Christine took a 4year sabbatical from our team during which time she completed her Ph.D. in Leadership. We’re excited to have Christine back on our team and have asked her to highlight some of the insights she gained during the last four years of studying, researching, and writing about leadership as part of her Ph.D.
“It’s a great pleasure to be back working with people who are actively learning, growing, and practising a different way of being as leaders. The leadership conversation is never far from my thinking and I gladly share some of my insights with you.
At the beginning of the study, I was curious about how some leaders were able to hold a high degree of social awareness placing human concerns as primary in their decision-making. I looked at the current state of leader development in relationship to the complex challenges that leaders currently face. I questioned the models that portray leadership as hierarchical, formulaic, and simplistic. I also believed that there exists a great hunger for leadership and a need to radically dissect our traditional perspectives in light of sweeping changes globally in philosophies, values, and narratives.
When I talked with leaders about their exceptional moments in leading, they told me stories of leadership from the standpoint of relationships and interconnections rather than steps or techniques. From this perspective, I began to understand leaders and leadership, not as disembodied traits, characteristics, and steps, but rather as social practices embedded in webs of significance and interdependency, where story-telling is the primary means of relating with others. It became apparent to me that leaders grow through experience rather than by experience and that they create lives of meaning for themselves and others through the sharing and integration of their stories.
How did this experience change me as a leader?
I came to understand leadership, not as something that resides within me as an individual leader but rather as the product of people coming together to share their stories, understandings, and experiences. My research findings underscored the idea of leadership as a possibility that exists between people rather than a set of traits or behaviours belonging to an individual. It arises from our collective thinking when we ask the hard questions about who we are and how we want to be with others. Leadership, as a property of the group, emerges when we respectfully listen to others, when we speculate with others about the kind of world we want to create, and when we see the future as one of infinite possibilities. It is much more about who we are being rather than what we are doing.
Today, messages fly at us fast and furious; underscoring that what is rewarded is the quick completion of tasks from the checklist, not the slow contemplation required for a deep understanding of what we most need. In complex times, merely handing down the tried and true will not help us to be more ethical and moral leaders; for that, we need others, contemplation, practice and epiphany. Use the comment box below to respond to Christine’s insights.
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I’m putting away my golf clubs for the season. As I do that, I can’t help but reflect on what a great metaphor golf is for leaders and leadership.
In my role as Executive Coach I have engaged this metaphor with clients who are also golfers with some surprising results.Like the complex and changing corporate environment, there are constant unknowns in the game.
There are hazards everywhere and when we find ourselves in one of them, it requires some thought, a reframe, refocus, a decision and action. And after all of that, and you take the next stroke, there is the knowledge that there is no guarantee that the outcome will be what is intended.
Moving out of a trouble spot requires another look at what club the golfer (and for the Executive, what tools or skills) might be used to move forward…toward the goal that isn’t always visible and is often surrounded by several more hazards!
I also realized halfway through this golf season, that asking for help to enhance my skills (which at times are highly developed already! Well, sometimes!!!). Even the greats have Coaches and must practice to enhance their game.
One of the things that has had a great impact on me this year was to recognize the benefit of quieting, calming and centering. In the Spacious Complexity process we engage quieting and reflective learning as one of the most fundamental, effective development techniques that leaders can use. And in using the golf metaphor, the quieting and reflection is similar to when the ball lands in a water hazard where it stirs up the silt making it impossible to see the lost ball.
When we too quickly attempt to retrieve that ball, we stir up even more murkiness, similar to when we may too quickly react in the organizational environment. Yet if we simply wait, often for only a short moment, the silt settles, the water becomes clearer and we can see so much more clearly…to retrieve or recover. It is the next shot that makes the difference!
What is your next shot?
What tools are in your leadership toolbox?
Who is your silent partner?
What are your resources to bring you to the top of your game?
Like the skiers in the photograph, leaders are often faced with decisions that are complex and where making the wrong decision could have serious consequences. In such situations, decision makers can find themselves at either end of the decision making spectrum – analysis paralysis on the one end or falsely simplifying the ‘landscape’ or context to make the decision easier on the other. In the case of our back-country skier – either method could have life threatening results. In business it may not be your life that is at stake, but it could cost the ‘life’ of your project, your credibility or even your business as a whole.
Struggling with decisions in complex or ambiguous situations doesn’t mean you’re a poor decision maker, it likely has its root in other factors. A big contributor is the myth that; “While there may be more than one way to do it, there is only one BEST way to do it”. If you find yourself in agreement with the ‘only one BEST way’ thinking, you are probably missing many great decision opportunities.
