tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/leadership-theory-15683/articlesLeadership theory – The Conversation2022-10-25T12:54:54Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1929062022-10-25T12:54:54Z2022-10-25T12:54:54ZSix models of successful team leadership from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon<p>As anybody who has been in a leadership position knows, no single style fits every situation. In <a href="https://www.elgaronline.com/view/book/9781839105272/9781839105272.xml">my book</a>, Management Lessons from Game of Thrones: Organization Theory and Strategy in Westeros, I examine how characters, organisations and situations in that fictional world have surprising parallels to the way business is done in the real world. I also explore how we can learn valuable lessons for our daily working lives from these stories. </p>
<p>I look at how managers can learn from the way some of George RR Martin’s characters tackled and overcame their own leadership and team management problems, using strategies that fit their personalities and situations. </p>
<p>So, if you’re struggling with a team management project, here are six different approaches from Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon that might help you find your perfect leadership style.</p>
<h2>1. Daenerys Targaryen</h2>
<p>In Game of Thrones, Daenerys is the exiled heir to the Iron Throne. She manages to fight back to Westeros with the aid of dragons and an army of supporters. She is a charismatic leader. </p>
<p>Daenerys is someone who inspires others simply by the force of her personality and vision. However, she finds the day-to-day business of management boring and is always looking for new challenges.</p>
<p>In a team management situation, you would want Daenerys in charge whenever quick and drastic decisions need to be made. She is also good when you need the team to be united and follow a specific plan or vision. Bringing a new and controversial product to market on time, for instance, or carrying out a project with a certain element of risk.</p>
<h2>2. Jon Snow</h2>
<p>Jon Snow is the heroic youth who brings the forces of the north and the south together to fight the incursion of the monstrous White Walkers.</p>
<p>Jon Snow is a transformational leader. He excels in bringing out the best in the people around him and seeing organisations through a time of change. Transformational leaders don’t generally seek out leadership but are often just what a struggling organisation needs to get back on track.</p>
<p>You’d want Jon Snow in charge when a team is having trouble finding form or purpose, or meeting its established goals. Jon would be the sort of leader who can analyse what the team’s strengths and weaknesses are, can organise it to play to its strengths, and focus it away from the problem areas.</p>
<h2>3. Tyrion Lannister</h2>
<p>Tyrion is an intellectual who describes himself aptly by saying “I drink, and I know things”. He is a transactional leader, someone who gains the trust of their supporters by making deals and compromises. While he may not be glamorous and exciting, people trust him always to get the job done.</p>
<p>Tyrion would excel in a situation of day-to-day team management, where there is either a project of indefinite duration or where the projects renew cyclically. You could see Tyrion heading up an audit team or a tax consultancy: something that needs to be done consistently, reliably and well, with plenty of challenges but no surprises.</p>
<h2>4. Sansa Stark</h2>
<p>Sansa is the eldest daughter of House Stark. She eventually becomes Queen of the North in her own right. She is an emergent leader but also a background figure who slowly develops into a leadership role over time. Because of her gender and her personality, Sansa’s talents are not immediately apparent. She struggles to be accepted in a leadership role. But, when in charge she’s focused and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed. She takes a long view of success and it generally pays off.</p>
<p>Sansa is the person you want in charge of a team working on a project with long-term objectives. Sansa is good at taking difficult decisions and sticking by them. She’s also very good at bringing together people with very different interests and getting them to work together. The biggest problem you might have with Sansa is if you underestimate her; then you might lose her to the competition.</p>
<h2>5. Corlys Velaryon</h2>
<p>Corlys is the seafaring lord of House Velaryon in House of the Dragon. He is a pragmatic leader. He does what it takes to get the job done, even when this means making questionable alliances or difficult compromises. At times when others are concerned about short-term pride and prestige, he is concerned about the longer-term consequences.</p>
<p>Corlys excels in any situation where there is the opportunity to develop a strategy and see it through. He is also strong in situations where difficult, even painful, decisions might need to be made. He can weigh up costs and benefits rationally and choose the most appropriate path – even if it involves accepting the second best option. His decisions are made to pursue strategic success over a more extended period.</p>
<h2>6. Rhaenyra Targaryen</h2>
<p>Rhaenyra from House of the Dragon is the controversial female heir to the Iron Throne. She provides a good example of what we call “servant leadership”: a leader who puts the needs of the team first and encourages both her followers and her organisation to grow and develops. She accepts that everything she does has to be what’s best for the throne and her house, and tries to find ways of doing so that make herself and the people around her happy.</p>
<p>Rhaenyra is the sort of person you’d want in charge of any team that needs to develop to meet new challenges, while at the same time keeping the team together. On the show, her elevation to Queen of Westeros faces huge opposition. This is ironic because – purely from a managerial point of view – she might just be the most suitable person to lead the kingdom to greater success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/192906/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Fiona Moore does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The battle for the Iron throne throws up all sorts of leaders that each has different leadership styles.Fiona Moore, Professor of Business Anthropology, Royal Holloway University of LondonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1509522020-12-09T19:13:22Z2020-12-09T19:13:22ZMost of Australia’s uni leaders are white, male and grey. This lack of diversity could be a handicap<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373228/original/file-20201207-21-7dlke4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C186%2C3514%2C2326&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">David Burke/Flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian universities are diverse places. They are a mix of students, staff and communities from different demographic backgrounds.</p>
<p>This is not true of the people who run universities. Higher education leaders tend to have backgrounds that are <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-weirdest-people-in-the-world-9781846147968">“WEIRD”: Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic</a>.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219893101">2018</a>, of the 699 governing council roles across Australia’s 41 universities, 94% of the incumbents had Caucasian and British backgrounds. The top tiers of senior executives were 94% Caucasian and British in background, as were 96% of vice-chancellors.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-needs-to-confront-its-history-of-white-privilege-to-provide-a-level-playing-field-for-all-139755">Australia needs to confront its history of white privilege to provide a level playing field for all</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What are the risks of homogenous leadership?</h2>
<p>When top leadership are strikingly WEIRD, the culture of their institutions is too. This reproduces <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/world-looks-like-this-from-here/282A6CCEF723CC392602FC8DF9EE6871">curriculum</a>, <a href="https://litwinbooks.com/books/topographies-of-whiteness/">library systems</a>, <a href="http://www.jeffreyarnett.com/neglected95arnettap2008.pdf">research</a> and thought <a href="http://www.boaventuradesousasantos.pt/media/Epistemologies%20of%20the%20south%20and%20the%20future_Poscolonialitalia_2016.pdf">paradigms</a> that are also WEIRD. This kind of sameness across universities has consequences.</p>
<p>A large body of research shows homogeneous governance presents risks. These risks include <a href="https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-trouble-with-homogeneous-teams/#:%7E:text=Diversity%20in%20the%20workplace%20can,susceptible%20to%20making%20flawed%20decisions.">groupthink</a>, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/law/corporate-law/challenging-boardroom-homogeneity-corporate-law-governance-and-diversity?format=HB&isbn=9781107014879">oversights</a> and <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1585280">unchecked blind spots</a>.</p>
