Success at an innovation-driven company relies on more than just having cutting-edge ideas. It’s about the traits that help leaders thrive and drive their teams forward. For executives and CEOs, key traits like resilience, curiosity, and adaptability are essential. These qualities support leaders in facing challenges, exploring new opportunities, and staying ahead in a rapidly changing industry.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into these crucial traits and explain why they are so important for driving success in innovation. By understanding and embracing these qualities, leaders can better guide their companies through the complexities of the modern tech landscape and foster a culture of continuous growth and improvement.

18 Traits for Success at an Innovation-Driven Company

1. Focus on what truly matters first.

Founders, especially in the early stages can get lost pretty quickly trying to pursue all the things: all the opportunities (which may or may not be a good fit), all the features (which you don’t have the precious time/resources to build and why MVP is so damn critical) and quite frankly all the meetings.

Pause, breathe, and focus. Your time ultimately is your most precious resource so being mindful on how you and your team use it is critical at all stages, lest you lose focus on what’s important and fall into the trap of trying to do all the things, which results in many things being done crappy at best.

Rick McGlinchey, Co-Founder, PureInsights

2. Adaptability Ensures Long-Term Success

I believe adaptability is crucial for success at an innovation-driven company. For over 25 years, I’ve guided my agency through massive changes in technology, marketing, and client needs. If we hadn’t adapted, we wouldn’t still be here. 

For example, in the early 2000s, we transitioned from print to digital marketing. This required learning new skills and adapting our services, but it allowed us to better serve clients. More recently, we’ve focused on helping clients with strategies like inbound marketing. Our team continuously expands their knowledge in areas like content creation, social media marketing, and analytics.

An adaptable mindset is key. We encourage collaboration between team members with different expertise. We also make time for education and experimentation, so we can leverage new tools and strategies. While we have our proven methods, we know that if we rely only on what’s worked in the past, we won’t succeed in the future. The ability and willingness to adapt are what allow innovation to happen.

Jay Owen, CEO, Business Builders

3. Use Delegation to Maximize Team Potential

The ability to delegate. Human capital is the most powerful leverage there is… other than money, which is, in large part, so powerful because it allows you to purchase more human capital.

One of the most life-changing quotes I have ever heard was, “Don’t build the business; build the people. The people will build the business.” This has proven to be true for me throughout my career.

What separates good entrepreneurs from great entrepreneurs is their ability to attract high-performing people and allow them to build the business. 

Logan Burchett, Co-Founder, Forecastr

4. Growth Mindset Drives Continuous Learning

Adaptability and a growth mindset are key to success at an innovation-driven company. In 15+ years helping organizations implement ERP and integrate third-party apps, I’ve seen many companies struggle by clinging to outdated processes and technologies. The most successful are open to change, willing to revamp strategies to leverage new tools, and invest in continuous learning for their teams. 

For example, when cloud ERP solutions emerged, we helped early adopters revamp their businesses to take advantage of increased flexibility and reduced IT costs. Those able to overhaul legacy systems and ways of working saw huge gains in productivity and insights. 

At my company, we make ongoing education and research a top priority. Annual conferences and partnerships with solutions providers keep us up-to-date with the latest tools and approaches. We pass that knowledge to clients, crafting roadmaps to drive digital change. By embracing change, we stay ahead of trends and help clients do the same.

Some of our greatest successes came from taking risks on new technologies before they were mainstream. We built apps for social media, mobile devices, and AI-based analytics years ago. Those solutions gave clients a competitive edge and set the foundation for long-term partnerships. An open, curious mindset is how innovation happens.

Louis Balla, VP of Sales & Partner, Nuage

5. Decisiveness moves you forward, fear holds you back.

Decisiveness. I have seen so many amazing entrepreneurs and leaders with great ideas but they are paralyzed to make the wrong decision, so they spin. Always standing still never moving forward or backwards for the fear of being wrong. Part of working with growth minded entrepreneurs and teams I have the privilege to interact with so many smart people. What makes or breaks many leaders is the ability to make a decision when at a crossroads. Decisiveness is courageous even if its the wrong choice. Have the courage to own the decision and continue to move forward.

