Growing Leadership Capacity in the face of continuous and complex change

@newriver #rethinkingleadership

The nature of the challenge?

Attempting to map a complex system”

Change requires us all to be participantsWe all have an important contribution to make

The Leadership Contributions needed in a

healthy group

Leadershipcontributions

PEOPLE PURPOSE

SAFETY TIMING

LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTIONS

Classical leadership thinking:

From looking for the ‘special’ people…

…to looking for the right fit,…quality balanced teams,

…an inquisitive learning culture

It’s about a team…

“Grand dreams don’t become significant realities through the actions of a single person. Leadership is a team effort.”

Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner

Leadership is what a group needs to discover and move towards its core purposes and goals in constructive

ways...…to which we can contribute

Change => opportunities for personal growth and team growth

in multiple dimensions

For each individual….

• Trying new things• Experiencing uncertain outcomes• Learning from your experiences– Intellectual– emotional – Spiritual– physical

For each individual (but through others)…….

• Learning from observing others experimenting and leading

• Learning about others’ capabilities• Seeing others shine• Seeing others grow in capability and

confidence

For the team…..

• Experimenting and innovating• Building relationships (and trust)

internally • Building relationships (and trust)

externally• Building capacity for dialogue• Building capacity for collaboration and

contributing ideas• Finding or clarifying a common purpose

Change => multiple opportunities for building capacity for

• the next challenge• handling more change• the good times

For you to ponder

Think of a time when you were part of a group that effectively navigated change, where a range of people contributed to something important, where energy was generated and people were at their best.

1. Share the story. What contributions made it happen.

2. Who contributed leadership and what kinds of leadership?

3. What opportunities did it present for capacity building in individuals and teams?

Engaging Complex Change

• Observe and assess the nature of the challenge

• Refocus/deepen our purposes

• Build a quality team• Pace the journey

Turning Leadership Upside down

• Traditional views of leadership

• Empowering model of leadership

Engaging Complex Change

• Observe and assess the nature of the challenge

• Refocus/deepen our purposes• Experiment and take ‘safe’ risks• Build a quality team• Pace the journey

Engaging Complex Change

• Observe and assess the nature of the challenge

• Refocus/deepen our purposes• Experiment and take ‘safe’

risks• Build a quality team• Pace the journey

….Think of a time when things really changed………

How much effort was put into each of the following:1. Observing, listening and learning together? 2. Focusing, developing shared directions widely owned by those involved? 3. Safe supported experimentation, trial and error or innovation to discover ways forward? 4. Building capacity and a quality team5. Careful implementation, pacing of the journey, balancing risk and safety, persistance and learning?

Virtuous circles in relationships

Aspirational mindsets re…..

• Growth of people• Growth of relationships• Growth of teams• And consequently re capacity of

whole team to contribute

A role model at the top

• Humility of leadership• Open mind and open heart• Listening to feedback• Engaging with positive intent• Concluding conversations as a

positive starting point for the next one

• Clarity of purpose and of communications

Shared vision and agenda

Clarity

Communication

Enthusiasm

Commitment

Positive cultural features• Trust• Objectivity• Curiosity• Balance of short and long term horizons• Capacity to deal with problems and isolate

their impact• Appointing people based on their growth• Respect for considered and well-managed

risk-taking• Setting people up for success• Setting experiments and projects up for

success

Seizing opportunities

• Diversity of recruitment net• Induction• Identifying full dimensions of

opportunities from projects • Formally reviewing outcomes -

celebrating successes - Learning from successes and failures

• Objective and regular performance feedback

• Feedback from all stakeholders

Other characteristics of learning organisations

• Diversity of perspectives and inputs• Conversations across disciplines• Offices which encourage

conversations• Systems which provide valuable

information

These traits and habits of individuals and

cultural characteristics and mindsets of organisations

are significant and powerful because …….

They affect outcomes every hour, day, week, month…• Building buy-in and commitment• Capitalising on opportunities• Finding solutions• Building capacity (human capital and social capital)• ……………

What are you taking away?

• How does it relate to your situation? Things being done well? Issues to address?

• How might you need to grow or change? Organizationally? Personally?

• Like to know more?

Call Naomi Nash Director of Strategy & Development

0407 908 748

www.newriver.org.au