It must be considered a priority. Innovative leaders visit customers, understand competitive threats and opportunities, and support staff that are passionate about a new idea, product, or service. A clearly formulated vision and strategy for innovation provides organizational focus, alignment, and inspires action. Skilled leaders articulate the gap between what is required in terms of innovation and current reality and guide their organization to a point where people realize that new behavior and action is required to close the gap. Using All of the People All of the Time Citibank CEO, Walter Wriston, said that the organization that manages to harness the collective genius of its people is going to blow away the competition.
Innovation requires empowerment, where the intellectual energy of everyone is tapped.
That empowerment is seldom achieved is rarely due to the ability of workers. Failure results, firstly, because empowerment requires time, energy and dedication, all of which are usually in short supply. Secondly, managers are often threatened by the loss of power and stature. Decision-making and responsibilities that are traditionally assigned to mangers must be pushed to lower levels, a situation that many resist to their own and their organization's disadvantage. Clearly, empowerment must be accompanied by training, financial resources, and the authority to solve problems.