Working on WTW’s Innovation & Acceleration team for the past several years, I’ve helped prepare innovators across our company to present business and financial cases for investment in products, services and partnerships. Despite the differences across these projects and concepts, one thing is clear: They all require a strong, dedicated innovation project leader at the helm to succeed. We’ve also found that successful leaders share several traits that help them achieve project goals.
An innovation project leader is like the captain of a ship, responsible for making sure the project stays afloat and navigating challenges to reach its destination. They set the course for the project, defining goals, critical challenges and questions that must be answered or validated to determine whether the problem is worth solving. And they determine whether the proposed solution would effectively solve it.
As new information is available, the innovation project leader reevaluates and adjusts the course of the project and ensures other team members understand any changes. Innovation project leaders consider their innovation coaches’ challenges to their thinking and advice on different tools and methods to help test their critical challenges and answer their questions. They also engage key stakeholders for input and keep project sponsors updated on progress.
Project leaders must demonstrate a remarkable blend of vision, adaptability and entrepreneurial risk taking when testing their core problem and building the case for a desirable, viable and feasible solution.
Project leaders with the following qualities and capabilities provide the greatest likelihood of an innovation project’s success:
01
Unlike projects focused on delivering an existing product or process, innovation projects start with a general sense of where the project will end up. But they’re unlikely to follow a predictable path to get there. Like scientists, project leaders must test hypotheses about their problem and the proposed solution.
They should expect their perspective to change as the work progresses. As research is completed and new findings are revealed, the path forward must change. The innovation project leader must decide how to change course and bring the rest of the team along. Instead of following a linear project plan set out at the start, effective project leaders focus on steps to successfully validate the problem and the solution that will solve it.
02
Innovation project leaders can come from any professional background if they have experience with the subject matter and a passion for innovation. An innovation project leader won’t likely have all the skills needed to test a new idea and make a business case. It’s not required. But innovation project leaders must be open to others’ opinions and able to collaborate with individuals with different expertise.
These could be industry experts and seasoned leaders or mentors, or internal supporters from finance, marketing or sales, just to name a few. The best leaders appreciate input from their trusted advisors. At WTW, we include a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences in brainstorming meetings and cross-pollinate perspectives to generate new ideas. This emphasis is equally important in the thick of an innovation project. The innovation project leader needs to champion an open, collaborative environment where different perspectives are encouraged and valued.
03
It’s unlikely that an innovation project leader will be the most seasoned innovation professional or even the most experienced colleague within their area of expertise. Project leaders should be open to coaching from colleagues who specialize in innovation tools and methodologies and be open to mentorship from senior subject-matter experts.
Openness to coaching and mentorship goes beyond openness to input from different sources. It means being open to receiving feedback, reflecting and acting to grow in their own careers. Even Satya Nadella, after becoming CEO of Microsoft, accepted Bill Gates as his mentor, recognizing his potential for ongoing development.
04
Innovation projects move quickly. There’s little time to study a new skill or gain a new technical capability. That’s not to say there’s no place for learning. Innovation projects require continuous learning and analysis of incoming information.
Yet there are technical skills that require years of dedication to perfect. Project leaders need to know where they need to lean on technical experts for support. Being honest about their capabilities and areas for improvement can set innovation project leaders apart by enabling them to better use their team’s skills. They encourage team members to communicate their strengths and contribute to areas where they are most capable of delivering their best work.
05
Throughout an innovation project, leaders must take feedback from numerous sources, evaluate recommendations and make decisions about the direction of the project. Effective project leaders make timely decisions despite competing feedback. They’re able to make hard decisions and manage stakeholders’ and sponsors’ expectations.
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Innovators at WTW focus on falling in love with the challenge and not the solution. The most effective innovation project leaders stay true to this mantra. Passion for solving the problem at hand and an openness to possible solutions provides innovation project leaders and their teams with the energy to continue forward even in the inevitable face of adversity.
The role of innovation project leader can be a great experience. You can learn more about yourself, meet with important experts and leaders, and see an idea become a product or even a whole new business. Recognizing and cultivating the characteristics above will help aspiring individuals prepare for an exceptional journey in leadership and innovation. The time to get started is now — not when inspiration strikes sometime in the unforeseeable future.
Anyone interested in building innovation leadership characteristics can start in their current role. When you encounter a question to which you do not have an immediate answer, practice consciously testing the problem with others before striking out to find the answer yourself. You might be surprised to hear how differently they perceive the problem or potential solution, which will hopefully lead you to a more accurate answer by considering multiple perspective. And just like that, you’ve tested your problem and gained new insights! You’re on your way to becoming an expert innovation project leader.
