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- Kelly, R. (2017) Creating a Culture of Innovation Starts With the Leader.  <br />- Solomon, M. (2018) How To Build A Culture Of Innovation And Turn Every Employee into an Innovation  <br />Powerhouse.  <br /> <br />Influencing Innovation and Ideas at the Personal Level <br />Oftentimes leaders focus on strategically influencing innovation at the organizational level and <br />can overlook the key role it can play in influencing a culture of openness and ideas through <br />interpersonal effectiveness. Here are some ways leaders can encourage and role model openness <br />and increase the flow of ideas through the way they interact with employees. <br />1. Increase dialogue <br />Dialogue comes from Greek dialogos, denoting flow of meaning. This is not just semantic <br />pedantry, it gets to the heart of what effective modern leaders do - they broaden perspective, <br />and they facilitate a flow of ideas through shared inquiry. Dialogue is an important way of <br />thinking and reflecting together. It is not something you do to another person. It is something you <br />do with people. <br />2. Suspend assumptions and judgements <br />To assume and infer is to process data through our own interpretative lens. Leaders need to <br />consciously suspend their natural inclination to add layers of meaning and inference to <br />ideas. Critical observation in early ideation closes down innovative thinking. <br />3. Actively listen <br />It sounds obvious, but giving someone space to develop their ideas creates a respectful <br />environment, where people feel comfortable expressing themselves. When leaders are constantly <br />interrupting, talking over ideas, finishing sentences and projecting negative body language, it <br />breaks the creative flow and deters innovation. Rather than giving a person a good talking to, give <br />them a good listening to. <br />4. Encourage the search for accidental innovation <br />Not all innovation is intentional. If you can get your employees to be on the lookout for <br />innovation potential in mistakes they’ve made and happy accidents the observe, it can pay off <br />handily. If not, they’ll continue to ignore the accidental leaps that occur–or, worse, bury these <br />accidental improvements as being evidence of their, or their co-workers’, errors. <br />5. Encourage an attitude of dissatisfaction <br />This negative-sounding dictum (which no doubt violates the teachings of spiritual leaders and <br />self-help gurus alike) can mean the difference for a company between life and death. Before your <br />product or product line becomes the victim of the next wave of Uberization or Amazonization in <br />your industry, encourage employees to look at what’s missing in your company offerings <br />themselves, even if means questioning what they may think are sacred, untouchable cows.