21st Century Leadership

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The best leaders have learned that authority, accountability and well defined systems are necessary but not sufficient. They understand that energy and engagement are crucial to competitive advantage as much as vision and strategy.

Current generations think and feel differently about work, careers, authority and each other. So many things that used to be managed (like information and currencies) are now beyond traditional political and economic control.

For them there is more to life than career and money. They are looking for meaning. Values and beliefs are important to them. They realise that the world is complex and cannot be controlled. They use technology naturally to make decisions and stay connected.

The old contract where status, money and power are offered in return for commitment and compliance still attracts some but many will reject that and look for more.

21^st Century leaders have to work with adaptive questioning and uncertain futures as a means of binding an enterprise, forming collective purpose and generating the energy needed to achieve success.

To gain the trust and commitment of the next generation, leaders will again need to change some of their core attitudes, adopt new approaches, shift their focus and learn new skills.

Articles

Embodied Leadership

Martin Saville looks at Embodied Leadership, an approach to leadership development that involves working physically through the body.

I attended four one-to-one coaching sessions with Martin as part of a Leadership Development Programme. I was specifically keen to explore issues of perfectionism and found Martin’s wide experience and flexible approach most helpful and beneficial in this area. He has a relaxed but professional style and demonstrates a great deal of empathy and understanding of his client’s issues”

Jeff Thwaites, Assistant Manager, Reinsurance (International Financial Services company)

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Mayvin Insights

The world is full of customers, clients and opportunities.
Like a weather system, the world is not predictable.
In human systems, the heart matters as much as the head.
The physical body matters as much as the heart.
Knowledge is not absolute - people’s perspectives and contexts matter.
There are different types of knowledge - insights and feelings matter as much as clear-headed reasoning.
People’s stories about what is going on matter more than the ‘objective’ truth.
Relationships, connections and politics matter.
Repeating patterns matter.
Diversity is a business-critical issue, not just an ethical one.
The world is ever-changing, messy and not always as it seems, but it is possible to find moments of clarity when the way forward suddenly becomes clear.