Leading Innovative Teams: Evolving from High-Performing Teams to Ensembles

As a leader, your role is to inspire and guide your team towards success. In an operational work environment, the focus is on executing tasks and driving results through a hierarchy. However, the leader’s role is different in an innovative work environment. The leader must create an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration, and ingenuity.

Leaders must focus on building collaborative ensembles rather than high-performing teams to achieve this innovative environment. The book The Five Principles of Performance Thinking by Dr. Mark Powell and Jonathan Gifford describes an ensemble as a high-performing team with an additional creative dimension. In other words, it’s a culture of collaborative ensembles who have “group intelligence.” They generate ideas that no single member would have thought of on their own, know their purpose, and can tell a story that conveys something meaningful at an intellectual and emotional level about the company or a product.

Understand the Impact of Misaligned Creative and Operational Work

In today’s complex organizational landscape, reimagining work and leadership is essential. Creative Work (CW) drives innovation, while Operational Work (OW) sustains daily functions. Failure to understand their dynamics leads to inefficiencies and missed opportunities. Tailored leadership for CW and OW is crucial for navigating modern business challenges and fostering innovation, adaptability, and sustainable growth.

Striking the Right Balance of Operational and Creative Leadership for Strategic Success

Leaders grapple with the ongoing challenge of harmonizing day-to-day Operational Work (OW) and fostering Creative Work (CW). Understanding the dynamics of both is key to strategic execution and critical for organizational success. Therefore, leaders need to cultivate a culture that values and nurtures both operational and creative work.

The Power of Self-Promotion

In today’s blog to aid you on your leadership adventure, I will be outlining the steps to overcome the reluctance to claim achievements and not enlisting allies. This is a common issue that many people face who tend to keep their heads down and shy away from self-promotion. However, this approach can hold you back and prevent you from reaching your full potential.

By following these steps, you can overcome the reluctance to claim achievements and not enlist allies. Remember that self-promotion is not about being obnoxious or bragging about your achievements, but about finding an appropriate way to bring attention to your successes and making your achievements visible to senior levels.

Why Expertise Isn’t Enough

In today’s fast-paced and ever-changing world, it’s important to be agile and adaptable. One common mistake many leaders make is overvaluing their own expertise. While it’s important to have a strong foundation of knowledge and skills in your field, relying solely on expertise can limit your ability to lead and manage others effectively.

Instead, we recommend developing agility in your leadership mindset and behaviour. This means being able to adapt to changing situations, building relationships, and working collaboratively with others to achieve common goals.

Uravelling the Power of Presence in Leadership

Today in my blog to help you on your leadership adventure, I want to talk about the importance of intentional leadership power and presence. As a leader, it’s crucial to be fully present in the moment and to hold your space with confidence and authority. This means avoiding the habit of minimizing yourself and instead projecting your power in a way that commands respect and attention.

One way to do this is by being assertive when needed, but also being willing to listen and accommodate the perspectives of others. Agile leadership requires a balance of both assertiveness and accommodation, depending on the situation at hand.

Unravelling the Path to Personal Growth

Do you feel like you’re constantly doing great work but no one seems to notice? Do you find yourself resenting others who are skilled at getting noticed while you’re left in the shadows? It’s time to shift your mindset from expecting recognition to seeking feedback.

The belief that great work should speak for itself is an excuse for not advocating for yourself. Instead, create a clear vision for the future and seek feedback to help you get there. Here’s how:

Developing a Resilient Mindset

As a leader, it’s important to strive for excellence and high standards in your work. However, there is a fine line between healthy striving and the perfection trap that can be detrimental to your success as a leader. Perfectionism can lead to rumination, self-blame, and difficulty delegating tasks to others.

One of the most significant risks of striving for perfection is the stress it can create, which can distract from the big-picture orientation that’s expected in senior positions. It’s essential to learn to delegate, prioritize, and be comfortable taking measured risks to demonstrate your readiness to move forward.

Unlock Your Leadership Potential

As a leader in your company, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day responsibilities and focus only on the success of your business. However, it’s essential to remember that your job is just one aspect of your career. Neglecting your future ambitions and potential can hinder your growth and progress.

Many people fall into the trap of staying in their jobs longer than they should due to a sense of loyalty or creating a situation where they become irreplaceable. While being dedicated to your work is admirable, it’s crucial to remember that sacrificing your ambitions and selling your talent short will not benefit you in the long run.