Thursday’s Leadership Insight; Part II Embracing Paradox to Enhance Your Leadership Practice.

We are certainly living in a time of seemingly insurmountable polarities; the effective leader, according to best-selling author of A New Kind of Diversity and The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership: Embracing the Conflicting Demands of Today's Workplace, Dr. Tim Elmore? noted in a 2023 Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast that "reports ?how you can build a flourishing culture in your organization through your own growth and the way you develop the next generation of leaders." That way forward is to embrace paradox in one's leadership practice; Elmore defines paradox as" a paradox is simply a contradictory proposition that, when investigated, may prove to be well-founded and true. But it seems very oxymoronic.?, I think today, especially for leaders, it's so complex to lead today—part of the answer, not the only answer, but part of the answer is to lead with a "both/and" rather than an "either/or" mindset embrace paradoxes."

?

The key to uncommon leadership in today's complex and rapidly changing world is that effective leadership requires more than just traditional skills and qualities. Truly exceptional leaders have learned to navigate and embrace seemingly contradictory traits and behaviors - what leadership experts call "paradoxes." Mastering these paradoxes allows leaders to adapt to diverse situations, inspire their teams, and drive sustainable success. Daniel Sih, In a Spacemakers blog, The Wisdom of Paradox: How to Think Both/And, writes, "At its core, a paradox is a situation that seems contradictory at first glance but reveals a deeper truth when you dig beneath the surface. It's the essence of?both/and thinking—embracing two seemingly opposing ideas at once.Paradoxical thinking invites both flexibility and constraint, complexity and simplicity. It's about holding two conflicting truths together and finding wisdom in the tension.

Tim Elmore argues that uncommon leaders stand out because they can "juggle seemingly contradictory traits to lead" in our increasingly complex world. This week's edition of Thursday's Leadership Insight examines five leadership paradoxes uncommon leaders embrace to enhance their leadership practice. Six strategies on how to embrace paradoxical leadership will also be shared.

Embracing these five paradoxes and the five shared in part one of this series allows leaders to respond flexibly to challenges and connect with diverse team members. Five more key leadership paradoxes and their significance are

?

1. Deeply Personal and Inherently Collective

Uncommon leaders understand the importance of balancing individual connections with a collective vision. They forge personal relationships with team members while focusing on shared goals and organizational success. The leader embracing this paradox knows leadership is relational, and they must build people up and get things done. As John C. Maxwell notes, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Leaders can build trust and drive collective achievement by demonstrating genuine care for individuals while rallying the team around a common purpose. Nelson Mandela demonstrated deep personal connections with individuals while uniting a nation around a collective vision of reconciliation.

2. Teachers and Learners

Great leaders never stop learning, even as they guide and develop others. They maintain a growth mindset, seeking new knowledge and perspectives while sharing their wisdom and experience. Mark Miller emphasizes this paradox in Chess Not Checkers: Elevate Your Leadership Game: "The best leaders are lifelong learners. They are always looking for ways to grow and improve. Leaders inspire their teams to embrace personal development and innovation by modeling continuous learning. Embracing this paradox encourages ownership and risk-taking and fosters a culture of continuous improvement; the key factors to embracing this paradox are curiosity, humility, and respect for all in the organization, no matter their position or, as Elmore writes in? A New Kind of Diversity or Generation. Embracing psychological safety and connection fosters engagement and learning. Embracing this paradox helps to develop the next generation of leaders.

?

3. High Standards and Gracious Forgiveness

Uncommon leaders set ambitious goals and maintain high expectations, but they also understand the importance of forgiveness when mistakes occur. This paradox creates an environment of excellence tempered with psychological safety. Tim Elmore explains, "It's not that they lower their standards. It's simply that they can absolve a team member who acknowledges that they failed to meet the standard and chooses to improve this. The co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, was known for setting extremely high standards for Apple while encouraging innovation and risk-taking. Abraham Lincoln, during the Civil War and Reconstruction, held firm to his principles and vision for preserving the Union while also extending mercy and forgiveness to Confederate soldiers and leaders after the war ended. He balanced justice with reconciliation.

?

4. Timely and Timeless

Effective leaders balance responding to immediate needs and trends with maintaining a long-term vision and enduring values. They make decisions that address current challenges while positioning their organizations for future success. John Maxwell advises, "A leader sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see, and who sees before others see." This paradox allows leaders to navigate short-term pressures while steering toward lasting impact based on their and the organization's core values and vision. Leadership expert the late ?Warren Bennis often said leadership's primary task was defining the vision. Embracing this paradox requires strict adherence to the core values and vision and a flexible approach to achieving that vision. As Thomas Jefferson said, this leader understands that "there are times to swim with the current and times to stand like a rock. "The leader who embraces this paradox in practice provides a context and purpose that all can see even if the methods used to reach the core values differ. The core values and vision do not change. Covid provided many examples, such as the five-star evening restaurant that developed a delivery and pick-up system to keep employees on the job and sustain and grow the business.

