Beyond: Toward a New Paradigm for Leadership

8/8/2019 Beyond: Toward a New Paradigm for Leadership

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Geoffrey Helt


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Copyright2007 Geoffrey Helt

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All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

or otherwise, without written permissi on of the author. For information on getting permissi on for reprints and excerpts, contact [email protected].


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An Abrupt Edge

Ford Had Its Worst Loss Ever In 2006 Carmaker strugglesto correct mistakes (Washington Post, January 26, 2007)

Where Dell Went Wrong In a too-common mistake, it clung

narrowly to its founding strategy instead of developing

future sources of growth (Business Week, February 19, 2007)These two headlines highlight the crucible of leadership in this post-millenial era.From the old guard, in this case Ford, to the new economy for which Dell wasa poster child no one is spared the bruising lessons of this forever humbling envi-ronment. Both Ford and Dell are textbook cases of organizations hitting an abrupt

edge and being forced to change their ways.

Fords way forward was halted by a record loss of $12.7 billion in 2006. Despitemany fits and starts, Ford was never able to design a balanced line of vehicles

that yielded sustainable sales. Enamored with the huge profits of their SUVs, Fordwas not prepared for the rising cost of oil and the renewed demand for fuel econ-omy. For Dell, their once revolutionary direct business model was not able to main-tain the sizable lead in cost, qualit y and service that they had held over the indust ry.Instead of investing the largess of their corporate coffers in the creation of newmarkets and business models, Dell stuck to its familiar knit ting and is now looking upat the market-share leader, HP.

Failure of the executive suites in Dearborn and Round Rock did not result fromone monstrous mistake; for example, Ford not investing in hybrid technology ear-lier or Dell not focusing more squarely on consumer retail markets. Rather, eachleadership team fell prey to a series of sub-optimal decisions that ultimately daisy-chained for ruinous effect. From the outside looking in, it is quite apparent that bothembattled and vanquished CEOs, William Ford and Kevin Rollins respectively, losttheir leadership voice along the way. Each seemed to lack the capacity requiredto carry the load neither possessing the moxie (strength, wisdom and confi-dence) required to reinvent a Fortune 50 firm in the throes of industrial upheaval.

EACHFORMERCEOLACKEDTHECAPACITYREQUIREDTO

CARRYTHELOAD.


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What happens to leaders when they are overwhelmed is the same thing that hap-pens to extreme athletes when they hit the wall; their systems begin to breakdown and they operate well below par. Just as cyclists in the Tour de France have

been known to bonk (i.e., run out of gas) on beyond-classification climbs, leaderssuccumb to sub-par performance all the time. There are two crucial insights thatmust be gleaned from this corporate parable:

Leaders, at all levels, must continual ly do the work to increase theircapacity; by investing themselves in personal development, they arebetter able to effectively negotiate heavier work loads and greatercomplexity; and

We live in an age where leaders are asked and expected to be extra-ordinary. Those that rise to this super-human level of performancepossess the courage and the imagination to envision change andprepare for it well ahead of the curve; sadly, such precocious behavior

is the exception rather than the rule.

The ground has shifted.

No longer do we operate in a world of predictability and stability. Unfortunately, ourapproach to leadership has not kept pace. We live in an age of unprecedentedcomplexity and possibility, yet we continue to govern our lives and institutionsaccording to outdated frameworks and philosophies.

Todays model for leadership does not account for the dynamic, unstable ecology

that has suddenly become our new normal. The following characteristics framethe unsettling work that is leadership today; these are the hallmarks of our time:

Perpetual Uncertainty. Black swans which are unforeseen, unfore-castable events like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami str ike with-out notice and exact a debilitating blow on financial markets, national

infrastructures and emotional psyches. Digging out from the rubble andrebuilding tends to be a multi-billion dollar affair that knows no end.

TODAYSMODELFORLEADERSHIPDOESNOTACCOUNTFORTHEDYNAMIC,UNSTABLEECOLOGY


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Extreme Transparency. Due to the gross negligence in decision mak-

ing and oversight in the late 1990s, managers can no longer avoid the

stringent reporting requirements of regulations like Sarbanes-Oxley, nor

evade the stinging critique of the blogsphere. Integrity and complianceare the high price of admission to the public marketplace.

Instant Obsolescence. Scientific advances in information technol-

ogy, genomic medicine and organic chemistry to name just a few will

present a myriad of unheard-of opportunities for growth and devel-

opment; these same advances will be seriously dis ruptive for market

leaders as their once-proud products go wanting for customers.

Deep Complexity. Because of unsustainable patterns of the past, leaders

will be asked to solve an array of increasingly complex problems that span

geographical, ecological and organizational boundaries. Just recently,

many leading energy companies stepped forward with pro-activeapproaches to solve the impending energy renewal and environmental

sustainability problems.

