Page 189 - HBR Leader's Handbook: Make an Impact, Inspire Your Organization, and Get to the Next Level

178 HBR Leader’s Handbook

Modeling innovative thinking
Your behavior as a leader sends strong signals about the kind of culture you
are trying to create (as we discussed in chapter 3). Thus, to build innovation
into your unit’s or company’s DNA, you and your leadership colleagues
must personally demonstrate and exemplify it all the time. Ferguson at
TIAA provides an illustrative case: throughout the corporate transforma-
tion of the business, this CEO did his best to model the behavior suited to
future-seeking growth: displaying curiosity and excitement about new
ideas while still respecting the importance of day-to-day business, show-
ing genuine concern for others in his personal exchanges across the enter-
prise to build trust for learning, and serving on nonprofit boards, both to
demonstrate his commitment to the values of service while also developing
insights about the future from other organizations. He also encouraged his
other senior leaders to do the same.
Similarly at Boeing, CEO Dennis Muilenburg regularly participates in
candid, problem-solving dialogues with innovation workshop participants
at the company’s learning center in St. Louis, Missouri, and tries to think
along with them as they tackle difficult business challenges. Muilenburg
also insists that each innovation workshop team has a senior sponsor from
the executive ranks who can challenge the team to think creatively and
come up with innovative solutions. Their participation makes it clear to
team members and others who hear about the teams that innovation is
important for everyone.
The same is true at Thomson Reuters. At Catalyst Fund meetings, the
company’s leaders ask tough questions, encourage risk taking, and display
the openness needed to foster creative thinking. In doing so, these senior
executives model the importance of commercialization, signaling that “cool
ideas” aren’t embraced for their own sake, but must actually solve customer
problems. While encouraging creative thinking, they still remind people at
all levels that innovation is ultimately a means for delighting customers
and growing the enterprise.