By the IPK Team
Why we need to embody the idea of leaders as collabortors
Two myths that rule our lives
Many of us have grown up thinking of leaders as commanders – the people at the top who have all
the answers, know just what to do, and are able to take control and issue firm instructions. For
them, for those leaders, this type of orthodoxy leads to burn out and intense pressure and anxiety –
they feel like they have to come up with solutions to save the day, to control everything to ensure
nothing goes wrong, and if they don’t, they have failed. The so-called non-leaders buy-in to the myth
too and believe the commander will save them – swoop in with clear orders and rules that will
remove their confusion and frustrations – and they might end up passively waiting for the solution
to be handed down rather than offering up their own ideas.
This commander myth is based on another one: the mechanical idea of an organisation that
operates through control mechanisms with clear hierarchies and ranks. In this myth, if things are
managed well enough and rules adhered to, everything will run smoothly. Any problem can be
solved through logic and careful application of the rules. But these are just myths, misconceptions
borne in another time, needing a radical update. Without these myths, we can see organisations as
adaptive living systems, subject to the laws of complexity. Staff are doing their jobs not like
automatons but as people doing their best in response to their environment, in a dynamic
interaction, and small changes might have big impacts. Challenges tend to be complex – for example,
how to reduce time spent on bureaucracy, or how to be more innovative – and solutions need to
honour that complexity by trying to understand how the challenge impacts all parts of the system.
This is the idea behind leaders as collaborators – leaders need to stop being commanders and
controllers who sit on top of hierarchies and begin holding collaborative conversations to leverage
the collective wisdom and ingenuity inherent in all complex adaptive living systems. This is the only
way to solve complex problems. Below is a wonderful image that illustrates the point perfectly.
How to deal with complexity.
Leaders are spoken about as a noun, that is, the leader, the boss, the manager, the commander, but we invite you to think about leadership as more of a verb – what the leader is doing, their mindset, their intention, the quality of their interactions, and their presence. Think of a good and a bad leader you have worked with – the difference is about how people verb, or do, their leadership.
Senge, Hamilton, and Kania (2015) write that systemic challenges require “unprecedented collaboration” and use the example of Nelson Mandela to illustrate collective leadership, where former enemies were asked to contribute to finding South African solutions together. Collective leadership necessarily involves co-creation of solutions and it is the role of leaders to create a safe collaborative space where everyone can grapple and sense-make and pull things to pieces and make decisions collectively. It results in solutions that have been co-created by all parts of the system, are appropriate for all parts of the system, and are owned by all parts of the system. Of course, not all decisions need to be made in a collaborative way – we do not want airline pilots asking passengers’ opinions in an emergency situation – and Bryan Smith’s Tell – Sell – Test – Consult – Co-create is a useful framework in that regard.
What do leaders as collaborators do?
There is quite a lot written about this, using different language. Senge et al write about system leaders, whose core characteristics include that they:
- See the larger system, not just their own, and help others to do so so that they begin to build a shared understanding of the complex problem, and a way to find new-order solutions;
- Foster reflection and an examination of their mental models and limitations, and understand that we all see reality slightly differently;
- Shift focus from problem-solving to collective co-creation of the future.
Dana Brownlee refers to facilitative leaders and writes that they:
- Tap individual potential by using an inclusive style;
- Find success in a fragmented world by leaning into participation and alignment;
- Understand how to give individuals and teams the process steps they need to solve problems for themselves, rather than relying on the leader to tell them what to do;
- Work in an iterative or prototyping manner, meaning they try stuff out and see what happens and then amplify what works and avoid what doesn’t. They iterative this process so that staff have many opportunities to contribute their ideas of what to try, and get involved in the evaluation of what worked and how to improve it.
Gustavo Razzetti sees leaders as collectors of collective wisdom and encouragers of dissent who are:
- Inspirational – they set the vision but not the solution;
- Fearless – they make exploration possible;
- Curious – they ask questions, welcome diverse perspectives;
- Designers – they employ human-centred methods for participation;
- Adaptive – they follow the energy that exists rather than sticking rigidly to the agenda;
- Room-readers – they create a safe environment for participation;
- Focused – they have clear goals, and are good at time-boxing to keep energy going.
We at IPK would add one more characteristic to the list: having some kind of spiritual quality. This encompasses understanding and appreciating life and the world as a complex, sometimes messy place, and embracing it for what it is rather than something that can be controlled. It means showing up with humility and vulnerability by admitting that you do not know everything and still want to learn and find new ways and solutions. Spirituality also means that we all need to understand ourselves better and have a handle on our shortfalls, trips, and triggers so that we can begin to burn our own wood and try to improve ourselves in myriad ways.
‘Not enough time’ is a false economy
Leaders may not think they have the time to do all this consulting and co-creating because their lives are so busy and pressurised. The command and control version of leadership is thought to be quicker and more efficient. However, telling people what to do may seem to save time but a co-creative approach will achieve a plan that is much less flawed. Telling might result in delays along the line because no-one has bought into the plan. Telling does not take full cognisance of the whole system and tap into collective wisdom. Diversity and inclusion are key values in IPK because we believe that everyone should have a voice and because we believe that every voice is necessary to find innovative solutions. Being reminded of this is useful, and a shift in our values and beliefs means we can make time for certain things.
Here’s a real example
A manager, Vimbai, felt overwhelmed by the amount of work she was doing. She managed a team and she was the thinker, gave directions, communicated them to the team, assigned them tasks, but then had to follow-up on those tasks or just do them herself. She wanted the team to be motivated, give input on how things should be done, and take the initiative, but they didn’t. During the training and coaching sessions Vimbai had an aha moment about how she needed to create a safe environment for the team to be able to do those things. She changed how she ran meetings, speaking less and listening more, putting questions on the table and standing back to allow team members to have their say. She valued creative thinking, and by not speaking she invited others to talk and partake in the meal of the conversation. She said she did not realise she was getting in the way of the team. The team is now active and engaged, co-creating the tasks that need to be done, allocating tasks to themselves, and committing to them while Vimbai feels less overwhelmed and has more time for strategic work.
IPK runs Leader as facilitator training programmes
Miriam Hadnes sums up our niche wonderfully: “Most organisations have everything they need. What’s missing isn’t knowledge or know-how. What is missing is alignment and process design”. We offer a four-day training (and other customised longer term leadership programmes) covering the theory and practice of how to design the co-creative processes. Each participant is required to bring a real case study and as a group we use tools and practice and feedback to examine assumptions, share experiences, and embody the ethos of leaders as collaborators. It is a lifetime practice and wonderfully liberating!