As per a study on global innovation carried out by management consulting giant PwC, there are five skills that have been identified that all innovative leaders possess in abundance. They manage risk much better than others. This includes documentation and planning for upcoming risks, starting straight away and learning along the way rather than thorough thinking at the beginning, avoidance of over analysis of business issues and mitigates risks before they arise. Such leaders demonstrate constant curiosity at the workplace by testing their own knowledge and skills. They create time for developmental activities and stimulate the ideation of innovations. These leaders are courageous and proactive as they do not wait for changes to occur, but foresee them. They seize opportunities whenever they present themselves. Innovative leaders maintain the decorum of the corporate strategy as they only put their focus on aspects which affect the organization holistically, avoiding all pretence of micromanagement. They learn from mistakes and conduct SWOT analysis to gauge organization’s knowledge and capability levels.

Source:https://hbr.org/2016/12/the-5-skills-that-innovative-leaders-have-in-common