Creating a culture of innovation means giving people permission to fail and that means that emotional intelligence is a key skill needed by today’s leaders. That was just one of the messages which came out of the inaugural Leadership Symposium facilitated by Lander Associates, the training and performance development specialists, and hosted at the offices of Baker Tilly Revas Limited

The symposium comprised of fourteen business professionals with a range of backgrounds: recruitment; HR; finance; academia and consultancy who met to exchange views on the challenges and opportunities posed by a new decade – and to share ideas on how to successfully manage those challenges and opportunities.

“Emotional Intelligence is very important in a leader”, says Gerry Peyton a Director of HR Plus, the HR consultancy arm of law firm Hammonds LLP, who took part in the symposium. Gerry went on to say “Often, leaders are much more interested in solutions rather than why something went wrong. But change allows the possibility of experimentation and innovation – and if you want people to innovate then you have to accept that it won’t always work. – and that the failure is an outcome that we learn the most from.”

Founder of InTime Solutions Daniel  Mcpherson, now a director with Baker Tilly Revas  shared the fact that that in one of the businesses he is involved with there is a small Research and Development budget devoted purely to innovation and new ideas.  It is managed by small workgroups who are given permission to experiment and innovate.  They accept that the money may be lost – but that it may also result in the ‘next big thing’.  “To truly innovate”, he says “sometimes you have to let others lead – and allow them to do things you may not necessarily agree with.”

Lander Associates has produced a white paper detailing the challenges leaders face and looking forward to 2010 and beyond – for a free copy contact julia@landerassociates.co.uk