As the recent US News and World Report study suggested (Oct. 30, 2006), The time

is ripe to redefine leadership for the 21st century. The managerial mindset which

has been finely tuned for a plan-and-control economy must be overhauled to

embrace a universe that is constantly emerging and totally confounding.

This jagged age demands a fresh paradigm for leadership a way of seeing, think-

ing and being that is truly generative. Specifically, we require an approach that is

as systemic as the complex problems our institutions and societies face:

a richer language that enables navigation of the deep uncertainty that

engulfs those on the horizon;

a set of practices that yield greater personal capacityto carry ever-heavier

loads;

and ultimately an advanced curriculum that builds the leadership bench

strength to mount a broad, sustainable march into this new millennium.

THETIMEISRIPETOREDEFINELEADERSHIP

FORTHE 21STCENTURY.


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A Richer Language

From the research of linguists, we know that the words we use give shape to theenvironments in which we operate and live. The corollary of this, while not oftenstated, is also true. The unpredictability and uncertainty that characterizesmodern economies and societies influences the words and phrases that leaders

use to make sense of their surroundings. Eavesdrop on any strategic planningsession or executive off-site retreat and it quickly becomes apparent that mostleaders lack the vocabulary to make sense of the fluid and often maddeningterrain they face. What leaders demand is not more words, but rather a richerlanguage to fully understand and comprehend the multi-lateral forces afoot. Itsas if todays playing field has morphed beyond thex and y axis to also include a z,

w and q plane, as well as wildcards (i.e.,black swans) that swoop in unannounced.

To thrive in this era of deep complexity, leaders must borrow a page from the filesof world-class architects and learn to think multi-dimensionally. (See side bar on

Borrowing A Page From World Class Architects.)

Thinking multi-dimensionally requires that we expand our vocabulary beyond

linguistics to also include graphical, symbolic and scientific syntax. The goal of

this expansion is to enrich our language how we think about and communicatewith the world around us so that we are better able to negotiate the complexityand uncertainty that engulfs us. A richer language set equates to a more robustmedium for the communication of meaning. There are three vital constructs thatform the root of our new language:

Models Models present an analysis of a system or structure, typicallyacross three dimensions. Models are best at creating comprehension

of concepts that include a chronological, scientific and geographicdimension. Population growth and economic development modelsare two of the most prevalent. Going forward, the power and prom-ise of models lies in their ability to depict dynamic and interactiveanalyses; for example, BBC News has developed an impressive modelthat shows the change in growth of urban population centers overtime. {http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/world/06/urbanization/html/urbanization.stm}

Borrowing A PageFrom World Class

Architects

The next time you are in Chicago, do

yourself a favor and jump on the green line

(elevated train/subway line) going south.

You can pick the green line up in the

downtown loop of Chicago. Hop off at the

Illinois Institute of Technology (ITT) campus

station (35th St. South-IIT exit) and walk

a block north to the McCormick Student

Center. It is here that you will experience

multi-dimensional thinking in its rarest form.

Rem Koolhaas, a world renowned architect

from the Netherlands, has designed an

incredibly low-slung, yet spacious, building

that unfolds underneath the railroad tracks.

Instead of going up from the ground floor,

Koolhaas decided to go down, around,

under and over. To be fully present in this

space is to imagine what it might be like

to wander the sloping, meandering floors

of Koolhaass mind. This is the kind of

spatial logic that is missing in the predomi-

nantly linear thinking of leadership today.


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Maps Maps are geographical constructs that provide directionacross latitudinal and longitudinal planes. Because of their history asan incredibly useful and often indispensable artifact (how else would

your family have gotten to the Grand Canyon for summer vacation),maps have become a powerful tool for depicting abstract notionslike company visions and strategic plans. Most individuals alreadypossess a reference model (essentially a mental map) for how to

read a map; therefore, its easier for one to make sense of a new,somewhat challenging idea because they already understand thenotation and language being employed.

Narrative A narrative is simply a story that is shared through thespoken and/or written word. Anthropologically, narrative possessesthe deepest resonance because of its use in transmitting history andknowledge within and across generations. Native American Indiansare legendary for their use of stories to bind their societies together

through common rituals, symbols and beliefs. Even the modern sub-urban family uses narrative to pass learning and custom along fromone generation to the next: everything from favorite recipes to careeroccupations to holiday rituals. Films, storyboards and comic booksare all examples of narrative that add a visual and graphic element.Making a narrative more visually appealing and dynamic is essentialfor engaging the iPod/xBox generation that we are fast becoming;today, we all expect a storyline to be compelling and interactive.

Over the coming years, expect to see a significant shift in how leaders, from all

walks of life, communicate with an ever-demanding public. Soon, the day willcome when major policy addresses, like the State of the Union and Presidential

Debates, will be broadcast with multiple panels so that the speaker will be ableto narrate a complex model of energy renewal with a diverse audience: onevideo panel will display the model; a second panel will display the speaker; andthe third panel will display any essential factoids.