<p>A range of risks and long-term implications are associated with <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/Leading%20for%20Change_Blueprint2018_FINAL_Web.pdf">under-representation</a> in many sectors, including <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-27/women-still-underrepresented-in-parliament/11148020">parliament</a>, the <a href="https://indaily.com.au/news/2020/10/14/govt-backs-harassment-inquiry-into-legal-profession-but-parliament-house-off-limits/">legal sector</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/australias-art-institutions-dont-reflect-our-diversity-its-time-to-change-that-122308">arts</a>, <a href="https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2753&context=lhapapers&httpsredir=1&referer=%22%20%5C">journalism</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/nov/22/australian-media-more-than-half-of-opinion-pieces-found-to-have-negative-depictions-of-race">media</a>, <a href="https://www.defence.gov.au/publications/coi/">military</a>, <a href="https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/fact-finders/reports-and-key-issues/reports-and-discussion-papers/seeing-ourselves">films</a>, <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2020/08/03/i-wanted-only-read-books-diverse-writers">creative writing</a> and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-06/food-culture-media-diversity-australia-durian/12522524">culinary</a> industries.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-and-government-need-to-rethink-their-relationship-with-each-other-before-its-too-late-139963">Universities and government need to rethink their relationship with each other before it's too late</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Australian higher education has not been immune to tunnel vision. We see it in the discourse of “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07294360.2020.1712677?needAccess=true%22%20%5C">internationalisation</a>” policy in Australia universities. There has been a lack of global vision in the construction of many <a href="https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/australia-s-universities-need-to-be-free-to-engage-globally">university strategies</a>.</p>
<p>The structural issues in Australia and Australian universities are entrenched, yet have been denied for decades, if not centuries. If we want Australian higher education to meet our aspirations and to prepare future generations, we need to confront this elephant in the room.</p>
<p>A deterioration of public trust in universities and expertise has forced many universities in the Western world to the brink of existential crises. WEIRD leaders are struggling to redefine what the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-are-losing-sight-of-higher-educations-true-purpose-73637">purpose</a> of the university should be.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/we-are-losing-sight-of-higher-educations-true-purpose-73637">We are losing sight of higher education’s true purpose</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Diverse leadership has many benefits</h2>
<p>Diversity delivers a wide range of social, economic and policy benefits. Higher education needs diversity to continue to thrive, to open mindsets, to gain new viewpoints, to broaden paradigms and to widen ranges of solutions. </p>
<p>Research shows diverse groups outperform homogeneous groups in <a href="https://www.bcg.com/en-us/publications/2018/how-diverse-leadership-teams-boost-innovation">productivity</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesinsights/2020/01/15/diversity-confirmed-to-boost-innovation-and-financial-results/?sh=2073b17c4a6a">innovation</a> over the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-business-case-for-more-diversity-11572091200">long term</a>. Universities need to play a long game too. </p>
<p>The pandemic is forcing Australian universities to transform. But if this transformation is to be successful, the voices of young people, women, Indigenous people, diasporas and people of diverse abilities need to be heard across all levels. The sector needs to enable talents with all perspectives to co-create new insights and ideas to move forward.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="diverse group of students on universitycampus" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/373448/original/file-20201207-21-12zlfk9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The students at Australian universities are much more diverse than their leadership.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/melbourne-australia-august-5-2018-students-1163673487">Nils Versemann/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Practical steps to diversify leadership</h2>
<p>Beyond setting goals and informed targets, we can achieve a more diverse leadership with a few practical measures.</p>
<p>We can establish <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1478210315578562">mentoring strategies and policies</a>. These help ensure a more diverse range of people are in the leadership pipeline and have exposure to executive meetings.</p>
<p>We can <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ791633">create open and safe forums</a> that promote dialogue about leadership issues. Universities need to have honest conversations about the complexities, challenges and barriers to achieving greater diversity in leadership. This includes being able to examine contested ideas such as <a href="https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-981-287-532-7_479-1">decolonisation</a>, <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/university-report-card/university-report-card.pdf">quotas</a> and <a href="https://www.chronicle.com/article/is-meritocracy-hurting-higher-education/">meritocracy</a> within the university system.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/after-coronavirus-universities-must-collaborate-with-communities-to-support-social-transition-140541">After coronavirus, universities must collaborate with communities to support social transition</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>We can <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/110330880901800107">engage young people</a> and diverse groups using <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-40660-7_138">non-English media platforms</a> to communicate key ideas to a wider and more diverse audience. This could shift attitudes toward the Anglophone-dominated status quo and create space for greater inclusion, both physically and intellectually.</p>
<p>The key to success will be <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED412823">empowering the “other”</a> to advise leaders, become leaders and participate in problem-solving and decision-making.</p>
<p>We need to <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democratising-the-workplace/">democratise workplaces</a> through participation, to shift workplace relations and power dynamics. A mobilised and diverse university community could come up with more holistic, innovative and transformative solutions. </p>
<h2>Diversity is integral to sustainability</h2>
<p>More than ever, Australia’s higher education sector needs an <a href="https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20180711100836157%22%20%5C">intersectional lens</a>, where leaders see the world through multiple perspectives and through the experiences of students and staff from different backgrounds. </p>
<p>Diversity in senior leadership is essential to give meaning to the assertion “<a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-270320">we are all in it together</a>” and to <a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/document/publication/Leading%20for%20Change_Blueprint2018_FINAL_Web.pdf">sustainable development</a>. Acknowledging the interconnected nature of our society, universities need to reflect the ecology of knowledge that is integral to driving <a href="https://sustainablebrands.com/read/press-release/three-reasons-diversity-is-important-in-driving-sustainability-1">sustainable</a> socio-cultural, environmental, economic and technological development. </p>
<p>Diverse leadership should be the norm as we imagine the “<a href="https://en.unesco.org/futuresofeducation/debates/the-new-normal">new normal</a>”.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150952/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The sameness of ‘weird’ university leaderships creates well-documented risks for the sector and adds to the challenges of ensuring higher education meets future needs.Siew Fang Law, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Graduate School Of Education, The University of MelbourneGwilym Croucher, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1122812019-03-07T08:55:36Z2019-03-07T08:55:36ZIt’s not about him: leading lessons from Manchester United’s caretaker manager<p>If you see a group of people and hear them <a href="https://twitter.com/mufcsongs/status/1076465409434492931?lang=en">chanting</a>, “Ole’s at the wheel! Tell me how good does it feel!” you have found yourself among Manchester United supporters.</p>
<p>Manchester United (known just as “United”) is one of the world’s best-known and most successful football clubs, a dominant force in English and European football for decades. </p>
<p>But two months ago it was looking like a tumbling, lethargic, vulnerable giant – in sixth position in the English Premier League, way behind arch-rivals Liverpool (in first place) and Chelsea (fourth). </p>
