Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Articulate a compelling vision that inspires both performance and innovation.
• Implement techniques for fostering psychological safety within their teams.
• Differentiate between incremental and disruptive innovation strategies.
• Apply strategic delegation to free up time for high-leverage activities.
• Develop a framework for evaluating and prioritizing innovation ideas.
• Lead change initiatives with clarity, empathy, and effective communication.
• Establish metrics that measure both operational efficiency and innovation output.
• Coach and mentor team members to develop their own creative problem-solving skills.

• High-potential employees preparing for senior leadership roles.
• Current managers and directors leading cross-functional teams.
• Leaders responsible for R&D, product development, or strategy.
• Executives seeking to transform their organizational culture.
• Project or program managers driving complex initiatives.

• Leadership style assessment and 360-degree feedback discussion.
• Vision statement development workshop.
• Role-playing difficult conversations about failure and accountability.
• Case study analysis of successful and failed innovation efforts.
• Group activity on designing a psychologically safe team charter.
• Practice in strategic delegation and task assignment.

Unit 1: The Dual Imperative: Vision, Results, and Innovation

• Balancing Current Performance with Future Growth
  • Defining the characteristics of transformational leadership.
  • Developing a compelling, future-focused vision statement.
  • The concept of "Ambidextrous Leadership" (exploit vs. explore).
  • Setting and communicating SMART goals for operational results.
  • Creating alignment between daily tasks and long-term innovation strategy.

Unit 2: Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety

• The Foundation for Risk-Taking and Creativity
  • Understanding the link between safety, trust, and innovation.
  • Techniques for effectively soliciting and acting on dissenting opinions.
  • The importance of leading by example through vulnerability and learning from failure.
  • Establishing "Failure Tolerance" rules and post-mortem processes.
  • Strategies for conflict resolution that foster creative tension.

Unit 3: Strategic Innovation Management

• Idea Generation, Selection, and Prioritization
  • Facilitating effective brainstorming and idea-generation sessions.
  • Applying design thinking principles to innovation challenges.
  • Developing criteria for evaluating the potential impact and feasibility of ideas.
  • The role of rapid prototyping and Minimum Viable Products (MVPs).
  • Strategic resource allocation (budget, time, talent) for innovation projects.

Unit 4: Leading Teams to Deliver Results

• Accountability, Empowerment, and Delegation
  • Mastering effective delegation: matching task, authority, and accountability.
  • Setting clear expectations and providing constructive, actionable feedback.
  • Techniques for coaching team members to high performance.
  • Managing performance based on outcomes rather than activity.
  • The leader's role in removing organizational roadblocks.

Unit 5: Leading Change and Sustaining Momentum

• Communication and Implementation
  • Creating a communication plan for a major change initiative.
  • Addressing resistance and engaging key stakeholders.
  • Measuring and celebrating early wins to build momentum.
  • Embedding new processes to ensure innovations are sustained.
  • Personal leadership development plan for continued growth.