thinking” or the “talking” parts that also must happen.  Regardless of the organization or the industry, this process is essential.

Leading innovation is the Ultimate Experience Model.  You simply will not make it happen unless you move an organization thru all three stages-THINKING, TALKING, DOING-…and that includes you the leader.

Make no mistake about it…your leadership and engagement is essential.

Sounds logical, doesn’t it?  It is.

But some leaders subscribe to a leadership model that suggests they can just think and talk about it and others will do.  This is simply not the case.

If the organization is to move forward, it is imperative that the leader do the same.  The organization is a shadow of the leader.  It cannot be anything else.  An organization will move at the pace of the leader.  If the leaders decided they won’t do the work, the overall organization cannot progress.  It will essentially get stuck in time.

I have seen it happen, and so have you.

Trust me, there are moments when you think you can make it happen.  Your passion, and excitement for what could be serve as your jet fuel.  But, your progress will be temporary.  Real progress requires engagement from the top. Period.

Embracing the engagement with a focus on the learning will show others that you are learning too.   I call these “learn out loud sessions.”  Each sessions allows you to be on the front line with your team to learn as new insights are discovered and applied to figuring out the next steps real time.  Learning to be patient with the process to really discover and not rush to the answer will encourage others to engage more fully.  Reserving judgement and looking for diverse perspectives will show others how together we can make progress that is simply not possible alone.  Then taking time to celebrate your progress in “Celebrate and move” sessions will create a rhythm that will give you and your team the intermission needed to take a breath and recalibrate for the next leg of the journey.

It’s a simple recipe that delivers a new way of leading and team engagement.  And the best part, it creates an experience that builds a team focus and enriches the culture of the organizations.

And why wouldn’t you want that?