I have read all of Wheatley’s books, so disclaimer out the way. But I also notice in the provocative call for sanity, the frustration in the author’s tone. It’s also uncomfortable to me because I recognise it. “A terrible desertification has occurred in too many organizations, barren landscapes now devoid of life and human potential.” As Wheatley states could leadership have created this? By striving for obedience rather than contribution. Have greed and power pushed inclusion and engagement to one
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This book aspires to an emergence of a new organisational model. More broadly and more boldly the next stage in human evolution. New on the one hand, but rooted to the old as the author declares how this corresponds to Maslow‘s “self-actualizing” level. Using the language of colour (a Teal organisation), but it has been variously labelled authentic and integral. An approach that involves the taming of our ego and searching for more authentic, more wholesome ways of being.
Non-ordinary states
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I am a huge fan of the Flow Research Collective and their podcast series. In this episode some very distinguished guests take on the simple yet complex job of defining leadership. In doing so they tackle dynamic subordination (in high-performing teams), lessons from sport, defining leadership expertise, the role of flow, attunement/shared experience and balancing training and education in the Business World.
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In the context of change efforts this book has a captivating start for 3 reasons…
1) Johnson begins by highlighting that most endeavours struggle or even fail because something gets lost in translation. This takes place between the people who ask for the change (leaders), and the people responsible for delivering the change (managers).
2) She describes what she calls The Four Delusions of Leadership, the things we believe about leadership that can often be mis guided. The magic delusion, the activity delusion, the
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The concept of this book is simple and the title tells you everything you need to know. If exploring the science of failure is something you are interested in then yes this book could give you the answers you are looking for. That said there are lots of examples in the book that are ultimately making the same or similar points.
If you do get a copy I’d encourage you to be clear on the context you want to explore and
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Another cracking podcast from the Flow Genome Collective. Amazing to get behind the scenes at Team Exos, just listening about their ‘you do you’ Fridays was inspirational. Wise words on burnout, especially when it comes to moving the goalposts. An of course great links to the athletic world and performance.
Flow Research Collective Radio
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The opening lines of this 8 minute read drew me in immediately…
“Allow yourself to think differently about leadership for a moment, and imagine that the issue is not what you know but instead how you know.”
Posted by Cranfield School of Management, they quicky define the art of contemplation as…
“As a leader, it is impossible to make sense of intellectual, emotional and visceral intelligence connections without resorting to the ‘inward gaze’ of contemplation.”
The article introduces the concepts of making meaning
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Provoking start to this podcast where Dr David Rock questions the need to shift (post pandemic) from Psychological Safety to a greater focus on performance and accountability.
Whist I’ve done a load of work on accountability I was reminded that there are stigmas attached to the word (e.g. you need to be held accountable for that), as well the empowering intentions.
But of course this isn’t a question of either or, it’s 2 dimensional…
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Whilst keeping a focus on the world at work it’s also important to consider wider references in society. One word that often shoves me in this direction is Culture. Pausing on strategy, purpose, values and behaviours etc for now. This article from The Honest Broker stopped me in my tracks. The reveal and moral of the story is well worth it, so not too many spoilers here.
The piece (The State of the Culture, 2024) provides a
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In a previous posting I referenced this podcast featuring Lucy Park, co author, The Activist Leader. Well the podcast did its job as I quickly consumed the book! As I was keen to find out more about purpose, culture, societal change and systems thinking etc.
Let’s start with this quote…
“It’s clear that the days of 2D leadership are gone: today’s companies need multidimensional leaders, capable of juggling demands from multiple stakeholders, taking on board constantly evolving environmental and social
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