Michael J Barry outlined vital attributes of what makes a high-quality leader when teams, companies, or groups are aiming to innovate.
What is interesting about the qualities identified by Michael is that most of these relate to people and teams, rather than skills.
Michael's List:
Empowerment;
Engagement;
Influence;
Innovation;
Communication;
Problem Solving;
Transparency;
Adaptability;
Empathy; and
Continuous Learning.
These qualities are all essential to foster an environment of innovation. In essence, what these essential qualities allow for is an environment that is safe to share ideas and one that stimulates continuous improvement through a focus on learning rather than the paralysation of mistakes.
These qualities also dovetail nicely into Design Thinking, which and its various incarnations, which is proven to be a great model for innovation.
Visit Michael's website for some other cool articles. Michael, a really neat job.