Self-Leadership
September 17, 2009 at 6:04 pm 12 comments
When I started my graduate studies in Human Development I took a course in Creative Leadership Development from a professor who has since become a mentor and friend, Wendy Morris. She’s an artist and creative leadership development expert who designed the course around some of the leading work in brain based learning and neuropsychology.
Wendy took me and everyone else in the class through a six-month adventure in learning. I can honestly say I am a different person having gone through the course than I was when I started. The proof of that is not just in the grade I got or the work I produced. It’s reflected in the massive changes I’ve brought about in my own life as a result of the new learning. The biggest lesson I learned from the class is that all leadership is essentially self-leadership.
There’s a lot of talk about leadership these days. There are thought leaders, social media leaders and leaders of tribes. You may be tired of hearing so much about leadership. Why is leadership such a popular topic these days? Raise your finger to the air and you’ll feel the winds of change are blowing. The old top-down style of leadership is shifting, whether we like it or not. Baby boomers are retiring from the work force in staggering numbers and a new generation of leadership is on the bench. How will they lead?
What we’re learning about human motivation, learning, group dynamics and interconnectedness through neuroscience can’t be ignored. We can accomplish more together. “We” is replacing “I” in business. A focus on values and principles not just through lip-service but in the very foundation of the way we work together is already being demonstrated through tools such as social media, “unconferences” and in the attitudes of an increasing number of people in business, politics, education and communities.
So if it’s all about the “We” than why am I talking about “Self” leadership? Because it takes an incredible amount of courage and self-awareness to become this new kind of leader. Top-down leadership is easier. Narcissists are able to flourish in this environment. Power is hoarded and transparency is limited. The chains of command are clear and people know their place. Most are relegated to an apathetic, do-as-you’re-told role and the few that are given any “power” such as middle managers know that it’s really only pseudo-power. Even though many complain about their lot in these circumstances, they secretly prefer the mind-numbing safety of the known to the anxiety-producing magic of the unknown.
When we as leaders begin to truly open ourselves up to the power of others and begin to listen and make changes based on what we hear it creates a kind of vulnerability that we’ve been sheltered from for oh, so long. Suddenly we’re not surrounded by a bunch of yes-men. Where we used to pretend to listen to stakeholders and then turn around and do as we damn-well pleased, now we must admit that we have been wrong, or we used to be right but times have changed and we haven’t adjusted. Maybe we’ve ignored that the way we do business is hurting people or the environment. The truth is, if we shine the light we’re bound to find something lurking in the shadows. Embracing this new leadership may mean diving the business itself into a period of chaos and uncertainty. What will the shareholders think? Can we afford to take the risk? Will I lose everything?
There is inherent strength in vulnerability; perhaps more strength than some leaders can muster. It requires us to be humble, to admit we don’t know. The discipline to put aside the things we do know long enough to remain open to new ways of doing things. It requires a conscious choice to engage in conversations that are difficult but necessary. Conversations that challenge us to stretch beyond where we thought we could go. Finally and perhaps most importantly, it requires the strength of character it takes to put on the armor that accompanies real achievement – - and allow it to be removed piece by piece and used as a talking stick for collective truth.
What do you think of tomorrow’s leader? What will be required?
Entry filed under: PlayBIG. Tags: change, courage, leadership, vulnerability.
1. LeaderPalooza – Open Space for Leadership « iPlayBIG | January 5, 2010 at 10:26 pm
[...] an earlier post I laid out my vision of what will be required of leaders in the future and it’s not for the faint [...]
2. The efficacy of self-leadership for servant leaders « The Founding Spirit | September 22, 2009 at 9:32 pm
[...] such a delight to visit Amy Bryant’s site, iPlayBIG, and read one of her most recent posts, Self-Leadership. I really loved her post; it strikes such a harmonious chord! As many of you may already [...]
