Innovative leadership
By Charlie Brookes, Marketing and Engagement Manager, NHS North West Leadership Academy
Innovation is not a word we often hear in conjunction with the public sector. We’re much more likely to hear it in relation to technology companies, entrepreneurs and disruptive start-ups. But in my conversation with Dr Mark Batey on Leadership Live, he offered a different perspective: If innovation is simply about developing ideas to solve problems, then public sector workers are innovating every single day. We just don’t always call it that. Whether it’s finding a new way to support a patient, improving a service, or adapting to rising demand, innovation is already happening across our organisations.
The challenge for leaders is not to introduce innovation, but to recognise it, nurture it and create the conditions for it to flourish. The good news is innovative leadership isn’t a gift bestowed on a lucky few. It’s something we can all develop, and it often starts with a few simple habits and behaviours.
Habits and behaviours of innovative leaders
1. Spend more time with the problem
Before rushing into solutions, immerse yourself in the challenge. If you’re trying to improve a service, experience it. Sit in the waiting room. Follow the process. Talk to the people using it. Great ideas rarely arrive from behind a desk. They come from understanding the reality of the situation.
2. Start in silence
Most brainstorming sessions begin with people talking. Mark suggested to me that we should try doing the opposite. Give everyone a few minutes to quietly write down their ideas before discussion begins. You’ll generate more ideas, hear more voices and avoid everyone simply building on what the loudest person said first.
3. Give your brain time to do its job
Creativity isn’t just about spontaneously generating ideas. It’s also about incubation. When you’re stuck, go for a walk. Take a break. Move to a different environment. Do something different. The brain often makes its best connections when we’re not forcing it. As Mark puts it, “you’re not a tree” you don’t have to stay rooted in the same spot.
4. Feed your curiosity
Read something you’d normally ignore. Listen to a podcast outside your field. Explore a different points of view. Innovation comes from connecting ideas that don’t usually sit together, which is much easier when your knowledge and experiences are broad.
5. Create space for ideas
A simple question such as “Has anyone got any good ideas this week?” can be surprisingly powerful. Innovation grows when leaders visibly value curiosity, experimentation and contribution.
6. Seek diversity
Innovation rarely comes from a room full of people who have had the same experiences and think in the same way. Bringing together people from different teams, professions, backgrounds and lived experiences helps us see problems from new perspectives and challenges our assumptions.
As a leader, look for opportunities to bring more voices into decision-making and actively recruit diverse teams. Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t a new idea at all; it’s hearing a perspective that hadn’t previously been in the room.
The case for innovation
Innovation in the public sector isn’t about change for the sake of change. We’re innovating because many of the challenges we face are complex and increasingly difficult to solve with the same approaches we’ve always used.
I recall the candid words of Councillor Keith Cunliffe, on another recent episode of Leadership Live, explaining why the Wigan Boroughs’ Progress with Unity strategy dares to risk innovation. He said: “Set the conditions for great ideas to flourish […] If everything is going great, then yes, be risk-averse, but everything is not going great”. It’s an argument for curiosity and experimentation that starts with a willingness to ask: could this work better?
As leaders, our job is not necessarily to have all the answers. It’s to create the conditions where great ideas can flourish, where people feel able to challenge what’s not working, and where doing the right thing is easier than simply doing what we’ve always done.
To hear more from Dr Mark Batey, listen to How can leaders unlock innovation in the public sector on Spotify. You can also listen to Councillor Keith Cunliffe speak in Neighbourhood care: Wigan’s story on Spotify.
