5 of the Most Innovative Leaders of 2014

Being a great leader takes many skills; innovation being one of them. To be an innovative leader takes vision. To be a successful innovative leader takes vision AND execution.

Innovation – finding a better way of doing something or creating something new and executing the vision to make it a reality.

Innovation doesn’t just happen!

To build and lead an innovative business in today’s environment requires creating a responsive and agile organization. Building a learning organization where setbacks are used as opportunities for how to continually improve and innovate.

Vision and execution are not exactly synonymous – however, combined they often lead to innovation. The skills to turn vision into reality are what separates the good leaders from the rest of pack. Innovation requires great leadership.

And that’s why these 5 leaders deserve to be credited for the innovative work they’ve accomplished in 2014.

#5: Denise Morrison – Campbell Soup

One may initially wonder why a CEO for soup company would make the most innovative list of 2014 – however, changing the culture of an organization is never easy, especially at a 145-year old company. And Denise Morrison is doing just that. Earlier this year, Morrison outlined the four basic principles that she believes are vital to helping companies become innovators while focusing on a creating a high performance culture; these principles of a laser focus on consumers, leadership courage to enable cultural transformation, structuring teams and people to unshackle creativity and foster bold decision making, and a company wide sense of urgency are the foundation of her strategic plan to create cultural change at Campbell Soup. Morrison has proven you can teach an old company new tricks.

“I think leadership is service and there is power in that giving: to help people, to inspire and motivate them to reach their fullest potential.” – Denise Morrison

#4: Richard Branson – Virgin

As Branson himself said “Although it might be hard to believe now, the story of the Virgin Group is a small business that succeeded because of our team’s innovative spirit. When my friends and I started up our first business, Student magazine, we were a bunch of young hippies barely managing to scratch a living, yet we knew we had an idea for a product that people would want: A publication geared toward young people like us. I lived in a friend’s basement, and our office was based in a church crypt that a vicar let us use. We eventually turned our camaraderie and enthusiasm into a global business.” This enthusiasm and innovation keeps Branson’s companies thriving. Which is why Star Trek fans should rejoice. In 2014 Richard Branson continued his plans to take you and your friends into outer space with Virgin Galactic. But it’s not just his vision that makes him one of the most innovative leaders of 2014 – it’s his ability to execute on that vision – to try new things, push boundaries, and learn from his experiences. Music, mobile phone plans, travel…even wine! And now space travel? What’s next?

“Unless you dream, you’re not going to achieve anything.” – Richard Branson

#3: Evan Spiegel – Snapchat

Anyone who turns down $3-$4 BILLION dollars from Facebook has some serious vision. That’s because Snapchat is estimated to be worth $10 billion. Evan makes the list because he leads an organization that has acquired over 100 million in capital – without even turning a profit to warrant such a valuation. He saw a need (particularly amongst Millennials) and he had the vision to create a product to fill that need. Rather than text what you’re doing – why not take a picture and send it? Snapchat allows users to take photos, record videos, add text and drawings, and send them to a controlled list of recipients. These sent photographs and videos are known as “Snaps”. Users set a time limit for how long recipients can view their Snaps after which they will be hidden from the recipient’s device and deleted from Snapchat’s servers – technology that didn’t exist before Snapchat. Evan has found a way to effectively monetize Snapchat without its user data. He achieved this in part by operating the service — and in particular the infrastructure — way cheaper than any competitors. The end result? Over 700 million pictures have been sent via Snapchat. In case you’re wondering – that’s over 700 million impressions for advertisers. You do the math.

“I’d like to create a space for people who have a lot of talent but not a lot of reach.” – Evan Spiegel

#2: Howard Schultz – Starbucks

One either loves or hates Starbucks. But it’s hard not to love the evolution of the Starbucks brand. Starbucks recently unveiled a roadmap of innovations – the company shared several customer initiatives to further transform and elevate the Starbucks experience in holiday season of 2014 and beyond. Starbucks engaged with customers to collect data on consumer behavior and then acted on that data to further enhance the customer experience. A personalized loyalty program, tasting rooms, mobile ordering and payment… Starbucks processes over 3 million mobile payments…every week! That’s harnessing the power of customer feedback to continually enhance the customer experience.

“I think if you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve got to dream big and then dream bigger.” – Howard Schultz

#1: Tim Cook – Apple

It’s hard to ignore the strides Cook has made over the years – trying to fill the shoes of Steve Jobs is no easy task. iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Pay, Apple Wear…shall I go on? Rather than just push out a new suite of products in 2014 – Cook focused on good product management – how do you solve a problem for the consumer and deliver them what they need? Cook has also increased the culture of innovation at Apple. Since he has taken the helm Apple has become a much more collaborative culture, a necessary change for ongoing innovation and growth.

“You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user. – Tim Cook

Each of these innovative leaders has a proven track record of creating an agile and responsive organization with a culture that fosters innovation and produces brand loyalty.

Want to make the 2015 list? Here are some ways you can execute your vision in the most productive way.

Do you have clearly defined and flexible processes? Having an agile and innovative organization requires adaptable and flexible processes. Rigidity and complexity can kill innovation. Processes should support the organization in developing the ability to change and adapt. Are your processes flexible and easy to execute? How can your employees innovate new ways of doing things if they aren’t even sure how to do what currently needs to be done in the first place?
Do you have culture of engagement? People make the difference in every business. To foster ongoing innovation you must recruit, engage, and retain the right people for your culture. A high performance culture helps people reach higher levels of productivity and innovation. Is your culture toxic or do you people enjoy coming to work every day and contributing to ongoing business success? How can your business be innovative and agile if your employees aren’t engaged and committed?
Have you clearly defined your mission, vision, and strategy? Have you defined who you are as a company? What’s your identity? What do you want to achieve and how? And communicated this to employees? How can your business be innovative and agile if you haven’t determined and communicated who you are and where you could possibly go.

Innovation doesn’t just happen. Innovation requires key areas of your business running like a well-oiled machine. To learn more – or to receive a complimentary consultation on how to increase your agility and innovation – send our Lead Consultant, Scott Span, an email. He’ll be happy to talk to you about how to resolve this issue.

So – who do you think are some of the most innovative leaders of 2014 and why? Who makes your list?

About Scott Span, MSOD: is CEO & Lead Consultant of Tolero Solutions – an Organizational Improvement & Strategy firm. He helps clients in facilitating sustainable growth by connecting and maximizing people –> performance –> profit™, creating organizations that are more responsive, productive and profitable.

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