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However, taking innovative risks does not involve taking on projects
where there is no probability of success or projects that will be disruptive
to the organization. The first step toward minimizing unnecessary risk is

to acquire knowledge. The effective leader will gather as much relevant
data that he or she reasonably can acquire in an acceptable time frame and
mine it for new ideas. In addition, he or she will seek out advice and
information from a large network of associates and mentors. With that
approach, the leader is taking measured risks in an effort to improve the
organization.

Additionally, it is likely to be destructive to the organization if its members
are challenged to take risks that they are not committed to or that they are
not feeling secure about. This situation can be minimized if the leadership
approaches needed change through incremental steps and small wins.

Little victories, when piled on top of each other, build confidence that even
bigger challenges can be met.
103
The leadership of an organization can take a number of practical steps to
advance innovation, such as the following:

1. Define the kind of innovation that drives growth and helps meet
the strategic goals and actions of the organization. For example,
when senior executives ask for substantial innovation in the
gathering of customer insights, the delivery of services, or the
customer experience, they are communicating to employees the type

of innovation they expect. In the absence of such direction,
employees will come back with incremental thinking and ideas that
are familiar to them.

2. Add innovation to the formal agenda at regular meetings. This
sends an important message to employees about the value

management attaches to innovation and provides an opportunity for
productive brainstorming.

103 James Kouzes and Barry Posner. The Leadership Challenge. San Francisco CA: John Wiley & Sons,
2007, p. 19.

David Kolzow 87