Leadership ambidexterity: mastering innovation and efficiency at the same time

Leadership ambidexterity: mastering innovation and efficiency at the same time

Steve Jobs once said: “Process makes you more efficient. But innovation comes from people... calling each other at 10.30 at night with a new idea... it comes from swinging on to 1.000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much...”. I fully agree. Innovation is not the outcome of a predefined process; it cannot be “programmed”. It results from chance and spontaneous insights, trial and error, spontaneity and opportunities. It takes ideas that ignite something.

RUN & DEVELOP: the partnership for success

For me, RUN & DEVELOP, or DEVELOP & RUN, is synonymous with EXPLORE & EXPLOIT:

- Explore: people need the freedom to develop ideas and rethink things beyond structures that may have become entrenched.
- Exploit: once an idea has become a marketable product, efficiency comes into play. How can these products be marketed as efficiently and profitably as possible? That is the only way to generate the profit every successful company needs.

The art of leadership
The balance between these two poles makes the difference. While processes provide stability and predictability, freedom enables us to realise the full potential of our creativity. This duality, structured RUN and creative DEVELOP, is crucial for lasting success and continuous development. RUN & DEVELOP, EXPLORE & EXPLOIT, is like yin and yang.

So establish clear processes to ensure efficiency while also encouraging a culture of innovation that allows spontaneity and creative freedom. Only then can your company truly grow and adapt to the challenges of a constantly changing world.

Develop your leadership expertise
That is precisely where I see the art of leadership: achieving this ambidexterity, this balance. Find further valuable insights and practical tips on mastering this balance in our “Execution Wins” playbook. Click the link for the free download in the comments and start taking your leadership skills to the next level!

https://youtu.be/ir3E-TEUk48?t=213