<p>Since then it has climbed to fourth in the Premier League and advanced to the quarter finals of both the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. </p>
<p>The major change: the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46603018">sacking</a> of team manager Jose Mourinho and his <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/46636373">replacement</a> with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. </p>
<p>United’s turnaround has been dubbed “<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/01/02/ole-gunnar-solskjaer-effect-man-utd-attacking-play-positive/">The Solskjaer Effect</a>”. It defies conventional wisdom about leadership. </p>
<p>Mourinho, a professional coach and manager since 2000, was considered one of the best in the business. Appointed to manage United in 2016, he was expected to deliver football glory. But his tenure was mired by controversy, conflict and poor performance.</p>
<p>Solskjaer’s appointment as caretaker manager came as a <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/football/club/manchester-united/360/blog/post/3732658/manchester-uniteds-decision-to-hire-solskjaer-may-be-the-most-surprising-appointment-in-premier-league-history">surprise</a>. He has had a long association with United as a player, but was unproven as a manager of a big club. </p>
<p>What is it about Solskjaer that has brought United’s resurgence? It’s a story of successful “identity leadership”, rallying a disengaged group of underperforming players into a cohesive and effective unit. </p>
<h2>Our glory is more important than my glory</h2>
<p>An effective leader advances the group’s goals over personal goals.</p>
<p>Solskjaer has shown he understands what he needs to do for United to win games and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/jan/28/ole-gunnar-solskjaer-next-season-manchester-united-homegrown-players">trophies</a>. As the Norwegian explained in one <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tChkdUYf1Tk">press conference</a>, his job “is to help the players and make them grasp the opportunity now because they all want to be part of Man United”.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260508/original/file-20190223-195864-u1k851.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Jose Mourinho, a controversial figure at Manchester United.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">cristiano barni/ Shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“I’m going to be here to help them,” he said, “to help the team.”</p>
<p>The team’s impressive victories have seen him already surpass several <a href="https://talksport.com/football/502690/ole-gunnar-solskjaer-records-manchester-united/">records</a> by going undefeated in his first 11 games in charge. </p>
<p>He has humbly played down these achievements. When pronounced the English Premier League’s <a href="https://www.premierleague.com/news/1049573">manager of the month</a> in January, he was quick to attribute the award to the contribution of his coaching staff and players.</p>
<p>This is a stark contrast from his predecessor. Mourinho was often divisive and adversarial. Among Mourinho’s less endearing moments was when he reportedly <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11483970/jose-mourinho-storms-out-of-press-conference-demanding-respect-for-title-wins">stormed out of a press conference</a> in August 2018 demanding more respect for his individual success as a coach.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-there-a-way-back-for-jose-mourinho-as-a-sport-psychologist-i-see-a-hard-road-ahead-109096">Is there a way back for José Mourinho? As a sport psychologist, I see a hard road ahead</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>True leaders always look to deflect the attention on them as individuals. They emphasise that they represent the group. They declare their commitment to serving, as Solskjaer <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6539999/Man-Utd-boss-Ole-Gunnar-Solskjaer-plays-chances-getting-job-time.html">has done</a>, regardless of whether he gets hired permanently.</p>
<h2>We are stronger together</h2>
<p>An effective leader brings people together.</p>
<p>Solskjaer joined United at a time of turmoil and chaos. With positivity and exuberance, he has united the team with a collective cause. “I love working with good players,” <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tChkdUYf1Tk">he has said</a>. “They are good people, the players. They want to learn. They want to improve.”</p>
<p>After the team’s first loss under his leadership, he called it a <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/manchester-united-psg-ole-gunnar-solskjaer-champions-league-a8776546.html">learning experience</a> and avoided the blame game.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/260507/original/file-20190223-195886-8pz64z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Manchester United players celebrating their 2-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup on February 18, 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Silvi Photo/Shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By showing <a href="https://au.eurosport.com/football/premier-league/2018-2019/football-news-solskjaer-football-s-easy-if-you-ve-got-good-players.-and-i-got-advice-from-rooney_sto7063244/story.shtml">confidence in his players</a>, he has empowered them to perform.</p>
<p>This again has been a contrast to Mourinho, who alienated players by <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/dont-do-it-in-public-ferdinand-fires-back-at-mourinho-over/wzkav1gg3lwz14rib7zkl7pq9">chastising them in public</a>.</p>
<p>A true leader treats every person in their team as valuable, no matter what the person’s role. Solskjaer’s <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/danpontefract/2019/02/01/leadership-lessons-from-manchester-uniteds-new-manager-ole-gunnar-solskjaer/#4115cfc83616">collaborative</a> approach acknowledges that everyone contributes to the success of the group.</p>
<p>Which is to say, the group is greater than the sum of its parts.</p>
<h2>Group values</h2>
<p>An effective leader respects the identity of the group.</p>
<p>Solskjaer played for United for almost a decade, and was integral to the club’s <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/21878651">golden era</a>. He then spent a few years on the coaching staff. He knows what Manchester, the city, the club and the team, are about.</p>
<p>The way United is supposed to play, he says, is “exciting football” – using fast-paced and <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11667/11606793/manchester-united-counter-attack-thriving-under-ole-gunnar-solskjaer">attacking</a> tactics.</p>
<p>Mourinho, on the other hand, attempted to stamp his own brand of defensive football on the squad – a style of play described as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2018/feb/12/jose-mourinho-stodgy-unstructured-manchester-united-labouring">stodgy and unstructured</a>. In doing so, he disregarded the club’s identity and stymied the players’ natural strengths.</p>
<p>Overall, Solskjaer’s behaviour demonstrates the principles of <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_New_Psychology_of_Leadership.html?id=j5lSgq3A6Z0C&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">identity leadership</a>, a model of effective leadership supported by <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joop.12223">psychological science research</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/leaders-only-inspire-when-we-feel-part-of-their-group-44188">Leaders only inspire when we feel part of their group</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>To be a great leader you don’t have to be most successful, intelligent, or even most competent person in the room. It is about how hard you work at managing a collective sense of “we” among the people in a group and respecting the values of this group.</p>
<p><em>Full disclosure: the author is a proud Manchester United supporter.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/112281/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mazlan Maskor receives funding from The University of Queensland Research Training Scholarship and Research Training Program.</span></em></p>Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s has revived one of sport’s most revered brands. Here are some reasons for his leadership success.Mazlan Maskor, PhD and Master of Organisational Psychology Candidate | Leadership Science, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/903652018-02-09T12:42:41Z2018-02-09T12:42:41ZConfucius has a message for business leaders who want to succeed: reflect<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205607/original/file-20180208-180821-j2c6ml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Confucius deemed reflection the best way to wisdom.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the most admirable and arguably underrated qualities of leadership is the capacity for reflection. <a href="https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/confucius_131984">Confucius called</a> it the most noble way to learn wisdom. </p>
