Plato said that “Necessity is the mother of invention” (Good Reads, 2016). To be an innovator one must know what the make up or DNA of the innovator. It takes leadership and hard work along with the knowledge to make the changes that others not only don’t see, but haven’t even thought to look for. The old cliché is that the first step is to admit there is a problem. That is where humans can go wrong. Because it is far easier to ignore the problem and work around the problem then to try to fix the problem. Change can inflict fear, the fear of failure.
Role of Delivery Skills: Some of the lower level ‘leaders’ are experts delivering the product or idea. However, that is only a small part to the overall process of innovation. It is important to be able to deliver the product for lack of a better term. The idea of how to change the process in order to fix or improve a product is great. But the sole idea without the follow through to see that the new plan is implemented the idea is worthless. Just like the workers or follows flawlessly achieving just inside the box and never striving to reach past the broken process to improve the product is just as worthless.
Leadership Practices that Support Innovation in Organizations:
How does one foster the part of the process of which he or she is lacking? Being able to self-identify is the first step. Leslie states that “data show that many leaders’ strengths are not in areas that are most important for success. Organizations report greater bench strength in areas of building and mending relationships, compassion and sensitivity, cultural adaptability, respecting individual differences, composure, and self-awareness. In organizations where this is the case, sufficient skill-level has been established in these areas and further large-scale efforts to boost these areas are unnecessary” (Leslie, 2009). The innovator