THISISTHEKINDOFSPATIALLOGICTHATISMISSINGINTHE

PREDOMINANTLYLINEARTHINKINGOFLEADERSHIP

TODAY.


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Unfortunately, however, most of the managerial population does not have nor

take the opportunity to touch their potential. The greatest challenge that high-octane leaders face is opening up the space to see and think in new ways.Buried, on a daily basis, by the torrent of meetings, messages and mandates,most leaders struggle to make time for their families, much less themselves. Theemotional and intellectual landscape, that lies within, is just as important as theconceptual and strategic frontier that stretches outside. The more expansive ourminds, the more abundant our markets and communities. Leaders, at all levels,are best served when they create a work-style (i.e., a way of being) that allowsfor and cultivates reflection, imagination and restoration. As I counsel the execu-tives that I work with, do one thing everyday that makes yourself stronger.

Practice (contd.)

I had no idea that one day I would be

writing and teaching for a living. I put

pen to paper for one vital reason; it made

me feel good. And therein lies the key to

selecting a practice; this ritual must be

something that you derive strength, clarity

and enjoyment from. Otherwise, it will land

beside the dusty Nordic Track trainer in the

back of the garage.

Allow yourself to experiment with a number

of different rituals, until you find the one

that has just the right rhythm. You need not

lock into the same routine every day. It is

actually quite beneficial to have a port-

folio of practices to draw from. Monday

may find you writing in the morning, while

Tuesday affords a lunch-time run. Wednes-

day and Thursday means after-work yoga

with your spouse. And the weekend brings

you back full-circle to writing.

Whatever practice(s) you choose, it is

important to capture what you are learning

on a regular basis. As your practice takes

hold, your thinking will start to evolve. No

longer a prisoner of the past, your mindwill open up to a whole host of compelling

questions, innovative ideas and alternative

futures. Use a notebook or journal to chron-

icle your evolution. Carry the notebook so

you can jot down ideas as they show up.

And, on a weekly basis, ask yourself what

am I learning? This chronicle will serve as

an invaluable tool forauthoring the next

chapter in your life as a leader.

THEGREATESTCHALLENGETHATHIGHOCTANELEADERSFACEISOPENINGUPTHESPACETOSEE

ANDTHINKINNEWWAYS.


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An Advanced Curriculum

Stroll the leafy campus of an Ivy League university, or any other world-class institu -tion of higher education for that matter, and you are likely to happen upon whatcould be the train ing ground for tomorrows leaders. Before you settle comfortably

into a cup of coffee and a lecture on corporate ethics in the business school, keepon walking until you have reached the School of Architecture. Here, among thehallowed ghosts of Mies van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright, is where leadingminds of the next generation are being taught how to think multi-dimensionally.

Architecture, and other fields that are integrative, offer a more comprehensive or

holistic framework for learning. Rather than honing in on one specialized methodof thought, like analytical thinking, architects learn to approach problems from

multiple angles. For example, on a project to design a city park, a schooledarchitect would work to develop a design solution that accounted for a number

of diverse and divergent perspectives: community needs, budgetary constraints(cost), aesthetic objectives, environmental considerations, infrastructure and publicworks requirements, project timelines, growth plans, et al.

Seasoned architects learn to hold open the mental space to allow for the rec-onciliation of contrasting, complementary and competitive concerns. This integra-

tion is often accomplished through the creation of storyboards a visual narrativethat would show how different stakeholders could use the new park and viathe development of scale models that would depict the park in structural form.The richer language, that is available in this case to architects, enables them to

produce prototypes (i.e., models of a sample solution) that team members andstakeholders can quickly grasp. Its much easier for people to participate in the

co-creation of a solution when the constructs are visual in nature.

Its interesting that currently we call upon the world of business to provide the frame-work and the farm system for all things leadership. Business schools and manage-ment consultancies have been the predominant source for the theories, teachingsand talents that are leadership today. While consistently successful in periods of stabil-ity, the early years of this mercurial millennium have already called into question thecontinued efficacy of this approach; one need look no further than the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina to appreciate that our model for leadership development is grossly

inadequate for the storms that often sweep ashore. Simply stated, its time to loosenthe intellectual grip that the world of business has held on the field of leadership.

ITSTIMETOLOOSENTHEINTELLECTUALGRIPTHATTHEWORLDOFBUSINESSHASHELDONTHEFIELDOFLEADERSHIP.


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The city park example actually provides a compelling arc for the future of leader-ship development. Tomorrows leaders will be as conversant in problem-solving asthey are in profit-making. As versed in the mathematical as they are in the mana-gerial. As steeped in the laws of nature as they are in the principles of econom-ics. Bridging thought from fields like architecture, athletics and anthropology to

name just a few will allow us to expand and elevate the standard of leadership.Our task is to design an advanced curriculum that will consistently yield a higher-order of performance.

