Leadership Compass
Posted on 12th July 2021 at 11:58
The purpose of leadership ......... 'growing into unimagined possibility'
Every leadership role involves so much: a lot of busyness, constantly engaging on multiple fronts, maintaining a focus on the immediate and the long term strategy and inpiring others. But what is the purpose of leadership; what is all of the activity in service of; what is the horizon towards which leadership effort and energy is directed?
My answer to that question is growing into unimagined possibility
It is relatively straightforward to grow into imagined possibility. You think of something, work out the detail of what it will look like, and plot a journey towards it. For example, Strategic Planning is a way of growing into imagined possibility. It is a ‘plan the way forward’ approach.
But, what if, there are possibilities that we are unaware of, things that we can’t yet imagine, because we are used to seeing the world in a certain way?
The purpose of leadership is to grow into unimagined possibility at multiple levels: the individual, the team, the organisation and with the organisation’s stakeholders.
As Einstein said - We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them. It is time to think differently.
In order to be innovative in the face of the volume, complexity and uncertainty that we experience in organisational life, a different approach is required. Moving beyond ‘planning the way forward’ and developing our capacity to ‘learn the way forward’.
For leaders to navigate the unchartered territory of ‘growing into unimagined possibility’ they need three capabilities:
Presence: tuning into self, other people and situations, so that you can fully connect and engage with life, work and the world
Resilience: to evolve, be your most resourceful self and contribute pruposefully in the midst of the constantly changing nature of life, work and the world
Authenticity: a capacity to embrace your wholestory and consistently bring your whole self to life, work and the world
These three capabilities are the core components of the new leadership model - Leadership Compass - I have develop and will be introducing over the coming months.
In developing it I've drawn on my experience of working with leaders, my sense of the kind of leadership that we need in the world today and my own 'lived experience' of growing into life, work and the world.
Let me know what you think?
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