THE “NOW” OF LEADERSHIP Z LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH
Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD
An essence of dialogue…
An element of mindfulness…
A practice for the now of leadership...
The One Breath…
From the perspective of your place in the organization,
what is the now of leadership?
*In One Breath…
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*A NOW MindsetA Self-Assessment
Please rate yourself on each of the following:
1. I work especially well with multiplicity and complexity across different dimensions of a situation
2. I am skilled at seeing and responding to the interdependence between diverse and multiple stakeholders
3. When there is ambiguity in causal relationships, goals, values, and cues, I remain able to take effective action
4. When the organizational context and related practices are in flux, I am adept at addressing and adapting quickly to the transitions
1-I have lots of work to do to make this a practice 4-I see this as a real strength and core to my practice
EMERGING MODELS OF CHANGE
VUCA
CYNEFIN (meaning and social complexity)
THEORY U—THE THREE DIVIDES
THRIVEABILITY
VOLATILITY
UNCERTAINTY
COMPLEXITY
Ambiguity
V.U.C.A
VOLATILITY UNCERTAINTY
COMPLEXITY
AMBIGUITY
LEADERSHIP IN A VUCA WORLD
Thinking first developed at the U.S. Army College in 1990’s as analysis of the
world post-Cold War
*VUCA acronym came into use after the 9/11 attacks
*Concept extended to other contexts after the 2008 financial crisis
VOLATILITY The nature, speed,
volume, magnitude, and dynamics of change
UNEXPECTEDUNSTABLE
+ Not necessarily hard to understand—information
is available
UNCERTAINTY
The lack of predictability of issues, events or
outcomes
INFORMATION GAP
basic cause and effect are likely known
COMPLEXITY The confounding of issues
and the chaos that surrounds any organization
INTERCONNECTED
OVERWHELMING
+some information is available and predictable
AMBIGUITYThe haziness of reality and
mixed meaning of conditions
NO PRECEDENT“UNKNOWN
UNKNOWNS”
+ opportunity to experiment and learn
* LEADERSHIP IN A VUCA WORLD
Think about the current "glocal"
condition
*Identify a situation where two or more VUCA
conditions are present
*Reach consensus with colleagues about one
situation that most characterizes VUCA
* VUCA IN MY ORGANIZATION
Think about YOUR OWN ORGANIZATION
*Identify two or more VUCA challenges you currently face
*Describe the impact this situation is having on organizational effectiveness
*VUCA PRIME
A strategy to address the impact of the VUCA world
VISION
UNDERSTANIDING
CLARITY
AGILITY
Kinsinger and Walch, 2012
*VUCA CHANGE
A co-created model developed by an
organization working with the poorest of the poor
VALUES
UNITY
COMMITMENT
ADAPTATION
IMAGO Global Grassroots and SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA, India)
• Core beliefs and practices in the workVALUES
• Critical mass aligned with the mission/actionUNITY
• “80/20” rule to work with the committed and enrolled
COMMITMENT
• Unique and creative solutions found to dilemmas
ADAPTATION
VUCA CHANGE
APPLYING THE LEARNING
*APPLYING THE LEARNING
Using either VUCA PRIME
orVUCA CHANGE
Map a plan of action for your organization
or business unit
*CYNEFIN (ky-NEE-fin)Meaning and Social Complexity
Dave Snowden, released under CC BY 3.0
*Simple (or Obvious)
*Problems here are well known. The correct approach is to sense the situation, categorize it into a known bucket, and apply a well-known, and potentially scripted, solution.
*Complex
*domain of emergent solutions.
*There are unknown unknowns — you don’t even know the right questions to ask. Even beginning to understand the problem requires experimentation.
*No matter how much time you spend in analysis, it is not possible to identify the risks or accurately predict the solution or effort required to solve the problem…try to move it to being COMPLICATED.
*Complicated
*You have a general idea of the known unknowns — you likely know the questions you need to answer and how to obtain the answers.
*Apply expert knowledge to assess the situation and determine a course of action. Execute the plan.
*The work is evolutionary, not revolutionary.
*Chaotic
*the domain of novel solutions.
*Things have gone off the rails and the immediate priority is containment.
*Your initial solution may not be the best, but as long as it works, it’s good enough.
*Triage. Once you have a measure of control, assess the situation and determine next steps.
*Disorder
*The space in the middle
*If you don’t know where you are, you’re in “Disorder.”
*Priority one is to move to a known domain.
*Characteristics of the Domains
*No fixed boundaries
*Determined by ACTIVITY
*Activity may yield situations at borderlands
*Activity may yield fluidity between domains
*The Domains:Your Turn
*Identify either one current professional situation or a series of issues that can be mapped as:
SIMPLE/OBVIOUSCOMPLICATED
COMPLEXCHAOTIC
DISORDER
Dave Snowden, released under CC BY 3.0
*THEORY U:THE THREE DIVIDES
Theory U
suspending
redirecting
letting go
Seeingwith fresh eyes
Sensing from the field
Prototyping the new by
linking head, heart, hand
Crystallizing vision and intention
embodying
enacting
letting come
Presencing connecting to Source
Downloadingpast patterns
Who is my Self? What is my Work?
Performing by operating from the whole
VoF Open Will
VoC Open Heart
VoJ Open MindJudgmen
t
Cynicism
Fear
The Three Divides
Leading from the Emerging FutureScharmer and Kaufer (2013)
*The Ecological Divide
*We are depleting and degrading our natural resources on a massive scale, using up more nonrenewable precious resources every year.* Although we have only one planet earth, we leave an ecological footprint of 1.5 planets
*The Social Divide
*Two and a half billion people on our planet subsist on less than $2 per day.
