A person who introduces new methods, ideas or products.
Look up “innovator” and you’ll find that definition, or something like it. Then ask a friend: “Who is an innovator?” You may hear “Steve Jobs,” “Thomas Edison”, “Leonardo da Vinci”. No wrong answers there. Now ask the same friend, “How did they innovate?” and the response will likely not be so simple. Eventually your friend may tell you what they invented — the iPhone, the lightbulb, the flying machine. But don’t be shocked if you hear nothing about how they innovated; about the process they used to get to the point of invention.