Rachel Johnson, Fractional Marketing Executive and Growth Scaler

6. Curiosity Fuels Forward Progress

It’s not a secret that curious people drive the world forward. While bored and unmotivated people look out the window, curious ones invent aviation, blockchain, and CRISPR-Cas9. This is why I am sure that having a curious team is key to the success of any innovation-driven company. I am talking about epistemic curiosity—a genuine desire to understand how things work. 

While many believe it is an innate character trait, I am sure that it can be taught if you have the desire. It is your goal as a leader to set up an environment that encourages epistemic curiosity. Be hyper-sensible to the smallest signs of curiosity: questions, hypotheses, new suggestions. Show that you are grateful for these and generously reward viable ideas.

David Kemmerer, Co-Founder and CEO, CoinLedger

7. Awareness shapes your success in every decision

In a word… “Awareness”.

In life, and in business, you have to understand how the world works, the rules of engagement, how people think, what’s happening around you, how you fit in, etc. Then, you have to shape your thoughts, words, and actions to execute in that environment, and adapt to that environment.

The more “aware” you are of yourself, of your situation, of your surroundings, the better you will be at making the right decisions, and taking the right actions, that will lead to your success. 

Steven Plappert, Co-Founder & CEO, Forecastr

8. Adapt to Stay Ahead

Adaptability is crucial for success in an innovation-driven company. Technologies change, and client needs develop rapidly. Being able to adapt to these changes is what keeps a company ahead of the curve.

When we started our company, our services were more straightforward. But over time, we had to continuously refine our approach to stay relevant. For example, the demand for cybersecurity services grew, so we expanded our expertise. Our team didn’t just react to changes—we anticipated them, adapting our skill sets and strategies before they became necessary.

I advise anyone in an innovation-driven company to embrace change and be ready to adjust course when needed. Don’t get too comfortable with the way things are. Staying flexible allows you to respond effectively to new challenges and opportunities, ensuring your company can thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Elmo Taddeo, CEO, Parachute

9. Radical Empathy Drives Stronger Relationships

I had lunch with Mark Achler, Managing Partner at MATH Venture Partners, last week and something he said really resonated with me. He proposed that empathy is the most important trait to look for in a successful founder. Mark coined the phrase “Radical Empathy”, which is being able to deeply and truly understand the needs of others. This requires active listening and genuine curiosity about the underlying motivation and needs of others. Whether it is customers, employees, investors or family members, empathy is a key to building stronger relationships, fostering a collaborative work environment, and creating products or services that truly resonate with users. 

Jeff Erickson, Strategic Partnerships, Forecastr

10. Laser Focus on Goals

Laser focus is absolutely critical for success in an innovation-driven company. Why? Because innovative teams need to tune out distractions and stay dialed-in to what they’re doing. How do they do it? It all starts with understanding the “why” behind their goals. You’ve got to know why you’re trying to achieve something before diving into the how. This clear purpose is what fuels the innovation process. 

Take Stripe as an example—it’s now a multibillion-dollar company because its founders, John and Patrick Collison, had a clear goal: to make online payment processing simpler for small businesses. This clarity gave everyone who joined their team a unified focus. If you ask a developer at Stripe why they’re working on a specific feature, they should be able to tell you how it aligns with the company’s mission. 

If the people in your organization can’t clearly articulate the “why” behind their work, it’s time to refocus on defining that purpose.

Alex LaDouceur, Co-Founder, Webineering

11. Unwavering Focus Leads to Peak Performance

I was fortunate enough to spend a few years around a couple of Olympians as they trained.  While they represented the extremes of ownership and resilience, it was their unwavering focus that left the deepest impression.

Mike Jacob, Founder, TerraForce AI

12. Critical Thinking Enhances Decision-Making

I believe critical thinking is important for the success of a company. In the complex world of cybersecurity, for example, where threats are constantly evolving and attackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the ability to analyze situations from multiple angles and make sound judgments is invaluable. 

Critical thinking allows security professionals to anticipate potential vulnerabilities, devise effective defense strategies, and respond swiftly to incidents when they occur. This skill becomes even more essential as it enables security experts to identify and mitigate risks in novel systems and applications. 

Also, critical thinking promotes effective problem-solving and decision-making under pressure, qualities that are indispensable during security incidents or when adapting to rapidly changing technological landscapes.

