Purposeful Leadership To Create The Life of Meaning
David Shindler
Writer. Mainly. Coach. Often. Volunteer. Sometimes. Learning to Leap. Always.
A friend of mine recently left her job after six months because of the mismatch between the rhetoric at interview espoused by her manager-to-be and the reality she experienced in the job. A not uncommon experience and one I predict will increase. Why?
Because many organisations are not keeping pace with the wants and needs of their people and in parallel with significant scientific and technological progress.
The people and systems dynamic is complex and interdependent. In my friend’s case, although the purpose of the organisation aligned with her personal values, the why was not matched by the how (disproving Nietzsche’s quote “he who has a why can endure any how”). The culture militated against genuine autonomy and accountability at the right level.
With a poor recent retention rate, the organisation finds itself in a recurring cycle. It recruits people to help change things, who then leave when they are unable to influence, leaving behind people who don’t want to or don’t know how to influence. They exist in comfort and discomfort zones afraid to challenge or leave. Everyone loses - personal frustration and organisational stagnation.
Head, Heart and Gut
As people are living and working longer, the dangers of these phenomena are flashing red. Politicians seem unable to adjust their thinking to seriously address them. In a recent newspaper comment piece, Sonia Sodah cites Reith lecturer, Dr Atul Gawande, who argues that we have ended up with healthcare systems focused on keeping older people alive without helping them preserve lives infused with meaning. Ditto education systems that create young people ill-prepared for the world of work and a life of meaning.
As coach and consultant, Clive Wilson, has observed in his excellent new book Designing the Purposeful Organization, organisations need clarity about their real purpose and to align it with rapidly changing contexts and stakeholder perspectives. The more progressive ones are creating genuine social businesses marrying energy with process, passion with systems, beliefs with behaviours.
Leaders too often lack the ability to create momentum in their approaches to change because of a failure to weave “head, heart and gut” (Wilson). Systems without passion produce soulless robots of begrudging compliance. Passion without systems produces a lot of noise (to misquote Tom Peters).
Firelighting Not Firefighting
Energy results from the beating hearts of real people breathing life into staid working environments. They bring confidence, focus, fun, ingenuity, honesty, humility, resilience, challenge and courage. It’s infectious and viral, “inspiring resolve and determination” from people (Wilson).
People underestimate the powerful connection of warmth and overestimate the importance of competence… It’s about understanding what moves people. Professor Amy Cuddy, Harvard Business School
That energy enables process to have real traction. Collaboration technology and behaviours in increasingly virtual networks cut through stifling bureaucracy. Things get done in new ways, people step up without seeking permission, they fail and learn what works, they get thanked genuinely, obstacles are removed, common purpose and the drive to succeed fuels how and what happens on a daily basis.
Research from influential coaching and mentoring expert, David Clutterbuck, suggests that our complex adaptive systems now require different mindsets for organisations to be effective. These include being more enabling and less controlling, more involving, and more opportunity-led to allow talent and innovation to emerge from anywhere.
It also needs a different kind of leadership, away from tired sequential, linear and badged change initiatives when what people are really crying out for is a bonfire lit from below. The furnace of change feeds on firelighters sparked organically. The job of leaders is to show passion for purpose and release it in others to create the energy that builds something new or changes something old. People will always be the fan and the bellows of change.
Why do you, your team or your organisation do what you do? How clear is your purpose? How is your energy bringing life to that purpose?
Photos: Author and upload by www.computerfixx.biz on Pinterest
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David (@David_Shindler) is an independent coach, blogger and speaker, associate with several consultancies, founder of The Employability Hub (free resources for students and graduates), author of Learning to Leap: a guide to being more employable, Digital Bad Hair Days and co-author with Mark Babbitt of 21 Century Internships. His commitment and energy is in promoting lifelong personal and professional development and in tackling youth unemployment. He works with young people and professionals in education and business.
To read more of his work - visit the Learning to Leap blog.
And check out his other published articles on LinkedIn:
The Uber Effect: Opportunities For Job Seekers And Employers
Hierarchies are tumbling as Social soars
The Emergence of the Holistic Student
New Graduates: Following Is A Rehearsal For Leading
How Redefining Success Helps You Succeed
Why Developing Yourself Is A Matter Of Life And Death
Generation Now: The Imperative Of Intercultural Skills
#If I Were 22: Choose Insight Before Hindsight
How To Align Talent, Careers and Performance
Writer. Mainly. Coach. Often. Volunteer. Sometimes. Learning to Leap. Always.
10 年Hi Jasmine, I don't think this was a case of hypocrisy. More one of naivety and inexperience. Your point about lack of understanding of the strategic narrative of the organisation is a good one. The best organisations align their processes and systems with the overall purpose and vision. That requires effective engagement through leadership at all levels within a commonly understood and lived culture. Getting joined up thinking is always a challenge and where I have focused much of my career.
Training & Consultancy ? DEI and more ? Anthropologist
10 年Interesting article, David, that kind of behaviour - saying one thing and doing another - is viewed (correctly) by employees as hypocrisy! It undermines any sense of trust. It also makes me wonder if the people saying one thing and doing another really understand the strategic narrative of their organisation... Maybe someone was hypocritical with them too?
Writer. Mainly. Coach. Often. Volunteer. Sometimes. Learning to Leap. Always.
10 年Thanks Maria!
Empowering often overwhelmed Female L&D Leaders feel more in control, confident & capable, leading with renewed energy, self-belief & motivation | StrengthscopeMaster | EMCC Senior Coach | Gestalt | Time to Think.
10 年Some great point here David, thanks for sharing. Love the concept of firefighting, not firefighting. Too often Leaders get caught up in putting the fires out, most of which they have helped to create! Create posifive energy that evokes positive change.
Writer. Mainly. Coach. Often. Volunteer. Sometimes. Learning to Leap. Always.
10 年Thanks Amanda!