5. Developing Hard Skill and Soft skills

The leadership myth was that the leader was the answer person and had all the skills; today, it is impossible to be the ultimate subject matter specialist, especially in an age of Artificial Intelligence and rapid technological change. Today's leaders must learn "soft" relationship skills to build learning cultures and retain talent, especially in rapid change. Today, leaders can not lead by themselves. They are humble enough to know they can not know everything and need others. They understand that "none of us knows as much as all of us." As a past mentor once told me, you don't need to be the best at "tech." you need to know about me and have people you trust around you that do. You keep building relationships. "He told me to embrace hard skills, technology, soft skills, and team building. During a recent ?Maxwell corporate facilitators training led by a lead trainer of one of the largest technology companies in the World stressed that the balance of hard technology skills always had to be paired with exceptional" soft "people skills. This paradox especially requires a rethinking of leadership at all levels due to myths and a lack of intentional training. In a recently released book, The Journey of Leadership: How CEOs Learn to Lead from the Inside Out by McKinsey & Co., authors and trainers Dana Maor?Hans-Werner Kaas?Kurt Strovink?and Ramesh Srinivasan?refer to the need for "Humancentric" Leadership. They write that "it is a journey that helps leaders hone the psychological, emotional, and, ultimately, human attributes that result in success in today's most demanding top job."

"That's the beauty of paradox—it's not about choosing either/or, but embracing both/and. By approaching life's challenges through this lens, we open ourselves to new ways of thinking, unlocking fresh insights rather than being locked into polarities."

Daniel Sih The Wisdom of Paradoxes: How to Think Both/And

There are six strategies a leader can learn and apply to be more paradoxical in their leadership practice:

1. Develop a "both/and" mindset: Instead of viewing situations as "either/or" choices, leaders should cultivate the ability to embrace seemingly contradictory approaches simultaneously. This involves reframing problems as paradoxes rather than dilemmas requiring trade-offs and deeper systems thinking

2. Practice balancing opposing traits. Leaders should work on embodying seemingly contradictory qualities. For example, they should practice confidence and humility, maintain control while letting go of control, be a teacher and a student, and demonstrate high standards and gracious forgiveness.

?

3. Proactively identify and raise tensions: Paradoxical leaders actively look for and bring attention to organizational tensions rather than avoid them. This allows for more creative and integrative solutions and builds connections, engagement, and learning.

.

4. Cultivate cognitive complexity. Develop the ability to differentiate and integrate various aspects of leadership roles. This involves understanding nuances and connections between different leadership demands

5. Model flexibility and adaptability: Demonstrate the ability to shift between different leadership approaches based on the context. This includes separating efforts to focus on both sides of a paradox when needed.

6. Study exemplary leaders who have successfully navigated these paradoxes.

The learning leader can grow by learning from others on the same journey. Leaders who embrace being more paradoxical in their practice realize, as John Maxwell often says, "If they are the smartest person in the room, they need to find a new room." Mentors and coaches can be very useful in this, and all of these strategies

In an era of constant change and increasing complexity, embracing leadership paradoxes is more crucial than ever. By balancing seemingly contradictory traits and behaviors, uncommon leaders can inspire their teams, adapt to diverse challenges, and drive sustainable success. By implementing these six strategies, leaders can become more adept at embracing paradox and navigating modern leadership's complex, often contradictory demands. This paradoxical approach will bring more nuanced, creative, and effective leadership in today's dynamic environment. Daniel Sih, in the article from Spacemakers, noted above, provides a great way to think about embracing paradox in our leadership practice: "Imagine two opposing forces coexisting, defying logic yet offering a fresh perspective. That's the beauty of paradox—it's not about choosing either/or, but embracing both/and. By approaching life's challenges through this lens, we open ourselves to new ways of thinking, unlocking fresh insights rather than being locked into polarities. "

The Leadership questions for you are ;

?

1. How can you incorporate these paradoxes into your leadership practice?

2. What will be your first step?

?Join Us Next Week

LIVE2LEAD is a leadership learning experience designed to equip attendees with new perspectives, practical tools, and key takeaways. You will learn from world-class leadership.

Experts' videos and activities connect with local leaders and give back to two non-profits. You will be prepared to implement a new action plan with renewed passion and commitment. Below are the featured speakers. There may be more surprises. Hosted in Joliet on Oct 24 at Messiah Lutheran Church. Click below to register.

?

https://makingconnections.ticketspice.com/3rd-annual-leadership-learning-experience-learn-connect-and-giveback

?

?

?

?

?