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Managers: The Innovator


The innovator is sometimes a better leader than manager

This post reflects earlier thinking and context. It’s preserved for reference but no longer represents the primary focus of AlignTech Solutions.

As promised in the introduction to this series of articles about Managers: The Good and the Bad, we’ll focus firstly on “The Innovator”.

Innovators are those leaders who can easily view the future and they will try to explain their view of the future to anyone who will listen.  They challenge the status quo, think in terms of possibilities, and tend not to be encumbered by risks and ambiguity that hinder most people from embracing the future and change.

Characteristics of Innovators

Archetype(s):Visionary
MBTI Range:iNtuitive
How to Spot:Innovators tend to speak in the future tense
Behaviors:
  • Often have a tough time explaining the future that they “see”
  • May seem abstract at times and often have a hard time articulating a step-by-step explanation of their “vision”
  • Appear to be flaky to some people
  • May attract others who are even more future-focused
  • Present in all generations (Boomers, Seniors, Xers, Millennials)
  • Examples can be found, male or female
Reason(s) to Hire:
  1. Company is stuck in a rut
  2. Company is trying to move from the past into the future
  3. “See” the future and try to mobilize the company to go there
Risks:
  • The Visionary has a problematic “army” that is unwilling and/or unable to implement the vision
  • Emperor’s New Clothes phenomenon:  The Visionary ceases to be visionary, but no one wants to be the messenger

Final Thoughts

The people who follow innovators are either attracted to the future vision or to their passionate, often charismatic expression of what the future might be.

Questions

  1. How do innovators communicate vision to the masses?
  2. Must innovators Be managers?  In fact, why wouldn’t we want to hire managers to help Facilitate the innovation.  Aren’t Innovator and Manager jobs that compete with one another?

If this reframes how you’re seeing the challenges you’re facing, a conversation can help translate perspective into clearer choices in your own context.

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About Jeff Hayes

Jeff Hayes works with senior leaders navigating complexity, pressure, and change. His work focuses on helping leaders slow down, see patterns more clearly, and make sound decisions in uncertain conditions.