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Scott Sheperd PhD | September 22, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Here is the link to the article. http://bit.ly/4A5v7Y Thanks
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Scott Sheperd PhD | September 22, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Very nice post Amy. In fact this is one of those posts where I really like your analysis and insight into leadership but I really am not sure if this change is coming. It seems every few years this massive change in some area or another is predicted – remember Marilyn Ferguson’s “The Aquarian Conspiracy” in the late 70s? There seems to be an incredible ethical dilemma in our businesses. And I believe that top down leadership is still in vogue. Your point on a “new conversation” is right on. However I am not sure that many leaders today want to take those conversations. They like to talk about taking them. They like to talk about the creative team etc. but they don’t deliver. I am a speaker and I always get a laugh when I talk about the leader who says “I have an open door,” and then you make an appointment, go in to talk and the leader keeps answering the phone so often that you think, “Hell, I’ll go next door and call.” And many leaders do not see the problem there.
I hope people will live up to what you say. I agree with Dr. King’s response. I guess I’m fighting my own cynicism especially in light of how so many companies have behaved recently.
I have an article I wrote about leadership I would love to have you take a glance at if you get the time. Thanks again for your insight.
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Amy Bryant | September 22, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Hi Scott,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I agree that there is an incredible ethical dilemma in our businesses today and that top-down leadership is still in vogue. This is the strength and armor I refer to in my post. The armor is the old way of doing things, the power, the hypocrisy. The strength is the vulnerability it will take for leaders to be and do more. Leaders at the top who get it will make it easier for change to happen at their organizations. For the rest, it requires a bottom-up grassroots effort and with social media on our side, we now have the scalability to educate and inspire the masses to create change. Ask anyone in health care and education – they know the model they currently use is broken. It’s not about whether or not there is a need. It’s about who will step up do something different. There are examples everywhere of people trying and succeeding.
For the record, I believe Marilyn Ferguson had a big impact on the culture. She had thoughts and ideas that neuroscience only now is confirming. Perhaps it is she and the countless others who were ahead of their time but accused of being idealists and unrealistic who paved the way for this round of change. I am digging in to the link you left for me and look forward to exploring your site. At first glance, I like what I see. Especially, “Apathy – Cynicism Keep Out, Courage – Creativity Welcome.”
PlayBIG and never give up,
Amy
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Dorothy Dalton | September 21, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Amy – this is th best post I have read today! So many of our practises in business ( and life) are about maintaining the status quo = protection = comfort zone that it is great to hear the phrase “co-creation” s a way of moving forward. Excellent content. Thank you.
Dorothy
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@DrJackKing | September 21, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Amy, I apologize for the slow response, but I wanted you to know I really love your post; it strikes a harmonious chord! Everything I do at the moment is geared to helping young and emerging leaders reimagine leadership in a world of “we” rather than a world of “me.”
The plain truth is they will have to do more than simply reimagine it. Taking great care not to get lost thinking about tomorrow’s leadership on today’s terms, they will have to walk the talk in ways that make talking unnecessary. The days of imitating the autocratic, hierarchical—even arrogant—“leadership” of a bygone era have slipped with the sun over the horizon. A new dawn rises.
With the new day comes an appreciation for leadership that matters. From my vantage point, the way to look to our future is to carefully consider our past. In so doing, we find ourselves face to face with an astounding realization: great leaders—true leaders—have blazed the trail. We need only to find and follow the signs they left behind. We must look beyond the distractions—the buzz words and philosophies of the day. Keeping our heads above the fray will let us remain alert to the dangers (the snares and temptations that lure us away) on our journey.
Tomorrow’s leader will look nothing like the leader of today. In fact, tomorrow’s leader will look nothing like a leader! Nor will they busy themselves producing other leaders (as Ralph Nader and others suggest) because that “tomorrow” is today. Something more is required. As you suggest, Amy, tomorrow’s leaders must possess an incredible amount of courage and self-awareness. They will be very comfortable with who they are. So much so, tomorrow’s leaders will not delight in their own success but, rather, in the successes of those who have chosen to be counted among them. Tomorrow’s leaders will be hard to find as they spend their time behind and beneath those who have chosen them to lead—they will be busy lifting others within reach of their own dreams.
The “self-leadership” of tomorrow’s leaders that you describe Amy, to borrow a phrase from Monica Diaz (@monedays), reminds me of “other esteem!” Why? We live in a day when leadership principles hold worldwide application and appeal. The world yearns for leadership; not the glitzy, glossy, gives-good-press veneer that often passes for leadership in the public eye but, rather, a vulnerable, humble, soft-spoken kind of leadership that invites folks to listen, to trust, and to follow; self-leadership.
