Few employees believe that their company culture truly enables innovation. Often that’s based on personal experience of seeing big ideas being paralysed by politics.
Culture and behaviours are shaped by what leaders really value. With that knowledge, the best innovation leaders make two important decisions about themselves: they drop the craving for absolute certainty in innovation decision-making (experimentation data helps here), and they dissolve their need to be seen as the ultimate expert in a particular field. Why do these things matter so much to culture?
Original ideas aren’t predictable. If underlying anxieties cause leaders to reject anything other than sure bets, we have a stewardship crisis on our hands. The future fortunes of the company are held hostage by today’s fears of failure.
But a combination of smart rewards, metrics and executive coaching can help.