<p>But when we talk about what makes someone a successful leader, we typically describe attributes like the ability to innovate, make strategic decisions or manage uncertainty. We rarely mention reflection among the core traits of a great leader. </p>
<p>Yet their capacity to reflect on decisions, behaviors and learning certainly helped guide them toward success. Media mogul <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/07/self-made-millionaire-arianna-huffington-shares-the-no-1-thing-you-need-to-do-to-be-successful.html">Arianna Huffington</a>, for example, recommends reflection as a way to connect with one’s own wisdom and creativity. Billionaire investor <a href="https://inside.bwater.com/publications/principles_excerpt">Ray Dalio</a> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bridgewater-ceo-ray-dalio-learning-from-mistakes-pain-reflection-progress-2017-5">credits reflecting on painful experiences</a> with helping him build Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund. </p>
<p>Reflection is different than critical thinking, which is more focused on problem solving and an end goal. <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2017/leadership-talent-people-organization-rewards-ceo-reflection.aspx">Reflective thinking</a> helps us understand our underlying beliefs and assumptions and how they influence our decisions, guide us in problem-solving and drive behavior. </p>
<p>In my consulting work, I help organizations select top talent and rising stars who can achieve superior levels of performance. Companies tell me they want leaders who can make the “right” decisions quickly and decisively, often while balancing competing interests.</p>
<p>Given the fast-paced nature of the world we inhabit, it may seem counterintuitive for them and others to include the ability to reflect as among the most important traits that will determine a leader’s success. Yet there is growing evidence showing precisely that. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205597/original/file-20180208-180816-1j388x3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Media mogul Arianna Huffington calls reflection essential to being a successful entrepreneur.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Power of reflection</h2>
<p>Physicians understand this intuitively because they must make lightning-quick life and death decisions, requiring ways to help them navigate uncertain situations.</p>
<p>A 2015 paper on the role of reflection in bioethics education describes the ability to reflect as “crucial” to future physicians and helps them develop their “ethical and professional acumen and sensitivity,” according to researchers at <a href="http://muse.jhu.edu/article/581562/pdf">Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine</a>, which integrates the topic into its formal curriculum.</p>
<p>As such, the school’s medical students participate in small group sessions and reflection-themed assignments that require them to examine their experiences in classes with questions like “What inspired you?” and “Do you feel you are becoming the physician you want to be?”</p>
<p>The majority of students who have participated in these programs said they found it helpful for their personal and professional growth.</p>
<p>Similarly, a year-long study by <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10810730.2015.1018647?journalCode=uhcm20">researchers</a> at Tufts University School of Medicine and Boston College examined the role of reflection on physician-patient interactions. They found that physicians who reflected on the tone they used with patients – and how it affected the latter’s willingness to disclose information – led to improved communication and a greater emphasis on the patient’s actual experiences rather than their own perceptions. </p>
<p>Besides the potential for sharpened awareness and attentiveness in communication, reflection also boosts confidence in one’s ability to complete a task and also improves the understanding of the task, according to <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/14-093_defe8327-eeb6-40c3-aafe-26194181cfd2.pdf">researchers at Harvard Business School</a>. Perhaps surprisingly, they found that taking the time to reflect after finishing a job enhances performance more than additional experience doing it.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205598/original/file-20180208-180821-1qpbx76.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Zarna Patel is in her third year at Loyola University Chicago’s medical school, which integrates reflection into its curriculum.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>15 minutes a day</h2>
<p>Although there is emerging evidence showing the benefits of reflection, why aren’t more leaders engaging in this activity? </p>
<p>There may be a host of reasons, the obvious answers being a lack of desire and time. According to <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/345/6192/75">behavioral scientists</a>, most people prefer to engage in external activities rather than be alone with their thoughts.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w23248">study</a> of 1,114 chief executive officers in Brazil, France, Germany, India, the United Kingdom and the United States examined how they spend their workday. They found that on average CEOs spend about 70 percent of their time interacting with others either in-person or virtually. The rest is primarily spent on activities supporting these interactions such as travel and preparing for meetings.</p>
<p>This doesn’t leave a lot of time for focused reflection. Still, some leaders recognize the benefit of setting aside time to do just that. </p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/how-self-reflection-can-make-you-a-better-leader">Harry Kraemer</a>, the former CEO of Baxter International, schedules a nightly ritual of reflection during which he asks self-examining questions such as, “If I lived today over again, what would have I done differently?” </p>
<p>Kraemer doesn’t advocate a specific approach to self-reflection since he believes it to be a personal matter. But he strongly recommends that leaders make the time for it, even as little as 15 minutes a day. Interestingly, <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/14-093_defe8327-eeb6-40c3-aafe-26194181cfd2.pdf">researchers</a> have found that 15 minutes of self-reflection at the end of the day can in fact boost performance.</p>
<p>Spanx founder and billionaire <a href="http://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a11508/sara-blakely-interview/">Sara Blakely</a> uses journaling as a means of reflection. In an interview, Blakely said she has filled about 20 notebooks with all the “terrible things” that have happened to her.</p>
<p>“Every terrible thing that happens to you always has a hidden gift and is leading you to something greater,” she said. </p>
<p>The idea that the best learning happens in moments of quiet reflection is a sentiment backed by <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/111/44/15845.full.pdf">research</a> from the University of Texas at Austin. Researchers examined whether reflection enhances future learning. Participants were assigned memorization tasks and given time between them to think about anything. Participants, who used that in-between time to reflect on what they learned, became better able to connect new information to related ideas they already knew. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205599/original/file-20180208-180829-cn0124.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">He may be ‘The Thinker,’ but he’s probably reflecting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">tkachuk/Shutterstock.com</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How to make it your own</h2>
<p>So how can we all take advantage of the power of reflection?</p>
<p>The key, according to organizational psychologist <a href="https://ideas.ted.com/the-right-way-to-be-introspective-yes-theres-a-wrong-way/">Tasha Eurich</a>, is to ask “what” rather than “why.” For example, instead of asking, “Why did this happen?” ask, “What could I have done differently to stop it from happening again?” </p>
<p>Asking “what” questions help us to escape the loop of rumination, maintain objectivity and stay focused on the future. When individuals take a “<a href="http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2017/07/037.html">distanced perspective</a>,” seeing things as an observer, they report higher levels of confidence and are able to better respond to sources of stress. </p>
<p>There is no unique universal approach to reflective inquiry. Investigate a practice that resonates most with you and apply it daily, beginning with minor challenges or even relatively benign situations.</p>