Christian Espinosa, Founder and CEO, Blue Goat Cyber

13. Prioritize Smartly to Maximize Time and Results

One trait that comes to mind is efficiency. Being efficient with their time but also having ruthless prioritization to ensure the most important tasks at hand get done. This is even more important in a remote-first work environment as high-performers are often balancing more than simply their work. A lot of high-performers I’ve worked with have mastered old adage of “work harder, not smarter” and it is a valuable characteristic them bring to the table. 

Casey Bolsega, Sr. Portfolio Manager, Intrepid Finance & Venture

14. Risk-Taking Leads to Breakthroughs

One important trait is risk-taking. Innovation often means trying new things and exploring unknown areas. This requires a willingness to take calculated risks. Without taking risks, it’s hard to discover new solutions or make breakthroughs.

Being open to risk means not being afraid to fail. Failure is often a step toward success because it teaches valuable lessons. Employees who embrace risk can help drive creativity and progress. They are more likely to come up with fresh ideas and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

In an environment where innovation is key, taking smart risks can lead to big rewards. It helps the company stay ahead of competitors and create new opportunities.

Tarek El Ali, Founder, Smart Insurance Agents

15. Curiosity Keeps You Ahead of the Curve

Curiosity is so important to being a high performer. In a world driven by knowledge, those who ask the right questions stand out. Curiosity isn’t just about seeking answers — it’s about challenging the status quo. It drives innovation, builds resilience, and keeps you ahead of the curve. Want to elevate your game? Start asking more questions. Dive into topics you don’t understand, engage with different perspectives, and never stop learning. The more curious you are, the more opportunities you create. 

Matt Hunckler, CEO, Powderkeg  

16. Curiosity Sparks Breakthrough Ideas

That would be curiosity. In an environment focused on innovation, curiosity drives individuals to ask questions, explore new ideas, and seek out fresh perspectives. It pushes people to continuously learn and discover ways to improve processes, products, and services. Without curiosity, it’s easy to become complacent and settle into routine, which can stifle creativity and hinder progress.

Curiosity sparks exploration beyond the surface level, encouraging individuals to dig deeper into challenges and opportunities. This leads to breakthrough ideas and novel solutions that might not emerge from traditional approaches. In an innovation-driven company, where change is constant and evolving, curiosity ensures that team members remain engaged and open to new concepts, technologies, and methodologies.

For instance, curious individuals are more likely to keep up with industry trends, experiment with new tools, and collaborate across disciplines. Their inquisitive nature often leads them to uncover insights others might overlook, driving innovation forward.

In essence, curiosity fuels the spirit of innovation by fostering a culture of continuous learning and exploration. This openness to discovery is what allows innovation-driven companies to remain agile and ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving marketplace.

Bradford Glaser, President & CEO, HRDQ

17. Growth Mindset Fuels Success and Innovation

The one trait that’s risen above all others over time for me is having a growth mindset. Those with a fixed mindset, who see failure as a personal reflection of their value, will tend to struggle; they’ll seek out comfortable situations where they already know the answers and thus struggle to advance. Those with a growth mindset, who see failure as learning and who actively seek criticism, will naturally push boundaries and increase their contributions. So important is growth mindset that I now screen for it in every hiring process.

Joseph Loria, Founder and CEO, RetentionCX

18. Consistency Turns Mundane Tasks into Success

A graduate professor once told me that excellence is the special attention to the mundane. I wasn’t sure what that meant at the time. But now I see clearly that compounding comes from the cumulative, unfailingly consistent efforts over time. Successful people do whatever it takes to get the job done, whether or not they feel like it. It’s not just doing what you like, but doing all the things over and over again (the mundane) to create compounded results. One workout won’t make you fit. But do it everyday and you’ll be fit. Missing one workout won’t make you unhealthy. Never working out will. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson is a masterclass on this philosophy. 

Lloyd Easters, Chief Investment Officer, INVST

Conclusion:

In conclusion, resilience, curiosity, and adaptability are the cornerstones of success in innovation-driven companies. These traits enable leaders to overcome obstacles, seize new opportunities, and remain agile in a dynamic market. Embracing and developing these qualities will help executives and CEOs steer their companies toward lasting success and innovation. By focusing on these key traits, you can lead your team more effectively and drive meaningful progress in your organization.