I taught a couple of weeks ago at Kellogg's MBA program and reviewed our research from the Media Management Center study on innovation.  We talked about a new reign of leadership that is emerging and is most visible in technology markets where innovation is required.  The role of this leader has nothing to do with managing and everything to do with allowing others to create and execute their own ideas. 

Listen to Bob Bowman, President and CEO of MLB Advanced Media. He discussed with us the importance of helping his team make their ideas happen. "Nothing is better than being able to point to something and say, 'Well that's my idea.  It's up there.'" 

And nothing is better. Tech leaders know this.  They work hard to make sure people can work at the nub of their genius.  Not just because creativity is the purest form of motivation, but because the firm needs these ideas to compete in rapidly changing markets. Highly capable talent doesn't care about recognition.  They want expression.  Leaders know that more than money - as the UGC movement proves - people want the forum to create and share.

Sure, this is easier in tech firms whose organization design is relatively flatter than other firms. But as other sectors become more and more technology enabled, leaders are going to have to learn from technology markets and move out of the business of e-mail shuffling and gate-keeping. Tech leader know for sure their job is harnessing the corporation's genius.

I love how Peter Horan, CEO of IAC Media describes the challenge about retaining top talent in the marketplace. He wants their thinking process to be this: "If I go to IAC I can really do great stuff and when I do, it's going to be mine.  I'm going to drive it and I'm going to get rewarded for it.  Swing for the fences and if [I] strike out, that's life." 

I spent the better part of the summer interviewing 36 leaders in the news media on their strategies for innovation.  Northwestern University's Media Management Center commissioned my firm to conduct the research study and formulate recommendations for action.  Listening to how these leaders are handling the seismic changes in their industry was fascinating. Wow. Great stuff. 

From the publisher of the Washington Post to the founder of Twitter, I got a download on how the pace of change in the market is forcing media companies to work in new ways.  In the next few blogs, I'll be sharing some of my insights from the study.  You can view the entire report here:  http://www.mediamanagementcenter.org/innovation/innovationreport.pdf

One thing I heard again and again was the difficulty many of these folks had managing the present and the future at the same time.  Because the pace of change itself is changing, there is increasing pressure on leaders.  I'll be sharing some of the ways firms can keep one hand in the present and step into the future at the same time.