<p>There is no need to expect to get it “right and now.” The ultimate aim is to place yourself simultaneously as an active participant and observer of your life and experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90365/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Khatera Sahibzada is the founder and owner of KSAHIB Consulting, which advises companies on leadership selection and assessment. </span></em></p>The ancient Chinese teacher called reflection the best way to become wise, yet we rarely consider it a core trait of a great leader. It’s time for that to change.Khatera Sahibzada, Adjunct Lecturer of Leadership, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and SciencesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/812512017-08-10T00:09:52Z2017-08-10T00:09:52ZDo college presidents still matter?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180626/original/file-20170801-22841-uslwtn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Three influential college presidents: Charles Eliot of Harvard (in office 1869-1909), Robert Maynard Hutchins of the University of Chicago (1929-45) and Drew Faust of Harvard (2007-18).</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AP Photo/Edward Kitch/Charles Krupa</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Drew Faust’s recent decision to <a href="http://harvardmagazine.com/2017/06/harvard-president-faust-stepping-down-2018">step down as president of Harvard</a> has inspired much commentary about <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/06/15/the-biggest-job-education-just-opened-who-running/buz6wZLRSMSk98SPfPI8aK/story.html">who</a> <a href="http://poetsandquants.com/2017/06/14/could-nitin-nohria-become-harvards-next-president/">should be</a> the <a href="https://qz.com/1008395/harvards-new-president-could-be-barack-obama-or-janet-yellen/">next president</a> of the country’s leading university and, therefore, about the nature of the contemporary academic presidency. Has the position changed over the last generation of presidents? How much does an individual president still matter anyway?</p>
<p>As a former university president and student of the presidency, I find these questions fascinating to consider. Given that a high percentage of sitting presidents will be <a href="http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/American-College-President-Study.aspx">retiring in the immediate future</a>, these questions are also important for all of higher education.</p>
<p>Will the next crop of presidents face different pressures and require different skills than was the case for new presidents a decade or two ago?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180609/original/file-20170801-24097-yvk6ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Former Harvard presidents Larry Summers and Drew Faust, at the latter’s inauguration in 2007. Faust recently announced her resignation, slated for the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Harvard-President/064aef9e525046228899606c8eb95cea/1/0">AP Photo/Lisa Poole</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The changing presidency</h2>
<p>To some extent, the answer to what kind of president a college or university needs is specific to that institution and that moment in time. In 2007, Drew Faust was the right president for Harvard in part because of the <a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2005/1/14/summers-comments-on-women-and-science/">divisive atmosphere</a> created by her predecessor. (Larry Summers drew considerable ire for his remarks about men’s “<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/02/18/summers2_18">intrinsic aptitude</a>” in math and science.)</p>
<p>But institution-specific considerations can vary greatly. Some circumstances call for a change agent; others for a stabilizing manager. Sometimes an internally focused academic leader is needed; sometimes an outward-looking spokesperson and fundraiser. Alumni status can be important, as can disciplinary background. The list of possibilities is long. Framing the needed profile is the job of trustees.</p>
<p>Beyond the specific circumstances of individual institutions loom larger questions about academic leadership in general. </p>
<p>Recent <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2013.749144">scholarly</a> and <a href="http://highered.aspeninstitute.org/future-college-presidency/">professional</a> discussions of the presidency tend to stress the <a href="https://dupress.deloitte.com/dup-us-en/industry/public-sector/college-presidency-higher-education-leadership.html">changing nature of the role</a>. One line of argument emphasizes heightened pressures from external factors like constrained public budgets, rising operating costs, increased government regulation and intensified competition from for-profit and online providers.</p>
<p>These considerations lead some to argue that academic institutions today must run <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2004.0022">more like businesses</a> than in the past and that future presidents will need skills in corporate-style strategic planning and management, or in entrepreneurial approaches to program development and in identifying new revenue streams. Alternatively, some argue that intensified economic pressures call for <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3200/CHNG.41.5.46-54">heightened fundraising skills</a> or, for public sector presidents, sophistication in political advocacy.</p>
<figure class="align-right
">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180605/original/file-20170801-21062-10n1cz7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=886&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">John Brademas as majority whip in 1971. He used the political capital he built up as a longtime member of Congress to raise big money after becoming the president of NYU.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Brademas.jpg">Congressional Pictorial Directory, 92nd U.S. Congress</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>The changing university</h2>
<p>Another line of discussion stresses the changing nature of the university itself. Colleges and universities, so the argument goes, are becoming more complex, with increasingly diverse constituencies and multiple centers of power. One such center of power is the faculty, whose <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392088">increased autonomy and expectations of influence</a> can seemingly limit executive action.</p>
<p>In recent years, scholars have described academic institutions as “<a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2391875">loosely coupled systems</a>” or “<a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/2392088">organized anarchies</a>” and have concluded that traditional styles of top-down executive leadership do not work in this context.</p>
<p>An extreme version of this theory can lead to the conclusion that the powers of the presidency have been so diluted as to reduce the role to a merely symbolic one. One empirical study of universities in the United Kingdom found that campus leaders had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9311-0">no measurable impact</a> on the actual performance of their institutions.</p>
<p>Though scholars may speculate on the efficacy of university presidents, presidents themselves tend to stress that decentralization within academic organizations simply changes the requirements for effective leadership.</p>
<p>Such presidents argue that <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2017.1286213">the contemporary presidency</a> requires capacities like persuasiveness, listening, consensus building and the creation of coalitions. In short, some feel that political skill should replace managerial acumen in a president’s skill set.</p>
<p>Recent discussions of academic leadership have stressed that such political skills have become even more important in the context of a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/education/edlife/student-demands-an-update.html">new wave of student activism</a> and heightened tensions within increasingly diverse campus communities – phenomena made more challenging by the megaphone of social media.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=447&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/180603/original/file-20170801-22175-1xrulko.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">University of California president Janet Napolitano faces protesters during an audit of the UC system.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/University-of-California-Partying-Regents/efa3b0a8348c494abfbe185397d65c78/8/0">AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Presidential leadership is possible</h2>
<p>Notwithstanding these multiple perspectives on the contemporary presidency, a unifying theme emerges: The presidency has become more complex and demanding.</p>
<p>Must we conclude that such complexity renders the role ineffective and therefore (oddly) less important? My own sense, based on 10 years as president of Northeastern, 40 years in academic administration and the study of numerous presidencies, is that significant presidential leadership remains both possible and essential. </p>
<p>First, I believe it’s a massive overstatement to argue that the presidency has been rendered ineffective by decentralized organizational structures and empowered campus constituencies. Presidents can and do lead by convincing key stakeholders whom they cannot directly control to support their goals. They do so by exercising persuasion, moral force and inspiration and by representing the inherent authority of the office. This is hard, but possible.</p>
<p>What’s more, these changes don’t eliminate important powers that remain in the hands of the president. Presidents still control the budget. Presidents establish organizational structures and lines of authority. Presidents appoint the top administrative officials who report directly to them. These are significant levers to shape an organization and direct its development. Using them effectively requires managerial skills like organizational design, team building, priority setting, delegation and supervision. Again, this is difficult, but possible. </p>
