The Hypothetical One

Leadership is a Kind of Love - Gianpiero Petriglieri

Welcome to another edition of The Leadershifts Chronicle, a newsletter where I share ideas and resources for leaders who build better businesses and explore new ways of running an organisation.

Welcome to this week's Leadershifts Chronicle...

Enjoy...

Things to Explore

?? To embrace uncertainty not just in the future but right now. We must constantly explore hypotheticals. Michael Johnston shared some great, inspiring questions on exploring and experimenting with hypotheticals.

What if: this is for immediate or near-term risks or opportunities that can be clearly articulated. Relevant for plans for the next 18-24 months

For example:

What if: our competitors launch a superior product, our supply chain is halted, we run out of stock.

Imagine if this is for less easily articulated situations that will arise in the future. (like global pandemics). They need a real ability to suspend belief and be imaginative about what could happen. Being extreme can help find a middle ground.

For example:

Imagine if: Google and Amazon took over our industry?, regulation cut our competitive advantage?

?? "73% of CEOs in a global survey identified macro uncertainty as a major challenge, only 12% reported having the necessary capabilities to respond effectively", according to a new white paper by Vlerick Business School professors Brett Hamilton , Carine Peeters and Martin Weiss Check the White paper here

Their research and work within the Strategy in Action Platform (SIAP) at Vlerick Business School identifies 4 important steps to turn uncertainty threats into opportunities:

1. understand uncertainty
2. inform strategic decision-making
3. seize new opportunities
4. monitoring, learning, and adjustment.

?? Resilience is critical for dealing with uncertainty and building a future-focused business. Holly Pascal shares some great insights from aerospace leaders on staying on call during a crisis.

?? “Strategic foresight is not about predicting the future; it’s about preparing for it. It is about positioning your organisation to use uncertainty as a feature rather than a bug” Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies shared "The Role of Foresight in Organisations" white paper with the outcome of an interview with foresight practitioners. They strongly emphasised businesses' need to view foresight as an iterative and collaborative process, which is crucial for making it adaptable to future shifts and uncertainties in the operating environment. Embracing this approach can significantly enhance an organisation’s ability to prepare for and react to potential future scenarios promptly.

Things to Watch

Gianpiero Petriglieri , a psychiatrist by training, a professor at INSEAD, and an expert on leadership and learning in the workplace (what a combination! ). He challenges dominant leadership models and shares a radically human alternative. Leadership is not a position or a set of skills, he argues. It is a kind of love—a relationship in which we are safe and free at once. It is an excellent alternative to all the toxic leadership examples we have seen lately.

Things to Listen

This week, I discovered Chris Cooper's Business Elevation Show. In the latest edition, he talks with Dr. Oleg Konovalov ,a visionary leadership authority. In this talk, they explore the essence of visionary leadership, uncovering the strategies and principles that distinguish true visionaries in today’s dynamic business landscape.

So that's it for this week.

Like always, feedback is very welcome and appreciated. It helps me grow on my path to becoming a better leader.

Have a great weekend and till next week...

Wouter

The Leadershifts Chronicle dives deep into the evolving paradigms of leadership, offering a regular exploration of how visionary leaders are transforming their approach to navigate the complexities of today's world. It's your curated guide to the stories, strategies, and insights that define the next generation of leadership excellence, curated by Wouter Gheysen. Wouter is the founder of Systemic Rebels and Out of Our Minds, which provides services to transform your organisation to become future-ready.

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