Characteristics of an Innovator

A big fan of lists, I kept an article entitled The Innovator vs. The Pseudo-Innovator for its insight into the characteristics of an innovator.

It’s a good list for two specific reasons.

• It’s a good description of attributes of creative people, especially in relation to innovation.
• If you work in Change Management, and are a fan of Everett Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation – sometimes called the Bell Curve of Change – it’s also a great description of the Innovator, the first of the six modes of his theory.

I only kept a portion of the original article. Given that it was published in the Stone Age of the Pre-Internet, I don’t have more to add. (If you know more about it, please share!)

Curious if you have any thoughts to add?  Any other characteristics of an innovator you’d include?  Please add your thoughts and comments far below.

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Traits of an Innovator vs. Those of the Pseudo-Innovator

The Innovator … is intellectually curious.

The Pseudo-Innovator … is cynically curious.

The Innovator … is constructively critical.

The Pseudo-Innovator … is corrosively critical.

The Innovator … has firm convictions but listens to the ideas of others.

The Pseudo-Innovator … resents honest and constructive criticism.

The Innovator … tends to be a loner at times.

The Pseudo-Innovator … tends to rob ideas of others.

The Innovator … is relatively unconcerned with the more superficial aspects of organizational protocol.

The Pseudo-Innovator … is likely to emphasize organizational protocol if it magnifies his or her ego or status.

The Innovator … is persistent. They carries on despite opposition.

The Pseudo-Innovator … attacks opposition. They are easily discouraged and pouts readily.

The Innovator … pushes ideas through to completion.

The Pseudo-Innovator … flits from idea to idea, making many starts but few completions.

The Innovator … usually has a sense of humour.

The Pseudo-Innovator … shows little humour, and what he or she does show tends to be caustic.

The Innovator … can take disagreement in stride.

The Pseudo-Innovator … takes disagreement as a personal affront.

The Innovator … does not relate easily to authority but accepts it as a fact of life.

The Pseudo-Innovator … generally resents authority and wastes energy fighting or undermining it.

The Innovator … is zealous for his or her ideas and programs.

The Pseudo-Innovator … is zealous for his or her prerogatives and status.

The Innovator … prefers complexity.

The Pseudo-Innovator … prefers the attention-getting or shocking.

The Innovator … deviates from the standards only when necessary.

The Pseudo-Innovator … deviates for the sake of being different.

The Innovator … is usually not adept in human relations.

The Pseudo-Innovator … often quite adroit in human relations of the manipulative kind.

The Innovator … is a non-conformist in a natural and unconcerned manner.

The Pseudo-Innovator … is a non-conformist for purposes of display.

The Innovator … is solid and thorough, willing persevere for lasting results.

The Pseudo-Innovator … is shallow, settling for superficial results.

The Innovator … is genuinely interested in the success of the operation.

The Pseudo-Innovator … has a personal axe to grind.

Again, please feel free to add your thoughts and comments below.