Innovation is a word people most often think about as something you do or create, a verb or noun, rather than something you are, an adjective. In reality, people can be innovative, they can strive to be better and change old ways of thinking. However, in order to do this, you have to be willing to challenge yourself, ask questions to create better outcomes, and understand your purpose for changing previous ways of thinking. It is not enough to change and come up with new ideas, but you have to have a reason for doing so and the passion to see it through. Being an innovative leader is important because the world is changing every day and you have to be able to adapt.
Moreover, one of the hardest parts of being innovative is being willed to change as a lot of people struggle with it; Change can cause anxiety for some. Some ways to deal with change are thinking of the uncertainty as an opportunity and taking care of yourself if you are not feeling well, whether through breathing exercises, exercising, etc. Other ways to be innovative are creating an environment for creativity, breaking the rules sometimes, and being willing to take a risk, while also being willing to fail. Changing up your work area or going somewhere else to think can spark new ideas that you would not have gotten in your traditional work area. Also, sometimes you have to break tradition and get out of that box to see new ways of doing things. Lastly, you have to take risks and be okay will failing. A lot of people have the fear of failure, but if you can see failure as an opportunity to learn instead of a point where you should give up, you will be able to have innovation.
Furthermore, looking at innovative leaders, Elon Musk is one that exemplifies innovation. Elon Musk founded Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) and is the CEO of Tesla Motors. He has worked on electric cars, space travel, and alternative energy. Elon Musk has taken risks and tried new things. His purpose for being a part of Tesla was to have cars that ran on sustainable energy. Electric cars are quite different from the traditional gas-powered car and he has helped with other forms of energy, which shows his out-of-the-box thinking. He is passionate about sustainability and with that focus, he has come up with innovative ideas to help the world move toward sustainable energy.