Ironically, leaders of this caliper are not going to refer to themselves as leaders. In fact, they are not likely to speak of themselves at all. As a shepherd knows his sheep, tomorrow’s leader will know her “tribe.” Tomorrow’s leaders will speak highly (and often) of those they love, and those they wish to see succeed. They will understand what it is to sacrifice and do so willingly. Truth is, tomorrow’s leaders will busy themselves serving others, not being served by them. As the focus of an organization undergoes a metamorphosis, of sorts, under this form of self-leadership to realign itself with the people rather than the bottom line, the organization, as you suggest, Amy, may go through a period of chaos and uncertainty. As the dust settles, what will emerge is the fresh scent of a leader who smells like their sheep. When that happens on a wide-scale level, the perception of the American public is sure to change.
For more than a quarter century, the problem of our age has been described as “a crisis in leadership.” The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, for example, reports “the American public perceives a crisis of leadership in our nation. Major public and private institutions increasingly appear incapable of dealing constructively with an ever-expanding list of social and economic problems, and individuals are becoming more cynical about government.” We hear the outcry for “a new generation of leaders who can bring about positive change in local, national, and international affairs.” “One of the most universal cravings of our time,” suggests James McGregor Burns, “is a hunger for compelling and creative leadership.” This is the self-leadership you bring to our attention, Amy. It is what I refer to as servant leadership.
As many of us are learning, leading is not something one does; it is something one becomes. Tomorrow’s leadership is about people, not power. It is the outward manifestation of a caring heart, passionately concerned for the preservation of justice, equity, and the universal good of the people. Tomorrow’s leaders will gently, yet decisively, move the masses through inspiration and vision. “The signs of outstanding leadership,” Max DePree asserts, “are found among the followers.” Such is the nature of servant leadership. On a very basic, pragmatic level, servant leadership works. It is the stuff dreams are made of, especially the dreams of those who follow great leaders—tomorrow’s leaders.
A great leader is first seen as a servant to others. Leadership literature includes a number of diverse listings of character traits as practiced by great leaders. I am particularly drawn to Warren Bennis’ short list as mentioned in his book, On Becoming a Leader, in which he identifies vision, inspiration, empathy, and trustworthiness as key characteristics of effective leaders. Ten characteristics of servant leaders typically stand out: listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of people, and building community.
Servant leaders recognize they have an opportunity to help make whole those with whom they come in contact. In his essay, The Servant as Leader, Greenleaf writes, “There is something subtle communicated to one who is being served and led if, implicit in the compact between servant leader and led, is the understanding that the search for wholeness is something they share.” This general awareness and, more specifically, the leader’s self-awareness, strengthens one’s understanding of ethics, power, and values while lending itself to a more integrated, holistic position on pertinent matters of concern. As Greenleaf observed, “Awareness is not a giver of solace—it is just the opposite. It is a disturber and an awakener. Able leaders are usually sharply awake and reasonably disturbed. They are not seekers after solace. They have their own inner serenity.” Servant leadership undeniably offers great hope for the future in creating better, more caring, organizations—organizations that realize all leadership is essentially self-leadership.
What an exciting time awaits us!
Thank you, Amy, for a wonderful post. In closing, please permit me to leave you with a taste of Greenleaf’s servant leader philosophy:
• “People can and should work together to grow a company. If an organization is to live up to its basic values and vision‚ a key ingredient will be leadership from a very large number of us.
• … Simply and plainly defined‚ leaders are people who have followers. They have earned recognition and respect.
• … Leaders are first a servant of those they lead. They are a teacher‚ a source of information and knowledge‚ and a standard setter‚ more than a giver of directions and a disciplinarian.
• … Leaders see things through the eyes of their followers. They put themselves in others’ shoes and help them make their dreams come true.
• … Leaders do not say‚ “Get going.” Instead‚ they say‚ “Let’s go!” and lead the way. They do not walk behind with a whip; they are out in front with a banner.
• … Leaders assume that their followers are working with them. They consider others as partners in the work and see to it that they share in the rewards. They glorify the team spirit.
