SEEKING CONTEMPORARY INSIGHTS ON BEING THE BEST LEADERS WE CAN BE - WHAT LEADING CORPORATE CONSULTANTS HAVE TO SAY

Many Principals and other senior leaders, in Australian independent schools seek the opportunity during periods of contractual study leave to tap into the best of new evidence-informed practice in educational leadership either at home or as is often the case, overseas. Many have attended Leadership Programs at places like Harvard Business School, Aspen or similar prestigious institutions. Many – including growing numbers of aspiring leaders, are involved in programs such as the AISNSW Flagship Program. which aims to support emerging school leaders to refine their practice and increase their awareness of the areas for which an independent school Principal has overarching responsibility.

US Corporate Consultancy McKinsey and Co has a world-wide reputation for its insightful, balanced, wide ranging and influential perspectives and opinions on matters corporate for all kinds of companies, businesses and organisations. When four of their senior people co-author a book, there is bound to be something in it for everyone, and moreover, something in their thinking that you might find relevant, helpful, or thought-provoking.

Dana Maor is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company. She is the global co-head and Europe leader for the McKinsey People & Organizational Performance Practice. Hans-Werner Kaas is the co-dean of McKinsey & Company’s CEO leadership program, the Bower Forum. He is a senior partner emeritus at McKinsey and works with and counsels CEOs and leaders across multiple industry sectors globally. Kurt Strovink leads McKinsey & Company’s CEO special initiative globally. He is a senior partner with expertise in CEO transitions and the role of the CEO as a catalyst. Ramesh Srinivasan is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and co-dean of McKinsey’s Bower Forum.

These four recently published a helpful precis of their new book (see 5 best-kept secrets of McKinsey and CO’s leadership program, sharing five key?insights from their new book,?The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out, in Fastcompany, 19 Oct 24).?

1. Leaders need to think about who they are as much as what they want to do

Most successful leaders have cracked the code on?what to do. Few, however, invest time in learning who they are as leaders, the McKinsey team writes, sounding the warning that this stands in their way of thriving (rather than survival), of reaching their full potential, and of leading their organisations to sustained success.

In this age of constant change, challenge, and uncertainty, knowing what to do is insufficient, Maor et al argue, pointing out that effective leadership requires a balance of humility, vulnerability, and selflessness. Without these traits or predispositions, leaders may be less effective at inspiring their teams and fostering a healthy organisational culture.

The McKinsey team urge that leaders engage in continuous self-reflection to understand their values, strengths, and weaknesses. Spending time in rigorous, honest self-reflection is neither a privilege nor an indulgence, they explain: rather, ultimately, it serves the best interests and wider purposes of the entire organisation. It’s important to find a mechanism for contemplating your aspirations and opportunities for growth. This might involve regularly ?practising meditation, or keeping a journal, or creating an advisory group of trusted individuals.

The four authors recommend that leaders like you – busy and deeply immersed as you are in meeting the relentless expectations of your busy school and its pulsing, demanding community - create a personal plan to look inward for ways better to inspire your team and demonstrate your commitment to them. To their own personal and professional development, and to achieving your shared goals as an organisation. Leaders who take this inside-out approach are better equipped to lead their teams, Maor et al attest.

Think back to Daniel Goleman. For him, the starting point for you as you seek to enhance your emotional intelligence, which is daily becoming more and more important and influential in supporting individuals, teams and organisations to flourish, lies in your disciplined, regular, uncompromising, honest self-reflection to foster your self-awareness.

2. The best leaders are vulnerable

You have read here countless times before my affirmation that being vulnerable is OK – being humble enough to admit you are not perfect; you do not know the answer to every question; you do not have the level of expertise in aspects of your work as an educational leader as most of those you have sought to appoint as your school’s executive leadership team.

Being courageous, and showing personal vulnerability — sharing your hopes, your fears, and your deepest concerns — is part of being an authentic leader in 2024, according to Maor,? Kaas, Strovink and Srinivinasan. Your willingness to make yourself vulnerable builds trust and encourages a culture of openness and continuous learning within your organisation and amongst members of your team, they assert, adding that an organisation built on trust within is also more likely to build trust with clients and stakeholders.

Organisational speed and resilience are not possible if you and your subordinate leaders are not empowered by trust to take the risk to introduce new initiatives, the authors continue. When leaders demonstrate humility and authenticity, team members feel safe taking risks and innovating. Accepting failure turns mistakes into valuable learning opportunities, promoting resilience and adaptability. The most successful leaders do not pretend to have all the answers. They, too, are constantly learning and growing.

