Change is the only constant. Yesterday’s successes can be hopelessly out-dated tomorrow. Because of that, companies and organizations start looking for those managers who can stay in control of these changes. And are able to keep ahead of these changes.

Traditional values have to make way for flexibility, empathy and creativity. The manager of tomorrow is betting on people and their ideas, but never looses track of the result he is aiming for. A fascinating balancing act.

By identifying and showing successes, a creative manager seduces people to show behaviour that will trigger innovation

Managers are fighting for talent but rarely are able to bind this rare talent to their organizations for a long time, physically and emotionally. And it’s exactly these enduring relationship between employees and stakeholders that enlarges the chance of innovative ideas. To stay ahead of competition it will be of the utmost importance that companies create a climate in which people and their business creativity are the centre of that organization.

More and more, organizations start to realize this. They are convinced that creative change is the responsibility of each and every employee and not only of R&D or the innovation manager. They do this because they are convinced that by putting people in the centre, they can attract the best talents and keep them and create change from within. And it is that kind of change that brings more and better ideas that are needed for innovation and growth. This requires a different kind of management. We will start this article with a first range of five important capabilities that the successful manager of tomorrow needs:

Capability 1: Developing a clear mission and vision for his team

In which focus is on cooperation with stakeholders, both inside and outside the organization, and where exchange of ideas and connection between people is conditional for innovation.

Capability 2: Embracing new ways of thinking and diversity

By combining classic problem solving, based on logic, with creative thinking and stimulating his employees to do the same by asking questions instead of giving them solutions. He uses differences between employees in a positive way.

Capability 3: Seducing people to show behaviour that will trigger innovation

By concentrating on intrinsic motivation of employees who are open to this and by identifying and showing successes, however small they might be, in a creative way.

Capability 4: Allowing mistakes

Because of the conviction that the more we try, the more opportunities we create. And by limiting costs of these mistakes through the speeding up of the decision process and the reduction of the cost of experimentation.

Capability 5: Giving employees room to develop their creative abilities

Creating time and room for new possibilities, freeing up funds, organizing this process and motivating people to do better each and every time. And far and foremost, he will lead by example.