There are very few situations where that thinking is true – even fewer when it involves people. Any time a decision has impact on people it is more likely to have an optimal range of BEST decisions to choose from. The ‘only one BEST way’ thinking is borrowed from a mechanical mindset. A context in which it is often true, but not so in most leadership decisions, as very few leadership decisions are purely mechanical.
Try it out for yourself. Think of a complex or ambiguous situation where you believed there was only one BEST decision. Maybe you’re in one right now? How did that impact your decision making? Many great leaders find their decision making compromised because they are holding tightly to the belief that there is only one right answer, only one best way to proceed. It is true that there are right and wrong decisions, good and bad decisions. Think of your scenario. Imagine it on a continuum with the analysis-paralysis at the one end and ‘quick-n-dirty’ decision at the other end. Where on that continuum do you see the optimal decision making range. Think of 5 to 8 decision options you could make from there. Assess them at a gut level. Which are your top 3? What more information do you need before you act on them (using the same continuum scale)? Choose and act.
Take the time to try it out and we’d like to hear how it changes things for you and for the outcome as a result.
This leadership secret is probably best illustrated outside of work.
How do you know that your parent, spouse, child or partner loves you? What makes you sure and what causes you to doubt?
There are many visible things they do and say that point to their love for you. But that’s not what really clinches the deal. While they are an important part of your knowing, they are far from being the whole picture.
What really makes you sure of their love is the way in which all the visible indicators are matched by the invisible aspects that accompany and validate the visible. Pause and think about that…unless the invisible validates the visible we instinctively know we’re being duped.
The same is true in leadership.
As a leader, you can say and do all the ‘right’ things, but unless the invisible components are there to validate your words and actions, they will backfire.
The invisible components cannot be layered on to who we are, we cannot manufacture them.
They are a result of who we are at our core and how we view the world and others.
You cannot fake genuine interest – the invisible gives you away.
You cannot force yourself to be genuinely interested – the invisible will give it away. If you want your team, your boss or your peers to believe you are genuinely interested you are going to have to pause, open your mind and find what genuinely interests you about them.
The same is true for all the other invisible pillars of leadership such as commitment, belief in someone and trust. The unexpected advantage of ‘finding instead of faking’ interest, belief or commitment is that the hard work of ‘creating connection’, ‘building open communication’ and ‘giving tough feedback’ all becomes much easier.
Try it and share your insights with us.
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I’d like to share a story with you. A story of beginnings, of discovery, and one that I hope begins to show what we believe so deeply about the forces at the heart of Spacious Complexity.
As a person who values meaningful, lasting impact I always give myself fully to whatever I do. A few years ago I found myself questioning the value of the leadership development work I was doing. Not if it was of value to the client. I only do work I believe is valuable for my client.
I was questioning how it was a meaningful use of my life to give it to providing the same leadership development work that consultants on every ‘leadership-corner’ were providing. God gifted me with an ability to see things from unique perspectives and to reframe things in ways that open new understanding.
So why was I relying on the work of others? Where was my original work?
I started asking the hard questions – could I see any universal leadership gaps that weren’t already addressed in leadership material out there. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was the force of Creativity or the drive to build or to create to have unique impact that was behind my need to apply myself in this way.
Thus began a 4 year process of observation, discussion, discovery, testing, discarding and some more ruminating. The more I looked, the more my convictions were affirmed. The more I tested my thinking with other leaders, the more it was validated. Early on in the process I recognised that I needed ‘more than me’ if I really cared about developing something meaningful. (The Force of Belonging was unknowingly having its way with me).
One year into my process I asked Anita to join me in my observe, test, ruminate cycle. Anita and I always find ‘creative genius’ when we get together. This was no exception. Very early on Anita brought the Force of Invisibility to my attention: every visible action has an invisible component that impacts the action. In conversation with Anita, I stumbled upon the Law or Force of Continuum: all things (in the relational realm, and most things beyond it) exist on a continuum.
We continued to explore and test how these forces, as well as the Force of Reciprocity and the Force of Choice were at the heart of the leadership gap I had identified and so we knew we had an incredible, transformational and unique product. That the rest of the world didn’t know about.
Enter Deb. A while ago I was sharing our concepts with Deb when it became clear that she needed to be part of our team. So the ‘creativity of two’ became the ‘alchemy of 3’ and each day the concept moved closer to becoming a product and now a business.
Every time you read, share and/or comment on our blog you become part of that creative journey with us and belong – in some way – to the outcome of what we bring to the world through Spacious Complexity.
Ever wonder why we have different strengths? Why no one person can ever master all the attributes they need to be good at all the qualities required from a leader? I was on a boat ride, enjoying the scenery, and it struck me. We are designed for community. We aren’t meant to be masters of everything. We aren’t meant to be completely independent – we are meant to be in relationship (or team).