• … Leaders are people builders. They help those under them to grow big because the leader realizes the more big people an organization has‚ the stronger it will become.
• … Leaders do not hold people down… they lift them up.
• … Leaders have faith in people. They believe in them. They have found that others rise to their high expectations.
• … Leaders use their heart as well as their head.
• … Leaders keep their eyes on high goals. They are self-starters. They create plans and set them in motion. They are persons of thought and persons of action — both dreamers and doers.
• … Leaders have a sense of humor; they are not stuffed shirts. They can laugh at themselves. They have a humble spirit.
• … Leaders can be led. They are not interested in having their own way‚ but in finding the best way. They have an open mind.”
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Joe Williams | September 19, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Fantastic post, Amy.
I think that as organizations grow flatter and have a greater need for nimbleness, the best leaders will adapt and change correspondingly. Position authority will give way to influence leadership. Transparency will take root over “do it my way or the highway.” Prospects like that are exciting!
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Chris Reed | September 19, 2009 at 3:02 am
Amy,
I love this post. Leadership, although many are struggling (perhaps even failing) to realize it, has been turned upside down. Empowerment has been talked about for so long by leaders of companies worldwide. I’m beginning to wonder if they ever truly believed what they were preaching.
I can’t help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, these leaders were simply using the latest leadership buzzword without ever really believing in it themselves. I would even venture to say that a few of them were using it only to motivate the troops or impress their customers.
The thing is, many of us took their message to heart. And through that message of “you’re an empowered employee,” we began questioning the actions and words of our own leadership.
I think tomorrow’s leader must constantly question and be questioned at the same time. Not in a threatening way, of course, but in a quest for the improvement of all. Posing those questions in a reciprocal fashion, especially in the age of social media, will play a huge role in determining who tomorrow’s leaders will be.
I’m reminded of a quote I heard recently: “Motivation is out. Inspiration is in.”
Keep inspiring,
Chris
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Amy Bryant | September 21, 2009 at 10:53 am
Chris, social media is creating an empowering environment for employees with or without the permission of the company, isn’t it? Obviously, employees need to be careful about the nature of their questioning in the public sphere, but it is a good way to shine the light on leaders and leadership. The armor must come off one way or another!
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@DebSellsBR (Deb Bruser) | September 17, 2009 at 8:19 pm
WOW!! Fabulous post, Amy!
I am one of those “baby boomers” that you speak of, that are retiring OR perhaps NOT, due to recent economic woes worldwide. I must say that I smiled when I read your description of “top down” leadership…YAY! I came from that arena…UGLY! I have never been a “Yes” person. I have always been someone who was asked the difficult questions and then proposed an idea required MORE “WE”…long before it was fashionable to collaborate with other members of our community. I loved connecting people & ideas together! I still enjoy doing that, it’s just part of the fabric of me….who I am.
The down side, back then, was the “layers of leadership” who felt threatened and eventually squashed ANY creativity. (Bummer)
I am SO encouraged when I look around now at the emerging leaders/lleadership. KUDOS!! During the short time that I have been involved with Twitter, I have interacted with AMAZING up and coming leaders and entrepenuers…Like YOU! Social media has definitely changed the way we go about business and life.
My hope is that the emerging leaders in all facets of life, “shift” to the “WE” paradigm. Will there be chaos of sorts during this “shift”…absolutely! Hopefully, a “controlled” chaos…cuz’ old habits and styles of leadership will probably “die hard!”
I certainly agree with your statement that it will take enormous strength of character & a body suit of armor to make a much needed change! I like to think that it’s all good and can be done~ TOGETHER!! But then, I have always liked to PlayBIG.
Makes me wish I was 30ish again…well, almost
Thanks for the opportunity to post & PlayBIG.
~deb~
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Amy Bryant | September 21, 2009 at 10:57 am
Deb, it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve always been ahead of your time. I, for one, don’t wish you were thirty again. We need the experience and wisdom of the boomers to carry us through as the torch is passed. True leaders are able to look back with perspective on their mistakes and help co-create the solutions that arise from them. Multi-generational teams are part of the diversity that is needed to carry off such a BIG endeavor. I look forward to Playing BIG with you! ~Amy