Adapt or die – Innovation helps companies grow, keeps them relevant, and is the key component in identifying new opportunities to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
If you want to be an innovative organisation, you need commitment from people in order for them to take the risks associated with trying something new. According to HBR’s Linda A. Hill, “You cannot tell people to innovate, you can only invite them.” – this calls for ‘ABC’ leadership.
As a business owner and leader, I want you to take a moment to think about what your intentions are and what impact you want to have? Is your business as agile as it needs to be in order to help you achieve this? If it isn’t, that may be because it isn’t practicing the correct kind of leadership.
Now, ponder this question… “What does leadership mean to me?”
A hundred years ago, great leadership was primarily about setting direction and making sure that people went in that direction. Since then, businesses pivoted from strategy to vision because people need to understand the bigger picture. People want to know, “Where are we going and why?”
After this, innovation became increasingly important, and this meant that organisations needed to focus substantially on shaping culture and capabilities. So, today, successful leadership is about co-creation, rather than just about getting people to follow you.
I believe everybody has a slice of genius, and effective leadership involves empowering others. Simon Sinek aptly stated, “A leader’s job is not to do the work for others. It’s to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible.” As leaders in today’s workforce, we must encourage both our internal and external teams to join us in co-creating the future. This is where the ABCs of great leadership come into play, requiring emotional resilience, courage, and patience to foster diverse thinking, navigate conflict, experiment, and encourage failing fast as a means to stimulate creative solutions and ideas.
The ABCs of Great Leadership:
Recently, Harvard Business School celebrated one hundred years of the case method. Pioneered by their faculty, case studies are written at renowned business programmes throughout the world and offer examples of business, focusing on the real-life problems and decisions that companies face.
From their research, it was concluded that the type of leadership needed to succeed in today’s dynamic and ever-evolving business landscape is one that embraces the interconnected roles of an ‘Architect’, ‘Bridger’, and ‘Catalyst’.
Architect
The Architect knows how to assemble the right team. Once you have a committed and, ideally, diverse team, you must harness and scale their collective genius by creating a culture that enables them to continually collaborate, experiment, and learn.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi: Focused on enhancing his team’s capacity for collaboration, ingenuity, compassion, and resilience, Rakesh Suri, the former CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, demonstrated how leaders can empower creativity and innovation, especially in challenging times like the pandemic. By using various levers such as leadership style, talent, structure, operating model, and tools, his team was empowered to adapt quickly and implement innovative solutions, such as a telehealth operation.
Bridger
The Bridger is skilled at connecting with outside talent and resources. To innovate across boundaries, they forge connections and build trust by exercising influence rather than formal authority.
Delta: Nicole M. Jones, while heading Delta’s innovation centre, The Hangar, successfully adapted to changing circumstances during the pandemic. Bridging Delta’s core business with external entities like startups and academic communities to harness outside talent and capabilities, lead to the development of the biometric boarding pass.
Catalyst
The Catalyst gets things done. By managing interdependencies, the Catalyst is able to lead beyond organisational boundaries to accelerate co-creation throughout the entire business ecosystem.
Mastercard: Recognising the need for external expertise, Mastercard connected legacy financial institutions with fintech companies to develop innovative solutions. This proactive approach transformed the company into a key player in driving commerce and economic growth, demonstrating the power of multi-party collaborations in achieving impactful outcomes.
The Architect, Bridger, and Catalyst functions are not just about individual leadership styles; they are about creating a holistic approach that fosters innovation at every level.
The Architect sets the stage by assembling a team with diverse skills and perspectives, essential for innovative thinking. This team is then empowered by the Bridger, who connects them with external resources, ideas, and talent, enriching the pool of possibilities. Finally, the Catalyst ensures that these ideas are not just discussed but acted upon, breaking down barriers and accelerating the innovation process.
This approach to leadership not only encourages innovation but also creates a culture where it is expected and celebrated, driving the organisation to become an innovative and agile powerhouse, and paves the way to making a lasting impact. By focusing on culture, capabilities, and connections between diverse parties, the ABC leader creates an environment of mutual trust and commitment; an environment where success and out-of-the-box thinking thrives. Here, employees feel empowered to think creatively and take calculated risks, knowing that their ideas will be heard and supported, and challenged where it’s warranted.
In today’s globalised economy, the ability to attract top talent who want to be part of a dynamic and forward-thinking team needs to be nurtured. To do so, it is imperative that businesses also focus on the ongoing development of their leadership team.
The ‘ABC’ leadership model is not just a framework for leading; it’s a blueprint for innovation. By embracing these roles, leaders can create an environment where innovation thrives, driving the organisation forward and maintaining its relevance.
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