We are designed for interdependence.
Pause… Really pause and ponder how this is true in your life. Reflect on your proudest moments, your greatest accomplishments… None of us accomplishes anything entirely on our own. Everything we do. Everything we think. It all has the mark of others. It was not achieved by ourselves alone.
I come from a long line of very capable, pioneering people with a strong value placed on independence. I vividly remember my negative reaction, in grade 12, when my mother warned me against the perils of over-valuing independence.
It was only many years later that I began to understand the wisdom in her words.
Behavioural profiles clearly show us how any team lacking the full range of behavioural profiles leaves itself vulnerable. Why? Each profile has valuable strengths. The very wiring that makes us strong in some areas makes it hard for us to develop in others. Initiators struggle with the final stages of implementation and even more with in-depth research and ongoing maintenance. Good business needs both a readiness to act and the ability to slow down and dig deeper. The creative tension between the two strengths makes for a stronger outcome.
In Chinese philosophy, the yin-yang describes how apparently opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.
Like the yin-yang we have some of the ‘other’ in us, which we can further develop, but will never be masters of it. A wise leader learns how to build teams of ‘opposites’, recognises the strength of interdependence and structures discussion and distribution of work so that no-one’s value to the organisation is wasted.
How well does your organisation recognise the limitations inherent in overvaluing independence?
What is the hidden cost of ignoring the hardwiring of interdependence? Where can you see that in your organisation, your team, your own life?
Our reflection, on our own lives and the lives of leaders in organisations regardless of country, size and industry has helped us isolate 7 elements to pay attention to that will revolutionise how you lead.
My first supervisory role provided me with a foundational leadership lesson that I have never forgotten.
I was concerned for those in my charge because they had a history of conflict and were constantly challenging their supervisors. They were long term employees with valuable intellectual history, providing information services to the larger organization…
and they were unhappy.
My goal was to make things better for them.
I saw that they were isolated and underappreciated, so I set out a strategy to help them interact with others from different departments in our very large organization…to get them out of what I saw as an isolated workplace. I believed that if they were simply able to see other departments, to understand how their contributions impacted others (how others benefited from their services), that they would be happier, more fulfilled, and would feel more valued.
I shared my strategy with them and asked for their input into an effective schedule that would have them taking turns out of the office learning about the other departments they served. Once the schedule was made, a new challenge emerged. They seemed to be either sick or wanting to change shifts with their co-workers to avoid times that would take them away from their own office environment. I now realize that my “good idea” was based on what I would have liked had I been in their role. What they wanted was something completely different.
What they really wanted and needed were two things: a choice in creating their own space with pictures and artwork, and to hear the positive feedback from those they provided service to…those in other departments they did not see.
All it took was a paint job in the coffee room, a few pictures and a bouquet of silk flowers…each flower representing very specific positive feedback that I was privileged to hear and bring back to them. It was that simple and those changes brought a sense of belonging to this group of invisible and valuable employees.
What I hadn’t originally recognized was that what they really needed was to have me listen and hear from their perspective what would make their environment more effective and rewarding. I didn’t have their answers…they did! Once I heard their needs, I was able to support them in creating a better work environment which happened to be much easier than the answers I had been cooking up!
In listening and hearing them they felt a greater sense of belonging both with me and the organization…those whose feedback they finally heard. My shift to listening increased my sense of belonging to this team and the results were remarkable. They were more productive and engaged, there was better communication and less conflict…and they were happy!
What are you not hearing? What is not being asked?
What does belonging look like in your organization?
Take one of our assessments to gather the right information and capitalise on your team’s strengths
The idea of leaders’ aligning individuals’ purpose with corporate purpose is not a new one. It has, however, shifted over the years.
In the late ’80’s and early ’90’s talk of considering your people’s purpose would’ve been seen as soft. Too nurturing for the hard world of business…where decisions were
“Just business. Not personal”.
The mid ’90’s brought a realisation that connecting individuals’ purpose with the corporate purpose increased engagement. The focus was on influencing to create that alignment.
We then had Daniel Goleman introduce Emotional Intelligence and Jim Collins talking about ‘getting the right people on the bus”. All of it connected in some way with a leader’s ability to align individual, team and corporate Purpose.
A shift was becoming evident, based on realisation that true leaders don’t try to influence purpose. Rather, they focus on discovering, or noticing the Purpose that drives the individual and finding connection between individual and corporate purpose. Jim Collins’ ‘right people’ is about hiring those whose Purpose drives them in the direction that the organization wants to go. It is not something we manipulate but something we look for and, where aligned, invite to join us.