<p>Finally, quite apart from the matter of power, the symbolic role of the president remains deeply important. In my view, how faculty and staff feel about their president affects the quality of their work and, therefore, the education of students, just as the leader of any organization or unit of government affects the morale and commitment of members of that community. Moreover, how donors, alumni and legislators feel about the president affects campus finances.</p>
<p>Even if the president did nothing but occupy the office and articulate the value of the institution, the role would matter a lot.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Freeland is an executive coach and strategic planning consultant for Maguire Associates. </span></em></p>A former president of Northeastern and scholar of higher education shares his perspectives on what has – and hasn’t – changed in the role of the college president.Richard Freeland, Professor of History and Higher Education, Northeastern UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/644952016-08-29T14:39:36Z2016-08-29T14:39:36ZGlobal leadership is in crisis – it’s time to stop the rot<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135627/original/image-20160826-17876-jb7xyr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C260%2C1000%2C601&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bad leaders are bad news – for their followers and for the world as a whole.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>People around the world are <a href="http://qz.com/768342/robert-mugabe-will-not-allow-an-arab-spring-in-zimbabwe-as-police-crush-another-anti-government-protest/">angry</a> and frustrated with those who “lead” them. Increasingly, leaders and leadership generate <a href="http://reports.weforum.org/outlook-global-agenda-2015/top-10-trends-of-2015/3-lack-of-leadership/">scepticism</a> and, in some cases, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-burundi-politics-idUSKBN0OI1FK20150602">open revolt</a>. </p>
<p>People’s trust and faith in leadership and the institutions they represent is evaporating at an alarming rate. There’s a deepening, widening crisis in the legitimacy and credibility of leadership. This crisis can be attributed to five primary sources: unable; unintelligent; immature; immoral and/or destructive leaders.</p>
<p>I estimate that at least 30% – and rising – of the world’s current leadership is virally infected by one or more of these sources. It is crucial that this crisis is tackled, and leadership is reimagined to fit the new world order. </p>
<p>Without this process of reimagining, the world’s very future may be at stake. Bad leaders will destroy people, <a href="http://qz.com/576459/jacob-zumas-erratic-leadership-has-done-long-term-harm-to-south-africas-economic-future/">wreck economies</a> and tear societies apart – irreparably.</p>
<h2>Unable leadership</h2>
<p>More and more leaders are emerging without the abilities and qualities needed to lead effectively in a changing world. This is typified by variety, interdependency, complexity, change, ambiguity, seamlessness and sustainability. </p>
<p>Today’s leaders often have obsolete abilities for this new world. They appear unable to reinvent themselves fast enough to adapt to the ongoing shifts. They lack the required levels of, for instance, resilience, responsiveness, agility, risk-taking, creativity and innovation. Simply put, many leaders have reached their “sell-by date”.</p>
<p>There is a rapid increase in leadership <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287394318_When_leaders_burn_out_The_causes_costs_and_prevention_of_burnout_among_leaders">burnout</a> and leaders being rejected by their organisations. </p>
<p>This is driven by the constant stress they’re under, which mercilessly exposes <a href="http://www.hogandarkside.com/">their hidden weaknesses</a>. And because they are constantly under pressure, leaders are unable – or don’t make – time to build and maintain the essential qualities of hope, passion, confidence, efficacy, courage and perseverance in their followers. They don’t equip their followers with the <a href="http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1010&context=leadershipfacpub">psycho-social capital</a> they need to deal with the world.</p>
<h2>Unintelligent leadership</h2>
<p>Unintelligent leaders either overemphasise one or lack in some of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-world-needs-intelligent-leaders-and-what-it-takes-to-be-one-59277">five interdependent intelligence modes</a>: intra- and interpersonal; systemic; ideation; action and contextual.</p>
<p>They fall short on the insight and wisdom needed to deal effectively with the new world. Leaders are are dumbing down. </p>
<p>They have poorly crystallised identities. They don’t understand themselves, others and their reciprocal impact. They tend to get trapped and overwhelmed by detail instead of seeing the big picture. </p>
<p>They’re also are unable to be big dreamers who look constantly ahead: they’re stuck in the here-and-now. They do not have the insight to affect lasting, large-scale change and constructively engage with the new world.</p>
<h2>Immature leadership</h2>
<p>Many leaders are stuck at earlier <a href="https://theconversation.com/maturity-makes-great-leaders-the-journey-from-dwarf-to-giant-61417">maturity stages</a> and struggle to migrate to higher levels.</p>
<p>Some seek constant approval from others because their self-worth has not been affirmed. They have no confidence in their own ability. Others strive to satisfy their egocentric interests and needs single-mindedly. </p>
<p>Some proclaim ad nauseam to be the one and only, indispensable saviour of the world. Others push in an uncompromising manner for the realisation of narrow organisation specific goals to the detriment of the common good. </p>
<p>Because such leaders are stuck at earlier maturity stages they are unable to graduate to maturity stage five, the highest level. Those who have reached this stage <a href="https://theconversation.com/maturity-makes-great-leaders-the-journey-from-dwarf-to-giant-61417">have embraced</a> their role as a servant and steward who is in service to humanity, and drive commonly shared pursuits.</p>
<h2>Immoral leadership</h2>
<p>Ethical leaders do the right thing for the right reasons in the right way in the right place and at the right time with the right people.</p>
<p>But a growing number of leaders lack a moral conscience, compass and courage. They are arrogant, cowardly and secretive. They have little or no integrity, and pursue their own personal interests and needs. They shy away from any accountability for their own decisions, actions and the consequences of these.</p>
<p>Immoral leaders’ followers are very rarely <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104898430600110X">empowered and enabled</a> to do their jobs well. These leaders feel threatened by their followers and tend to actively block their development.</p>
<h2>Destructive leadership</h2>
<p>The previous four sources I’ve described pertain to a “lack of”. </p>
<p>This fifth source relates to the “presence of” something: <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-toxic-leaders-destroy-people-as-well-as-organisations-51951">toxicity</a>. Toxicity manifests in leaders’ ongoing, deliberate actions to undermine their followers’ sense of dignity, self-worth and efficacy. </p>
<p>These destructive actions may be physical, psychosocial, spiritual or all three. </p>
<h2>The imperative of reimagining leadership</h2>
<p>What can be done to deal with these sources of the world’s leadership crisis?</p>
<p>The first, knee-jerk response is to embark on a frantic search for a silver bullet. But such missions often cause more damage than the existing crisis. A supposedly new and “better” form of leadership is posited. This lulls people into a false sense of security. The hard reality? There is no magic wand.</p>
<p>It’s imperative not to start with answers to given questions, but rather up front to identify the right questions about future-fit leadership and then seek answers. It’s time to reimagine leadership anew, both in terms of new questions and answers that will have lasting benefits. Here are six possible questions to help us find useful answers:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><em>Where?</em> It’s important to choose an appropriate leadership vantage point from which to look at leadership. I contend this entails taking a complexity, long term perspective of leadership. This will allow organisations and societies to reimagine leaders as holistic, organic, integrated and dynamic whole persons. </p></li>
<li><p><em>Where to?</em> This involves crafting a leadership excellence model that is matched to the leadership challenges, demands and requirements of the new world.</p></li>
<li><p><em>What?</em> This encompasses systemically reinventing and reprogramming the five leadership facets of ability, intelligence, maturity, morality and authenticity at a much deeper level in order to match leaders closer to the new world.</p></li>
