Leadership must be fully involved and supported in order for organizational innovation to occur. It is okay for employees to come up with new ideas and be innovative by putting them into practice, but without the guidance and support of leaders, innovation cannot be sustained.

The ability to act on new ideas constitutes innovation.

Leadership skills/four core principles form the core of intelligent leadership as one of the main drivers of organizational innovation.

• Trust and integrity
• Vision and agility
• Taking chances and moving quickly
• Being insightful

In a symbiotic relationship, these four leadership qualities exist. Each one complements and supports the other, giving way to innovative leadership.

Trust and Integrity

Leaders who demonstrate organizational values by example are intelligent. Without trust, it is impossible to demonstrate such leadership. Without integrity, it is impossible to build trust.

An employee who exhibits integrity both in what he says and how he does will be keen to follow that leader. The only person who can build genuine, lasting relationships is someone with integrity, as I have argued in several of my books.

Those with high integrity value praise, support other people sincerely and prioritize their own development consistently.

During times of crisis, integrity and trust are seen and valued more by others because they are key to improving resilience among individuals and organizations. Leadership maturity and integrity are closely related.

Vision and Agility

A compass for your leadership development efforts is comprised of four basic competencies.

• Agility in a setting context means seeing initiatives and problems from a broader perspective. Furthermore, they are more likely to define and explain clearly what they expect as a result of this competency.
• The ability to engage stakeholders, such as upper management, in leadership initiatives allows leaders to gain their support.
• You are able to see change as an opportunity to advance both your organization’s goals and your own leadership abilities by practicing self-leadership agility.
• Problem-solving requires creative agility. It allows you to come up with new and innovative solutions to problems.

A true innovator is a visionary who sees the future from a long-term perspective. Those who implement these innovations may already be considering the opportunities that will be created down the road.

Moving Quickly Requires Ambition and Courage

Innovation is not only about applying new ideas but also about being committed. The most innovative leaders recognize opportunities immediately and develop solutions to capitalize on those opportunities.

Speed is often a determining factor in innovation’s effectiveness. Organizations within a certain market segment generally either adopt new ideas or wither away. However, the speed with which organizations embrace innovation is just as important. It’s usually the early adopters who reap the rewards and who retain a competitive edge over those who cannot keep up with them or who are following along.

Those who are innovative are great at identifying and acquiring resources to profit from such opportunities.

When it comes to achieving their goals, they understand what is truly important. Reports at all levels benefit from this keen sense of direction. In turn, employees make better decisions and are able to solve problems more effectively.