Different Paradigm of Leadership Required to Lead a Disruptive Team to Innovation

Global commoditization has made everything cheaper and faster; technology has disrupted in our industries, and not one company is immune. Look at the countless examples of companies like Blockbuster and Kodak. Who would have thought that a trip to the video store would be completely replaced with Netflix? Who would have thought that the world's biggest taxi company would have no taxis (Uber), or the largest hotel chain would have no rooms (Airbnb), or that Tesla's approach to distributing and servicing cars will change the automotive industry?



Every leader knows that planning for the future is CRITICAL, and INNOVATION is the key to future success. Startups are viewed as the main rapid growth area for innovation. So what does this mean for large, diverse enterprises that are structured for day to day operations and not innovation? Most organizations talk about innovation and put countless programs and campaigns in place, yet find it hard to get serious about innovation. Then they blame the people, hire new 'innovators', and prevent them from innovating, and repeat that process.

There needs to be a different paradigm for innovative thinking and disruption that a traditional corporate environment does not support. Would a creative and disruptive innovator even pass your company's HR process and screening? Do our enterprise organizations even know the typical traits of a person who is innovative and creative? Even worse, do you have the right leaders that know how to inspire and lead these unique personalities and traits instead of chasing them away?

It's no longer the right people with the right skills to innovate, and it's not about technical skills on a resume—it's so much deeper. Traits of successful innovators and disruptors are different. It's someone who thinks differently, and someone that may have a crucial perspective, insight or idea. Most of us have "comfort zones" and tend to want to be around people that we are comfortable to be around. To have an innovative team, you do not want to build a team that is a mini version of you and agrees with you. You need the diversity of background, ideas, and experience. Every team starts with its leader so take a deep look into what you need to change to attract the right talent.

Beyond resumes and learned skills, people have unique combinations of traits that allow them to excel at different types of innovation and problem-solving. It's like matching pieces of a puzzle to build and lead the right team and here are some of the traits of a disruptive innovator.

Michelle Bazargan is a diverse strategic business and technology leader with over 20 years of experience. She specializes in helping businesses drive strategy, transformation, and business development through innovation.

She is adept at understanding business needs, developing strategy, and collaborating to execute the vision. Michelle has a strong passion and commitment for leadership, building effective teams, as well as promoting and driving innovation.
Strength includes developing relationships with clients and partners and communicating strategies, market landscape, and competitive differentiation across all levels of the organization.

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