The Innovative Leader: How to Inspire Your Team and Drive Creativity

By Paul Sloane
Publisher: Kogan Page
Number Of Pages: 196
Publication Date: 2007-07-01
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0749450010
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780749450014
Binding: Paperback

The Innovative Leader stresses the importance of innovation and creativity in modern business to help organizations secure competitive advantage over rivals. It shows how to apply methods of innovation and creativity to the individual, to business peers, and to the organization. Author Pual Sloane demonstrates the importance of setting out your vision clearly and emphasizes the need for continual evaluation of the process. Numerous international examples illustrate how organizations such as Virgin, Body Shop, Disney, and 3M have benefited from this approach, encouraging excellence and entrepreneurship through challenging goals that keep employees motivated and engaged.

Summary: Both an Inspiration and a Reference for Success in Innovation
Rating: 5

"When I picked the book up, I was at first riveted by Paul Sloanes' commentary of the social and business impact of innovation. His tips go on to help you understand new ways to do this that could be used in your company. I immediately wanted to stop, put the book down and take action on the points made in the text, such as Paul's "10 Ways to Increase Innovation." I picked the book up again for a second dose of enthusiasm and noted that there are powerful historical references to how people have applied concepts of innovataion before. The Innovative Leader is now an important reference that I like using in building consulting strategies with our clients. One of my favorites in Paul's book is, "give everyone two jobs..." I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for ways to add value to their business,and improve their own career potential."

Summary: The Innovative Leader helps bosses to `get' innovation
Rating: 5

Busy leaders and senior level executives will love Paul Sloane's new book, The Innovative Leader. It distills numerous innovation lessons and strategies into a concise, actionable executive summary format that speaks to their needs.

Sloane combines an impressive depth of knowledge about what works and doesn't work in the world of innovation, along with a strong background in lateral thinking - a chief source of ideas that fuel breakthrough innovation. He also weaves in real-world examples from innovative companies like IBM, Google and Virgin.

Unlike some innovation books, in which the author spends several hundred pages outlining his or her pet innovation framework, Sloane provides the reader with an eminently practical collection of innovation tips, examples and strategies. You'll find ideas that you'll want to implement right away in your business.

Summary: An action-packed book!
Rating: 5

Aspiring creative leader, let Paul Sloane's "The Innovative Leader" be a guide for your actions, for your business for yourself. It's a great book!

It's fun. It's serious. It's one hundred and seven things to do for yourself, for your company, with your people. Each section is between half a page and three pages. It's organized under six headings: Leading Innovation, Problem Analysis, Generating Ideas, Implementing innovation processes, Building a creative culture, Personal creativity.

It's practical. It's simple. It's a list of things to do and be. Don't tell, ask. Keep fit. Train for innovation. Try weird combinations. Tell stories. Be passionate. Encourage dissent.

It's challenging. It's disruptive. It's high energy.

Aspiring creative leader, will you really do this stuff? or some of it? You should. It's simple. Not easy. Try. You have nothing to lose but your rusty chains to obsolescence. You have a world to win.

Summary: If you wanted one book to encapsulate creativity and innovation pick this one.
Rating: 4

I love books full of things that work! If you wanted one book to encapsulate creativity and innovation pick this one. My bookshelf is full of most of the books Sloane references, but he compresses it down to "just what you need". My best takeaway was the 26 ways to generate new ideas. I especially like the "Who killed our business exercise." Clearly written, easy to read, succinct and oh so useful. If you are CEO in a fast moving industry, with youthful, brilliant people around you, this is a book you must read and use.