“You can’t force innovation, but you can unleash it”

In the book, seventeen experts share their insights into different aspects of innovation leadership. Gaspersz explains: "The book offers concrete, proven strategies not only to survive the current storm of change but to actively shape and accelerate it. It’s a guide for those who have read about innovation and now want to understand how it really works.”

The biggest misconception about innovation

According to Gaspersz, many leaders make a fundamental mistake. “The biggest and most persistent misunderstanding is that leaders see innovation as an isolated activity, a separate project, an annual brainstorming session, or the responsibility of a specific R&D department.”

He argues this way of thinking is fundamentally wrong. “True, sustainable innovation only emerges when it is fully integrated into everyday operations and anchored in both the culture and leadership of the entire organization.”

Behavior and creativity are not enough

This misconception leads to two crucial errors that can kill innovation at its roots. The first concerns the role of the leader. “Many believe innovation is purely about being visionary and inspiring employees. They focus on behavior and creativity but forget what may be their most important task: acting as a conscious designer of the organization. A leader should not only inspire but also actively build a structure that enables innovation.”

The second mistake may be even more dangerous: assuming innovation is a linear, predictable process that can be enforced through traditional, top-down control. “The book shows that this backfires. Innovation is a complex and unpredictable process that thrives under trust, autonomy, and psychological safety.”

Leadership that unleashes, not forces

Gaspersz emphasizes that leadership doesn’t force innovation — it releases it by creating the right conditions. “The book shows that innovation is a dynamic, cultural, and structural phenomenon; leadership needs to go beyond merely inspiring. It requires consciously shaping an environment where renewal is a natural part of everyone’s work.”

The power of curiosity

For traditional leaders wondering where to start, Gaspersz has a surprisingly simple answer. “The skill they can most quickly develop is consciously and actively encouraging curiosity. This is the fundamental driver and indispensable first step for all innovation. And something a leader can begin doing tomorrow.”

Practically, this means, for example, asking “naïve questions” in meetings: open, fundamental questions that challenge long-accepted assumptions. “A CEO, in the book, says he made it a habit to ask at least one ‘naïve question’ in every meeting, which enriched the thinking of the whole team. It costs nothing and immediately breaks routines.”

“A leader who openly asks questions and shows they don’t have all the answers creates a safe environment where others also dare to do that. This lowers the barrier for employees to bring up new, unconventional ideas.”

Direct impact on culture

According to Gaspersz, this is a smart example of a concrete step toward a more innovative climate, because it directly influences culture. “It requires no budget or project plan, only a leader’s courage to ask the first question and make space for the unknown.”