Have a good, hard look in the mirror

In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the acquisition and personal use of all drugs. Drug addicts were rebranded as being ‘sick’ and given community support and resources instead of prison.

Twelve years later there was a 50% drop in drug trafficking. Johann Hari’s TED talk concluded that the opposite of addiction was not sobriety but was in fact connection.

Today’s businesses pursue ever-demanding customer needs, but can develop a vortex of ‘busyness’ which serves to ultimately disconnect well-intentioned leaders from themselves, their people and their customers. It also serves to make the process of transformation much more difficult.

What does this mean for leadership?

Otto Scharmer says that “the success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervenor.” Organisations needs to explore ways that their customer focus is equally reflected in the support and development of their own people.

It’s a mirror image and we need to be comfortable looking at ourselves first.

We are delighted to be writing this article this week from Porto, Portugal where LIW is receiving the EFMD Silver Excellence in Practice Award for Executive Development with Telstra for the methodology and impact achieved in its Business Leaders Program.