LeadershipHQ Magazine June 2015 2nd Edition | Page 34

Leading Innovation
By Stephen Beirne, CEO, Queensland Leaders
Introduction: In this
article, Stephen discusses
one of the most common
questions facing the CEO’s
of growth companies – how
to remain ahead of the
game through innovation.

Every year, we meet hundreds of
company CEO’s who are looking to
grow and achieve great new things.

And not just in the months leading up
to its launch, but how about in the 1,
2, and 3 years beforehand?

One of the most common questions
asked relates to innovation, and in
particular how a leader can best go
about fostering this in their business.

Coming back to address the main
question though, in how a leader can
be innovative and best encourage it
from their team – the answer sits with
their mindset and actions.

Before we answer this though, it is
important for to understand what
innovation actually is.
Innovation is often misunderstood to
mean building and developing big
new things – inventions, brand new
products or services, or delivering
substantial change.
Whilst this is not necessarily wrong in
the sense that sometimes innovation
does include doing some pretty big
things, it does perhaps somewhat
miss the overall picture.
The fact is that innovation is more
often about the small changes that
ultimately enhance and improve the
way things are done, make us more
effective, productive and efficient,
and lift the standard of services or
products delivered to customers.
So what are the drivers of this innovation?
The answer is broad, with some driven by
necessity and some by the in-built desire
to constantly be better to become or
remain a market leader.
When looking at the necessity side
of things, this includes keeping up
with the emerging trends around
you, understanding how swiftly these
changes may occur, and knowing the
likely impact on your business.
For example, what are the technological,
regulatory, geographic and economic
scenarios unfolding both in your
industry and more broadly?
Did the taxi industry in Australia
adequately understand what was
possible and coming before Uber
arrived on the scene?
34 | © LeadershipHQ 2015