Why The Current State of Management In STEM Is Doomed!
Elizabeth and Christine of WALT Institute
Authentic Leadership Consultants | Executive Coaches | Business Trainers
Managing people in STEM is not about exhibiting soft skills.
It is not about namby pamby touchy feely stuff.
It is not about directing and controlling.
It is definitely not about… ‘just do it that way because I had to’!
And PS: we are not talking about implementing some new age ‘soft skills’ here either.
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We are talking about unleashing #authenticleadership into the world of #stem. Leaders who can bring out the best in their people, bring out the best in teams and cultivate organisations with unstoppable momentum to ignite equality, diversity and inclusion for all!
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*** Warning, honesty alert.
STEM Institutes and companies cannot afford to keep managing their people, their teams, their workloads or their problems with a traditional, internal, one-way approach.
We still see biases, inequality, archaic ideas, traditional management systems and rigid one-way approaches still being at the fore, in the majority of STEM organisations.
Does this resonate with you?
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To maintain this current state of management, is to be Doomed!
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So, what might it take, to shift off this pathway of Doom?
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It takes...
A very slight 2mm shift AWAY from the traditional, ‘same old’, top-down approach of management, TOWARDS a focus of Leading with Authenticity!
To change the current state of management in STEM we MUST STOP focusing on just making someone a ‘manager’.
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We MUST FOCUS ON GROWING & DEVELOPING AUTHENTIC LEADERS!?
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Firstly, let’s identify and clarify the difference between managing and leading. That way, we can be more certain about what we are shifting away from and shifting towards.
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As discussed last week, managing is viewed as controlling, following procedures and policies, having subordinates, getting into the details of the work, relying on authority and maintaining the status quo.
Whereas, LEADING – with Authenticity, is perceived as influencing, inspiring, creating a vision, being curious, drawing on peoples’ strengths, being pre-emptive, fostering creativity and is transformational.
Quite the difference really, isn’t it?!
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And secondly, this is not just about sending a bunch of highly skilled and qualified people to some traditional leadership course that shares lots of theory and knowledge based on the teachings from the same industry. This just emulates the recipe to create the same status quo going forward.
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It is VITAL to amalgamate the implementation of ideas, theories and practical immediate actions from outside the industry. As it is commonly recognised in the world of STEM: Cognitive diversity can enhance team innovation by up to 20% (Deloitte, 2018).???
To shift STEM institutes and organisations off the pathway to DOOM it MUST include Leadership experts from other industries.
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These experts from outside the industry, must meet the following criteria:
These Leadership experts must also be creative innovators, with exceptional skills in cultivating high performing cognitively diverse teams, that bring people together to create and celebrate innovative action-oriented outcomes.
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Leading teams in STEM with a cognitive focus towards Leading with Authenticity WILL bring out the best in people. It WILL bring out the best in the teams and it WILL cultivate more STEM organisations with unstoppable momentum, igniting equality, diversity and inclusion for all!