Innovation and trust – the path to mastery

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to encourage the reader to reflect upon the consequences of leadership behaviour and the effect on innovation and performance in an organisation. Design/methodology/approach – The reader is encouraged to begin by answering five leadership questions for themselves. Some underpinning ideas are introduced with examples from the world of commerce, all within a structured model designed to encourage further reflection. Findings – The consequences of low-performing leadership as demonstrated by behaviour, intended or not, are catastrophic for innovation performance. Originality/value – This is work based upon the author's own 30 years working with organisations helping them with innovation and leadership. The source of the five leadership questions and the “love” model is unknown as they were given to me with no attributions.