The old adage ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ shows this clearly. A friendship that is only likely to last until the common enemy is done away with. That is, it will last as long as the Purpose of the friendship is still held by both parties.
I would like to suggest another layer to the force of Purpose. I worked for a retailer with a very transactional approach to their staff. They attracted staff whose main life Purpose lay outside of work. They invested only what was needed to keep getting the pay cheque that supported their purpose outside of work. The common purpose was strictly transactional.
Those with talent and drive, who looked to the work itself as a place to work out their Purpose, were soon crushed and or left. The retailer and the talented individual, if they’d looked for it, had strong alignment. The retailer’s structures and approach become the ‘iron curtain’ that kept the common purpose from driving success.
The extra layer I invite you to contemplate is; “What level of Purpose do your organisation’s structures and leaders invite others into?” (Where does commitment look more transactional like with the retailer or with the ‘enemy of my enemy’ and where does it look more like the deep bonds of brother’s in arms; a commitment grounded in Purpose that draws on our talent and drives us to success?)
We believe this is critical for leaders to pay attention to.
“According to PriceWaterhouseCooper’s report, ‘The Future of HR’, managing complexity, ambiguity and technology are the biggest trends for HR as we head toward the year 2022.” (p36 People Talk V22-N2-Summer 2015) Anyone in business knows this to be true beyond HR. It is equally true for the organisations and people within the organisations that HR serves.
A question much asked in the last 10-15 year is “How can leaders make sound decisions with complexity and the pace of change increasing as they are?” (Both only adding, of course, to the ambiguity!) I believe the answer lies in choosing our modus operandi based on the context. To do this, a brief history lesson….
Ancient Hebrews and Ancient Greeks offered us two very distinct ways thinking. Two very different methods of understanding our worlds. The Western education system is based on the Greek methodology. The Hebrews used stories – using rich, multi-layered pictures that allow both our conscious minds and our intuition access to the truths within them. This method gives us understanding that is akin to a knowing that cannot always be explained by logic and yet somehow transcends it.
The Greeks gave us an equally valuable methodology that breaks the whole into parts or steps and in the breaking down into its components, we gain understanding. An understanding that appeals to our minds, but limits our understanding to that which we can ‘logically prove’. This methodology is what most of us, in the Western world, rely on.
Each methodology has its limitations. Each suits some situations better than others.
My years of observing human dynamics, including human dynamics within the workplace, have me convinced that in order to lead well we need to reduce our dependence on a Greek way of thinking and learn to trust the Hebrew ‘knowing’. This is easier said than done for those who have not yet learned to trust the Hebrew story methodology for generating understanding. Growing up ‘figuring things out’ makes it hard to trust understanding gained simply by ‘observing’ or ‘noticing’.
In situations that don’t involve human dynamics (such as the workings of a gear box) it is good to ‘figure it out’, to break it down into logical elements. However, logic alone fails us when we introduce ambiguity or high levels of complexity – here we need to step back and observe… The story based way of analysing allows us to understand and respond to the key factors without having to break it down. It draws on our sub-conscious mind, or intuition. A powerful part of our intelligence that some in Western leadership have learned to rely on.
I’d love to hear your stories of where you, or leaders you know, relied on a Hebrew way of thinking because Greek logic wasn’t right for the context.
There is no such thing as someone not impacting. By our presence alone we change the environment and impact the system we have entered. An example of this happened when I was a young teenager…one with an attitude and what I now realize were friends of questionable character. I certainly didn’t see them that way then!
My mother had questioned my choices multiple times but I saw none of her concerns. One Friday night there was a community dance that I was enthusiastically a part of and my mother was to be arriving a little later in the evening after work as a chaperone. Before she arrived I was completely engaged and saw my group of friends as fun and really quite acceptable even in the high standards of my parents.
But…the instant my mother walked through the doors, I looked around the room and saw everything alarmingly differently.
I saw through her eyes the activities and characters that were part of my world and I was immediately slammed into another reality.
And yes, without a word spoken I saw the questionable character of the friends that were of a strong and negative influence. It was a pivotal and defining moment that changed the trajectory of my life. My mother’s presence alone changed my interpretation of the environment I was in and the living system that I was a part of.
We have spoken of that moment since, and she had a different experience. She felt that it was not as bad as she had previously thought, and had felt that she had been much too judgmental and harsh on those she did not really yet know.
Since that time there have been many times, though more subtle, that I have had experiences of shifts in perspective and I have been very much more aware of them since that day so long ago.
I’m curious…what impact might you unknowingly have?
How have others influenced you and your environment simply with their presence?
Learn more about the impact we’ve had on our clients