<p>This study reviews over six decades of role-based leadership literature, focusing on key internally-focused roles leaders play in managing innovation. A descriptive research methodology was used to review journal publications on these internal leader functions. The study was limited to scholarly articles examining leadership roles in the context of innovation and creativity. Meaningful insights were drawn by analyzing the literature descriptively and eliminating conceptual overlaps in the interpretation of roles. The review identified <i>technical expertise (TE)</i>,<i> team building (TB)</i>,<i> and strategic planning (SP)</i> as the most crucial internally-focused leadership roles for managing innovation. These roles are especially important in a knowledge-based economy, where creating, sharing, and applying knowledge drives economic growth. In such environments, leaders with strong technical insight, collaborative skills, and strategic foresight are better positioned to harness team knowledge and foster continuous innovation. This study contributes to the role-based leadership literature by shifting the focus from broad leadership taxonomies to specific leader actions that support innovation. It also integrates fragmented research to highlight the importance of specific leadership roles in driving knowledge-based economic progress. The findings are practically relevant for organizations aiming to improve innovation by aligning leadership development, selection, and training with roles most directly linked to innovation success. However, the review is limited by its focus on internal functions and does not consider externally-oriented leadership roles that may also influence innovation. Future research could explore how internal and external leadership functions interact across different innovation contexts.</p>