<li><p><em>How?</em> Continuous lifelong, blended leadership development across all leadership facets must occur and form part of leaders’ key performance areas. Leadership capacity, and its development, must be set as a national priority by countries’ governments, and by organisations.</p></li>
<li><p><em>Who?</em> Everyone must be enabled and empowered to be a leader. All leaders must be encouraged to take a leadership oath in which they’d publicly commit to leadership excellence and being held accountable accordingly.</p></li>
<li><p><em>When?</em> The identification, growth and development of leadership must start in early childhood at school level already, and continue throughout a person’s whole life.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There is much to do if we’re to tackle the world’s deepening, widening leadership crisis. Without better leaders, the future of the world is truly at stake with the growing risk of a world implosion. We need to reimagine and nurture leadership for this new world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Theo Veldsman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There’s a widening global crisis in the legitimacy and credibility of leadership. It can be attributed to five sources: unable; unintelligent; immature; immoral and/or destructive leadership.Theo Veldsman, Professor and Head, Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of JohannesburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/546662016-02-18T03:59:17Z2016-02-18T03:59:17ZWhy universities need brave, bold leaders more than ever<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111763/original/image-20160217-30543-yh3a84.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Modern, transformative university leaders invite and really listen to all perspectives.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There has been an <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0EItGpwc-8wC&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=academic+revolution++higher+education+keller&ots=hQtGT_TTe-&sig=nWKIT3LURZ4d-vAwZW_ybNJkPiA#v=onepage&q=academic%20revolution%20%20higher%20education%20keller&f=false">academic revolution</a> in higher education over the past 50 years. It’s been marked by <a href="http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-disruptive-innovation-is-remaking-the-university">disruptive innovation</a> – think of how rapid technological advances have widened access, such as through Massive Open Online Courses.</p>
<p>These changes have brought universities to the <a href="https://aom.org/uploadedFiles/About_AOM/Presidents_Welcome/1997.pdf">edge of an epoch</a> in which they will only survive if they are able to innovate and produce knowledge fast. For this to happen, the higher education sector will have to change its ideas about leadership.</p>
<p>It must move beyond traditional paradigms and mindsets. It must look for and develop transformational leaders. These are leaders who emerge in the face of adaptive challenges that require exploration, learning and new patterns of behaviour. </p>
<p>In South Africa, this need has been brought into sharp focus by the <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/27/africa/fees-must-fall-student-protest-south-africa-explainer/">#FeesMustFall student movement</a>. Students successfully pushed President Jacob Zuma into conceding to a <a href="http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/education/2015/10/23/no-university-fee-increases-for-2016-zuma-announces">0% university fee increase</a> for 2016. </p>
<p>The movement has placed several issues firmly on the national agenda. These include: access to affordable, quality higher education; the insourcing of vulnerable workers; and the need to fundamentally transform university curricula. Students also want higher education to be made free for all. Addressing these demands, particularly during an economic <a href="http://www.rdm.co.za/business/2016/01/28/the-parlous-state-of-the-south-african-economy">downturn</a>, calls for a bold response that draws on all stakeholders’ collective creativity. </p>
<p>It will also require truly transformational leaders. What do I mean by this?</p>
<h2>The characteristics of such leaders</h2>
<p><a href="https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/afr/improving-organizational-effectiveness-through-transformational-leadership/book4228">Transformational leaders</a> are able to cope with uncertainty and contradiction. They do this by proactively engaging with divergent views in articulating a compelling vision for the future. This is an important leadership trait, since <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/how-small-shifts-in-leadership-can-transform-your-team-dynamic">behavioural research</a> has shown that people do their best thinking when they feel included and their views are respected and appreciated. </p>
<p>Transformational leaders are also known for their empowering style. They build relationships of trust through <a href="http://hancockmcdonald.com/sites/hancockmcdonald.com/files/file-downloads/Authentic%20Listening.pdf">authentic listening</a>. Importantly, such leaders construct possibilities for systemic resilience by cultivating safe spaces for difficult dialogues to take place. This encourages experimentation, stimulates the emergence of creativity and gives people the opportunity to question widely-held assumptions and beliefs. </p>
<p>The essence of this sort of leadership lies in developing and transforming people to reach their fullest potential. This results in the university itself becoming transformed. </p>
<h2>Some transformation questions</h2>
<p>South Africa’s apartheid history left a higher education system that is structured along highly stratified racial, gender, class, cultural and spatial lines. This led to the need for radical transformation to create a non-racial, non-sexist, more equal and socially just society. </p>
<p>In this context, it is necessary to think of <a href="http://www.dhet.gov.za/summit/Docs/2015Docs/Annex%205_UnivSA_Reflections%20on%20HE%20Transformation.pdf">“university transformation”</a> in two ways. Internally, universities need to transform to better reflect the goals contained in national policies. Externally, they must reframe their contributions to the wider society.</p>
<p><a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2013-12-05-measuring-equality-unequally/">Some pertinent questions</a> need to be asked when reflecting on the pace and depth of transformation in higher education since the advent of democracy in 1994. These include the extent to which universities are: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>creating inclusive institutional cultures where the historical legacies of systemic oppression are reversed and diversity is embraced;</p></li>
<li><p>transforming the curriculum so that graduates are equipped to contribute meaningfully to society as enlightened and responsible citizens; and</p></li>
<li><p>enhancing the diversity of student and staff profiles to better reflect the country’s demographics.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Addressing such questions will enrich the transformation discourse. It will also create the conditions for university stakeholders to openly grapple with, and share, more effective ways of ensuring that universities better reflect democratic ideals. </p>
<p>So is this possible in South Africa right now? Yes, more than ever: because, paradoxically, systems are most likely to change when they experience what’s known as <a href="http://iic.wiki.fgv.br/file/view/Stacey,%201995.%20The%20science%20of%20complexity.%20SMJ.pdf">bounded instability</a>. </p>
<h2>Some instability can support innovation</h2>
<p>Under conditions of bounded instability, complex systems are constantly poised between order and chaos. They are able to spontaneously self-organise and transform themselves in order to survive. The <a href="http://mbagroup1.tripod.com/back%20to%20the%20future.pdf">laws of cause and effect</a> no longer appear to apply.</p>
<p>Our instinct is to restore equilibrium as quickly as possible. But transformational university leaders will recognise that <a href="http://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/surfing-the-edge-of-chaos/">“surfing the edge of chaos”</a> provides a platform for innovation to emerge. This makes bounded instability more conducive to the sort of change that’s required than either stable equilibrium or explosive instability. If systems become too stable, they ossify and die. If they become too unstable, they may descend into chaos and destroy themselves.</p>
<p>A system is far easier to change when it’s at the edge of instability. That’s because small actions of agents within the system can escalate into major outcomes. South Africa has witnessed this principle with the #FeesMustFall movement. The disorderly dynamics of contradiction, conflict and tension provide the driving force for adaptability and responsiveness. </p>
<h2>The lesson to be learnt</h2>
<p>The dominant paradigms in leadership theory are premised on seeking stability and avoiding uncertainty. </p>
<p>But the lesson which emerges in the midst of complexity is that leadership does not merely comprise the influential acts of university leaders. Rather, it is embedded in interpersonal relationships and an array of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13678868.2012.756155">interacting organisational processes</a>. </p>