*Through the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) there have been many successful attempts to lift people out of poverty.
*This number, 2.5 billion, has not changed much over the past several decades.
*The Spiritual-Cultural Divide
*This divide is manifest in rapidly growing figures on burnout and depression
*Represents the growing gap between our actions and who we really are.
*According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2000 more than twice as many people died from suicide as died in wars.
Thriveability:At the Leading-
Edge
PLANET
PATHWAYSOF INNOVATION
PURPOSE/TRUE PROFIT
PEOPLE +PRINCIPLE
THRIVEABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS
THRIVEABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS
INTEGRAL THINKINGINNOVATION ORIENTATIONGLOCAL CONSCIOUSNESS
POST-CONVENTIONAL CAPACITY
Think of ONE current professional challenge where all four areas of
Thriveability are at play…
Assess the relative strength of how each area is currently practiced on a 1-10 scale
10 represents a nearly perfect practice
* APPLYING THRIVEABILITY KEY CONSIDERATIONS
*The NOW of LEADERSHIPAn Overview of Leadership Theory
LEADERSHIP
THEORY“GREAT MAN”
TRAIT/BEHAVIORAL
SITUATIONAL/CONTINGENCY
TRANSFORMATIONAL/RELATIONAL/SERVANT
POSITIVE/AUTHENTIC
EMERGING MODELSINTEGRAL/ ECO-
LEADERSHIP/ NETWORKED/INVISIBLE
-Nature-Person/Role
-Nurture-Process/Activity
* Understandings of LeadershipCurrent and Emergent
THELEADER
follower follower follower
leader networks
nodes
nodes
nodes
TRADITINONAL HIERARCHY NASCENT NETWORKS
Where are we?
*Networked Leadership…the process and practice of creating
linkages of potential action. Leadership emerges at the nexus of each connection and offers opportunities for exponential
impact in an instant. Each node of networked leadership is its own distinct
entity, intact and bounded. Yet such nodes concurrently share pathways of information, innovation, and innervation. Catalytic flow of communications along the nodes allows this kind of leadership to move with speed
and coherence, increasing the effectiveness and creativity of the overall entity Green, 2012
*Networked Leadership
…in other words…
Everything influences everything
Green, 2012
* Networked Leadershipin practice-the “ideal state”
*Brings greater equity to the overall organization
*Increases capacity to note “trending” in the nonprofit sector
*Allows for more rapid scale up and ability to take immediate action on opportunities
*Tests and shares prototype modeling/pilots can across multiple nodes with partners/allies
reciprocal amplification of a positive feedback loop
How many of these outcomes are you developing at your organization?
* Networked Leadershipa few caveats---
*FEAR*Belief identity of smaller project focal areas will be lost*Concern that equity is not the same as equality
*DOUBT*Belief that direct effectiveness (with the sector) will diminish*Concern boundaries will collapse, reducing autonomy
*CYNICISM*Belief that bureaucracy will replace personal contact/context*Concerns about the motivations/trust of others
Which of these have you experienced?
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* The NOW of LEADERSHIPMapping the Domains
Bird and Osland (2004)
• Span boundaries in leading change
• Build communities of practice• Develop global knowledge
OrganizationalManaging the
BusinessINFLUENCE
• Communicate mindfully• Create and build trust• Focus on inclusive team-
building
InterpersonalManaging
RelationshipsINQUISITIVENESS
• Exercise resilience and humility• Operate from a global mindset• Embrace complexity, ambiguity
Personal Managing SelfINTEGRITY
*Eco-Leadership ModelSimon Western
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*NOW LeadershipThe Role of Mindfulness
Mindfulness practice promotes a NOW mindset
*Openness to novelty
*Alertness to distinctions
*Awareness of multiple perspectives
*Sensitivity to different contexts
*Orientation to the present
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* NOW LeadershipThe Role of Mindfulness
Ways to cultivate mindfulness IN PERSON:
*Intention Setting—SMART goal orientation*Nature—gardening/hiking/composting/“unplugging”
*Prayer and Meditation—silent contemplation*Embodiment—exercise/dance/sports/yoga/walking*Reflection—journal writing/blogging*Self Work—in relationship to wider circles*Outlook—reframing/forgiving/releasing/compassion*Noticing—“now” without judgment/”presencing”
*Nested Nature of Networks
FUNDERS
EXECUTIVE TEAM STAFF
BOARD
CLIENT SYSTEM
COMPETITORS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GLOCAL INFLUENCES
IS YOUR ORGANIZATION MORE LIKE THIS?HOW WOULD YOU DRAW IT AS A NETWORK?
STRATEGIC ACTION
“Feed Forward”One Issue-One Idea
Thank You
*Rapid PrototypingAction on Now of Leadership
*Identify TWO current strengths you can further develop to build your NOW leadership practice
*Identify at least ONE area of new or enhanced learning that you will explore further from this presentation
*Consider at least ONE area where you are challenged and/or are less developed and could get blindsided in your networked leadership
*Think of TWO allies with whom you will share this learning and are likely to support you in taking accountability for your actions
*Commit to the FIRST STEP you will take by NEXT WEEK to begin your practice to extend your NOW OF LEADERSHIP.