Five leadership skills that promote innovation – and how can you recognize them
- Dr. Babette Sonntag
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
In my experience, this question concerns most managers, whether CEOs, HR managers or innovation managers: What are the leadership skills that promote innovation and how do I recognize them?
In this time, where markets, technologies, and expectations are changing rapidly, we no longer need omniscient managers; they simply cannot exist! Nor should we have top-down waterfall project managers. What we need are enablers! The traditional manager who gives instructions, controls, and monitors results is obsolete. Today, it's about leadership qualities that promote innovation, inspire, support, and enable development.
Middle management plays a formative role: they are the link between strategy and implementation – and crucial for the culture, cooperation and innovative strength of a company.
Why middle managers are so important for innovation
Culture eats strategy for breakfast – and innovation culture is created or destroyed by management. Leaders' behavior, values, and communication are the catalysts for innovation. Middle-level managers directly shape the daily work culture of their teams. Their character and leadership style help determine whether a climate of creative collaboration or one of competition or silence develops.
Studies show: A positive, open culture in which new ways of thinking are encouraged and mistakes are not punished but seen as learning opportunities is the breeding ground for real innovation (see “The Fearless Organization” by Amy Edmondson and Google Project Aristotle ).
Managers demand better results and greater efficiency. Team members demand inspiring mentors. They want freedom, trust, vision, courage, and constructive feedback.
For some managers, this means giving up a certain amount of control. They are already confronted with high expectations from all directions and must meet even more demands than before. Management training rarely teaches how to deal with this. Checklists that can be ticked off aren't really helpful here. Rather, certain personality traits are more important.
But what exactly does a manager need to be able to build bridges between these expectations?
For HR experts, the question arises: How do I recognize people who have these skills?
How can you recognize innovative managers?
Five skills that enable innovation
To actively promote an open, creative work culture, managers with specific working preferences are needed:
Curiosity for new ideas: Allowing unusual perspectives creates space for open discussions, exchange of opinions, and creativity. Ingeniously simple solutions to problems often emerge from friction. Curiosity means questioning situations and wanting to know more than just the basic facts.
Tolerance of mistakes: Mistakes are part of the process. Viewing them as developmental steps strengthens trust and willingness to take risks. It's important to discuss them openly. Managers make mistakes, too, of course. They should be open about it and be humble enough to ask their employees for advice.
Empathy and active listening: Only those who understand what motivates or hinders the team can provide targeted support. Not all sources of disruption or problems can be eliminated by the leader. Openly admitting the limits of one's own influence and listening creates security.
Promoting autonomy: Trust and freedom of choice foster a sense of responsibility and initiative. Positive feedback and trust motivate.
Visionary thinking: Looking beyond day-to-day business and bringing visions of the future to the team sparks ideas and enthusiasm. Maybe not in everyone, but a few enthusiastic people are enough. This is how shared goals emerge.
How can you recognize these preferences?
Managers who can exemplify this work culture are characterized by certain behaviors. Strong communication skills and a team-oriented approach are universally recognized and in high demand. Of course, methodological expertise is equally important, including knowledge and experience in agile methods, scenario work, design thinking, etc.
But in particular, dealing with differing opinions or perspectives and being able to adapt quickly to changes are crucial for promoting innovation.
In order to find out how strongly the above-mentioned work preferences are expressed in a person, the following competencies are important:
Flexibility:
React quickly to changes
Provide space and time for discussions
Recognize the strengths of team members and utilize them beyond their fixed roles (Who can moderate well, even if they have no experience? Who is enthusiastic about using Excel and takes on project controlling?)
Courage to change:
Like to try new things
Take responsibility for decisions
Quickly move on to planning the next steps
Coaching skills:
Not to dictate the solutions to problems, but to "tease out" them by asking questions
Supporting others in implementing their ideas
Give a leap of faith
Take care
Network orientation:
Build connections with start-ups, research, customers or partners.
Change Management:
Anticipate resistance
Derive and focus on positive impulses for the team in negative circumstances
Questions to assess leadership skills that promote innovation
Recognizing how strongly someone actually possesses the five competencies mentioned above in a job interview, in a project environment, or when defining new roles in a team is now a real art!
To help you achieve this, I suggest helpful questions for each of the points that you can ask to better assess your counterpart. Choose the ones that resonate most with you:
1. Flexibility
Tell me about a situation where someone on the team suddenly excelled, but not in their actual job role. What did you do with that potential? (Recognizes strengths beyond roles and utilizes them)
What was the most controversial opinion you allowed and defended in the team—even though it wasn't your own? (Tests openness to other perspectives and provides space for discussion)
2. Courage to change
What decision were you criticized for, and why did you stick with it? (Demonstrates risk-taking and responsibility)
You receive a budget of €50,000 today for a pilot project in your area: What will you try immediately? (Tests your willingness to innovate, your drive to implement, and your ability to recognize what's important right now)
What is your personal favorite method for turning an idea into a concrete first step? (Demonstrates creativity and implementation skills after receiving change impulses)
3. Coaching skills
How do you recognize whether someone needs more courage or more structure? (Demonstrates empathy and the ability to lead appropriately)
What question do you ask when someone is stuck and you really want to help them move forward ? (Shows a feel for typical coaching questioning techniques)
What was your most effective support for an idea that did not originate from you? (Shows willingness to promote others rather than self-promotion)
4. Network orientation
Who outside your company do you regularly consult with about your work culture, even if your job doesn't require it? (Demonstrates a natural tendency to network and openness to external input)
What external stimulus has surprisingly helped you move forward in a project? (Demonstrates ability to build bridges where others see none)
5. Change Management
How do you recognize that a team is in 'hidden dissent' even though no one is openly protesting? (Shows understanding of subliminal dynamics)
What question do you ask a team after receiving bad news to get them moving again? (Focuses on solution-oriented communication and empathy)
How do you make a team feel empowered despite losses or uncertainty? (Measures emotional leadership skills during difficult times)
Conclusion: Recognizing inner attitudes is crucial
Innovation ideas require freedom and spontaneity. For a corporate culture to grow in this direction, leaders with the right values are needed. Middle-level managers, as well as innovation managers, have a significant influence on this through their role model function.
They must be a coach and moderator and ensure personal responsibility and appreciation within the team.
Skills such as the use of certain software tools (Link: The 10 Best Innovation Management Software 2025) or specific innovation techniques, such as design thinking or pitching, can be learned. However, the inner attitude of openness and respect can only be learned to a limited extent. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the right personality traits when allocating roles in management and innovation. Recognizing them is not easy.
When assessing whether a manager can advance an innovative corporate culture, personality comes before skills.
In your opinion, which leadership qualities are important for increasing innovation in a company? How do you recognize them?
Further links:
Current study shows: Companies underutilize the creative skills of their employees and managers | marktforschung.de
A few statistics: 10 Stats about Creativity That Will Change the Way You Do Business
Please note: This text is translated into English by using Google Translate - I apologize for any mistakes in this text I may have overlooked.
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