<p>These facilitate organisational learning and intelligent adaptation. The task of transformational university leaders is to mindfully engage with diverse stakeholders, harness their creative energies and courageously co-create the conditions for deep transformation. </p>
<p>South Africa’s universities have tinkered at the edges for too long. This has heightened the frustrations of marginalised students and workers who experience the harsh realities of poverty, inequality and exclusion on a daily basis. The time is ripe for transformational leadership. </p>
<hr>
<p><em>Author’s note: Acknowledgement is given to Kumaree Moodley, whose MBA treatise explored the role of transformational leaders within a selected higher education institution in South Africa.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/54666/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Heather Nel does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In future, universities will only survive if they can produce knowledge fast and innovate. This will require transformational leadership that gets everyone involved.Heather Nel, Senior Director Institutional Planning, Nelson Mandela UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/388392015-04-07T02:24:21Z2015-04-07T02:24:21ZThe real leadership challenge: only six Liberals are suitable to be PM<p>With the topic of leadership de rigueur in Australia these days, it is important that we ponder not just the who but also the why and the how ought.</p>
<p>Attending to these other questions draws attention to the real leadership challenge. This is the challenge of finding a leader with the capacity to facilitate and guide change (or reform) in a world of no certain answers.</p>
<p>The US Army Staff College invented the acronym <a href="http://www.governing.com/columns/smart-mgmt/col-leadership-vuca-world-volatility-uncertainty-complexity-ambiguity.html">VUCA</a> to describe the contemporary Volatile world of Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity. Issues and problems in such a world have been described as <a>wicked</a>, even <a href="http://chrisriedy.me/2013/05/29/climate-change-is-a-super-wicked-problem/">super-wicked</a>.</p>
<h2>Wicked problems are ultimate test</h2>
<p>Wicked problems cannot be solved by experts or by deferring to the judgement of an authority such as a government minister or a CEO. The diversity of perspectives and interests in wicked problems means that all the people involved in the problem need to be engaged and actively participating. </p>
<p>In particular, wicked problems are systemic; they are simultaneously social, economic, technical, environmental and legal problems. They require multi-faceted solutions, which are not always obvious. Where solutions are recognised, they often cannot be implemented simultaneously.</p>
<p>As a result, the easiest implemented solutions are often tried first. This very often then create new problems for which subsequent, more difficult-to-implement solutions may no longer be appropriate. That is, many preferred solutions to wicked problems often lead to unintended consequences, which demand totally new approaches. </p>
<p>Liz Skelton and Geoff Aigner argue in <a href="http://leadership.benevolent.org.au/publications/australian-leadership-paradox">The Australian Leadership Paradox</a> that European Australia’s history and culture have not prepared us well for the kind of <a href="http://leadershipforchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Keith-Grint-Wicked-Problems-handout.pdf">leadership needed to work through wicked problems</a> together. We are more used to command-and-control or technocratic <a href="http://theconversation.com/leadership-what-it-is-and-isnt-27019">types of leaders</a> – think Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd, respectively!</p>
<p>From this perspective, the real leadership challenge is the mismatch between the leadership approach we’re familiar with and ethical mindsets that prize open-heartedness, the virtue of collaboration and the two-way communication needed for leadership in a VUCA World. Only by replacing the current leadership paradigm will there be any prospect of reaching a deep understanding of problems, alternative visions of the future, and consensus on decisions.</p>
<h2>What sort of leaders are there?</h2>
<p>In partnership with psychologist <a href="http://www.cook-greuter.com">Susanne Cook-Greuter</a>, a 30-year research <a href="https://hbr.org/2005/04/seven-transformations-of-leadership">program at Harvard</a> provides advice on the mindsets and approaches needed for such leadership. The Harvard team integrates mindsets and will to action into the concept of action logic: each of us has a particular action logic that determines how we see the world and, therefore, how we will think and act.</p>
<p>Analysing responses from a data set of many thousand senior leaders across all sectors on all continents (including Antarctica), they have identified seven broad categories of action logic among leaders:</p>
<p><strong>Opportunists</strong> who focus on their own immediate interests. They are often manipulative and believe that “might makes right” and “ends justify means”.
Source of power: coercion. How they influence others: control and authority.</p>
<p><strong>Diplomats</strong> who focus on being approved by everyone and avoiding conflict.
Source of power: persuasion. How they influence others: use conformity with existing norms to get others to follow.</p>
<p><strong>Experts</strong> who focus on their own expertise and prioritise proven technical competence. They seek rationality and efficiency. Source of power: logical argument. How they influence others: give personal attention to detail and seek perfection.</p>
<p><strong>Achievers</strong> who focus on the delivery of results, efficiency and success within the system. Source of power: Coordinating the sources of power of previous three action logics. How they influence others: provide logical argument, data and experiences; make task-oriented contractual agreements.</p>
<p><strong>Individualists</strong> who focus on their own abilities to offer original and creative solutions; they take more systemic and broader positions on issues than opportunists. Source of power: Confronting, often deconstructing other positions.
How they influence others: adapt (ignore) rules when needed or invent new ones.</p>
<p><strong>Strategists</strong> who focus on the interactions in systems and anticipate long-term trends. They believe in cultivating a shared vision and culture as first steps in a proactive approach to issues. Source of power: Integrative; consciously transformative. How they influence others: lead in reframing situation so that decisions support overall principles and strategy.</p>
<p><strong>Alchemists</strong> who focus on the interplay of awareness, thought, action and effects, and on transforming self and others. They value social transformation, environmental responsibility, equity and support for global humanitarian causes.
Source of power: authentic, values-driven leadership. How they influence others: reframe issues; hold up mirror to society; often entails working behind the scenes.</p>
<p>The leadership challenge is to elect a government capable of forming a cabinet composed of achievers, individualists, strategists and alchemists – and a prime minister who is, preferably, a strategist or alchemist. Opportunists, diplomats and experts do not make for effective leaders in a VUCA World of wicked problems.</p>
<h2>What are the odds of getting the right leader?</h2>
<p>The Harvard research indicates that 52.1% of leaders can be categorised as opportunists, diplomats or experts. So, leaving them out: of a combined House of Representatives and Senate membership of 226 people, that leaves 108 who could make decent cabinet ministers, at least if we had cross-party governments.</p>
<p>However, only 6.9% of leaders are strategists and alchemists. This severely limits the choice of prime minister to a pool of 16. But, as a senator cannot become prime minister and we do not have a tradition of cross-party cabinets, this translates to a prime minister chosen from possibly eight of the 90 Coalition MPs – or, more accurately, six as the Coalition always awards the top job to a member of the senior party – that is, the Liberals. </p>
<p>On this basis, we potentially have six members of parliament in Canberra capable – on the statistics – of being a good prime minister.</p>
<p>Overcoming the intra-party politics so that we get the best one of these is the real leadership challenge.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>John will be on hand for an Author Q&A session between 3 and 4pm AEST on Wednesday April 8. Post your questions about the article in the comments section below.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38839/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Fien does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Analysis of the mindsets and responses of thousands of senior leaders tells us only about 7% are likely to have the right stuff to lead effective government responses to wicked problems.John Fien, Professor and Executive Director, Swinburne Leadership Institute, Swinburne University of TechnologyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.