In some sense, everyone is a leader—some formally and explicitly, others more subtly. Sometimes we lead in our role as parents, other times at work. What is common is that those who want to lead others have it a bit more challenging now than they did 50 years ago. Yet, we apply roughly the same methods. Our organisational structures, as well as our governance and leadership functions, are inherited from a time when operations and production did not function as they do now. Therefore, it is worth considering whether they are truly relevant today and in the future.
From MLK to BJ
Leadership tends to mature or evolve in such a way that visionary and forward-looking, even revolutionary, leadership is gradually replaced by more managerial and eventually defensive leadership. This can be countered—and must be countered if we want to maintain an innovative or progressive organisation
Leadership is projected onto a leader, not exercised
Leadership is often described as a trait or behaviour of the one leading. However, it is more accurate to describe it as a quality assigned to leaders by those being led. Why do they do this, and what can be done to make it effective? When do employees stop assigning leadership to their manager, and what happens then?
How to see around corners
Leading in predictable and somewhat constant change is one thing; leading in uncertainty and dramatic shifts is quite another. How can a leader learn to "see around corners" and thus effectively guide others? There are several methods and techniques that one can adopt.
The organisation's temperature
As organisations mature, their focus shifts from forward-looking development, through symbiosis, status quo, and collaboration, to defence, monopoly, and eventually decline. By observing and understanding this process, one can ensure that their organisation remains in the phase they genuinely want to be in (which isn’t necessarily the innovative and revolutionary phase).
Local optima
Development is not a straight line, nor is it a staircase. Instead, it is a journey through a rugged landscape where things often have to get worse before they can get better; one must traverse a valley to reach the next peak. In such a landscape, it’s easy to find oneself standing on a peak, a place where any change feels like a decline—but this is, of course, not a sustainable solution.
From slime to boule balls
You cannot change an organisation that lacks the right "consistency." If the organisation is like slime, flowing out in all directions, it is impossible to use for anything meaningful. On the other hand, if it is as hard as a boule ball, it cannot change, no matter how much pressure it is under. Between these extremes are models that can be reshaped and sponges that, while they yield to pressure, return to their previous form as soon as the manager stops applying pressure.
The pyramid
One way to understand an organisation is to view it as a pyramid, with the bottom layer being the society in which it exists. Above that are the organisation, working methods, and professions. When society shifts, gaps can arise between the different layers; if these gaps become large enough, the organisation may collapse.
Pacetracer – workshop
Pacetracer is a diagnostic tool used to measure how external pressures, management, information flows, employees, incentive systems, and results align. It provides a picture that we can then use to discuss change: where would it be most beneficial to make adjustments—and what can we leave as it is?