The educational foundation of our emergent paradigm is built upon four coredisciplines; each discipline is comprised of a set of tools and knowledge. Melded

together from years of research, experimentation and observation, these disci-

plines represent the ultimate instruction set for the leaders of tomorrow. (See CoreDisciplines on the following page.)

Learning to lead in this multi-dimensional manner will not come on the easy or the

cheap. Nothing shy of a renaissance in leadership development will suffice. Thelevel of leadership that we are seeking will require a significant shift in the scope

and strategy of our educational efforts. As teachers, we must advance our methodsto account for the deeper learning this jagged age demands. As practitioners, we

must commit to the lifelong journey that leadership has become.

TOMORROWSLEADERSWILLBEASSTEEPEDINTHELAWSOF

NATURE

AS

THEY

ARE

IN

THEPRINCIPLESOFECONOMICS.


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A Pioneering Profession

At the forefront of leadership today are just a handful of pioneers who possessthe tenacity, the creativity and the equanimity (emotional balance) to success-fully negotiate this trying time. What separates the rare leader that is here tomake history from the rest of the general managerial pack is their uncannyability to navigate uncertainty. Emboldened by the vast potential that lies ahead,history makers fix their gaze on a re-imagined future, a compelling storyline that

re-constitutes reality. These modern explorers then proceed to operate with onefoot in the possibility space designing the concept and with the other footin the concrete world engineering the capacity required to realize the future.They straddle the conceptual and the concrete until the gap between possibility

and reality has been closed.

The discipline, passion and ambition to bring such a future into focus is not other-

worldly or alien. This ability lives in all of us. Unfortunately, the majority of peoplein leadership positions today have not been exposed to the teachers and the

experiences essential to summon such wisdom and strength.

Leadership is a hazardous occupation and a supremely vital institution; yet it hasno union and no constitution. Today, the only true school for leadership is HardKnocks U. The vexing problems that litter the too-hard box are sufficiently complexto warrant a more seasoned and sophisticated approach. It is beyond time thatwe gave the courageous calling of leadership its due.

What if an extreme learning environment for leadership was available to facili-tate the personal change that is a pre-requisite for re-inventing the future?What if universities established the cross-disciplinary programs and degrees forunder-graduates, graduates and executives-in-residence needed to think across

boundaries? What if leadership evolved beyond a highly-compensated positionto become the chosen profession for aspiring entrepreneurs, business builders,philanthropists and heads of state?

This is the level of innovation radical change required to meet this perilous centuryhead on. It is time for leading thinkers the world over, from academe, business and gov-ernment , to come together to realize a new paradigm for leadership. A manifesto and

a methodology that arms leaders with the tools and confidence to tackle the unsolvablein healthcare, energy renewal, economic development, and public education.

ITISBEYONDTIMETHATWEGAVETHECOURAGEOUS

CALLINGOFLEADERSHIPITSDUE.


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As historians look back on the early days of this young millennium, they will talkof a cadre of visionaires who defied convention to author the next chapter in

leadership development.

Bridging the divergent disciplines of design, science, psychology and strategy, theywere able to unearth a truly modern, mulit-dimensional craft: a burgeoning field

that yielded a boundless crop of leaders with the capacity to measure all the 21stcentury offered.

This revolutionary advance is the mandate of our generation.

A Final Note


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About The Author

Geoffrey Helt is the founder of the Moose Wilson Project. The ambition of theProject is to fundamentally alter how leaders see, think and move through theworld.

After spending over 15 years advising, teaching and studying leaders at allstages of development from MBA students to serial entrepreneurs to Fortune50 executives Geoffrey recognized an unsettling and recurrent pattern of

performance: while quite adept at managing the predictable, they were con-sistently overwhelmed by the uncertainty that arose in times of deep change.

Simply stated, the model of leadership being taught in business schools,corporations and academies is no longer sufficient for the dynamic, unstable

ecology that has suddenly become our new normal.

From these experiences, an alternative future has emerged, a way of leadingthat is as generative as the world in which we live. Through the integration of

advanced fields of thought, Geoffrey has developed a leadership curriculumthat yields a higher-order of performance: from one-dimensional perspectivesto multi-dimensional models; from plan-and-control to prototype-and-trust; fromcompetitive scarcity to creative abundance.

Elevating the craft of leadership is the thrust of Geoffreys daily work. He

engages with a handful of pioneering leaders, conditioning them to build thecapacity required to navigate complex terrain. He conducts workshops on thetools, teachings and transformations of the new paradigm. And he continuesto research and write about realizing an alternative future.

Geoffrey Helt can be reached at [email protected]

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Beyond: Toward a New Paradigm for Leadership