They go on to provide an example:

In our book, Reeta Roy of Mastercard Foundation shares a difficult moment that transformed the Foundation’s relationship with a partner organization. When Reeta decided to focus the organisation’s mission solely on Sub-Saharan Africa, she spent months talking to community members in four countries to learn about barriers people faced. In a meeting with a partner organisation, the organisation’s leader interrupted the conversation to address a communication issue that was creating a damaging dynamic. Reeta realised their critical foundation of trust was at risk, so she apologised without hesitation and committed to making a change. This simple act set a new standard for the Foundation’s interactions and led to expanded collaboration with African organisations to address youth unemployment.

Saying sorry; admitting you are wrong; telling people you do not know the answer but will find out – all offer ways forward when initiatives get stuck.

But you are not expected to be shy and retiring all the time: Leadership requires delicately and deftly balancing vulnerability and authenticity with showing confidence and being willing to make tough decisions, Maor et al counsel.

3. Being a great leader is a masterful dance of navigating polarities and balancing competing commitments

Great leadership demands the discipline and creativity of a dancer, they continue. Leaders must balance certainty with openness, financial performance with stakeholder needs, short-term objectives with long-term aspirations, and control with curiosity and empowerment. They must be humble yet decisive, vulnerable yet strong, cautious yet bold, and forgiving yet demanding.

One fundamental tension that arises is how leaders approach the need to be professional and the need to be authentic, they point out. The way forward is not to resolve the tension but to keep it in balance, Maor et all advise. Leaders need to show up as being both professional (adapting to outside-in norms and expectations)?and?authentic (attuned to inside-out values and vulnerabilities).

Great human-centric leaders cultivate dual awareness, they aver, by paying equal attention to their self-reflection on how they are feeling about things, or their inner experience, while simultaneously maintaining awareness of their outer context and constantly choosing to adapt to the moment.

Maor et al’s fourth insight is not surprising, especially as properly deploying AI looms as a major challenge for all leaders at any level in every enterprise.

4. The digital age requires more adaptive leadership

The authors advocate that leaders must be committed to lifelong learning as technology evolves. For them, a culture of flexibility and innovation is essential to staying competitive in a digital landscape.

Clearly, in a world increasingly driven by data and algorithms, connecting with people on a human level will be essential to navigate the emotional and ethical complexities AI can’t manage, as numerous early ventures are demonstrating. The human touch in leadership can ensure that technology enhances, not diminishes, the workplace experience, the authors encourage.

The contemporary human-centric leadership focus continues to throw up the toughest questions, Maor et al concede. Questions such as, How do I manage my personal time, and what gives me energy? How do I inspire my team? How do I shift and nurture the culture of my organisation in the face of relentless technological change?

The answer, or at least a good part of the answer, is the fifth insight the writers proffer for your consideration. The answers to these questions, and others, to some extent lie beyond your direct personal control. They recommend that you see control for what it is – an illusion.

5. Control is an illusion

Successful leadership involves giving up control and trusting others, Maor et al state. That means you should – as I pointed out in a recent post - prioritise tasks that only you – and/or your subordinate leaders - can do and delegate the rest. As my recent post reminded you, this results in your fostering a culture of autonomy. Today’s best leaders understand they must listen and connect the dots across the organisation, the authors point out, adding that these best leaders also create an environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute, which is crucial in today’s dynamic and interconnected world.

The inclination of business leaders – and of all organisational leaders - is to bring their expertise and brains to the world, the authors observe, noting that they must also think about how they can create an environment that allows a whole organization to deliver successfully in the light of their hopes and aspirations.

Maor et al choose an interesting and relevant example to illustrate their point here, writing that the delicate balance between control and autonomy is exemplified in CEO Wendy Kopp’s journey to scale Teach for America globally to create Teach for All. The night before announcing the expansion, she was filled with doubt about upholding quality in a newly decentralised, sprawling organisation, they recount, continuing, Wendy had to learn to relinquish control and trust local leaders to adapt the ?program to their unique contexts while adhering to core principles.

Wendy’s story is a powerful reminder that true leadership lies in empowering others, fostering a shared purpose, and embracing the collective strength of diverse leaders, Maor et al conclude, declaring that while control may be an illusion, the impact of collective, shared, collaborative leadership is real and transformative.

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