Just when you thought you had leadership sorted, conditions change and you need to adapt once more. For those looking for some tips as to where leadership is headed, then I have some good news for you. The MIT Sloan Management Review team have just produced an outstanding report called ‘The New Leadership Playbook for the Digital Age’(Read it here), and it is packed full of very useful and relevant guidance.
I knew it was going to be an interesting read when the opening sentence is “Executives around the world are out of touch with what it will take to win, and to lead, in the digital economy.” The report is based on a survey of 4,392 global leaders from more than 120 countries and should be mandatory reading for every leader.
The report acknowledges that leaders need to being transforming themselves and their teams before they are able to transform their organisation. This transformation means acknowledging that some things that have worked in the past are no longer relevant, such as command and control leadership. Successful leaders in this new era are increasing transparency, demonstrating authenticity and emphasising collaboration and empathy. Interestingly the study found that honesty, integrity, inspiration and trust have ‘withstood the test of time, regardless of the respondent’s country, age, cultural context, or industry.’ A significant finding is that not only do great teams develop leader competencies and skills, but ‘also the mindsets required to build authentic and passionate communities of leaders.’
The leadership attributes in the report are classified as eroding, enduring and emerging. The report also categories the mindsets of leaders in the new era as being producers, investors, connectors and explores. It is well worth reading the report to get the full description of what they entail.
To help ‘make your organisation an amazing community of leaders’ there are four recommendations at the end of the report, which are:
The report concludes with two particularly challenging statements for leaders now, regarding what it will take to lead into the future:
‘Leading in today’s world is about creating conditions for success so that everyone can contribute their best efforts to a common cause.’
‘Creating conditions for success starts with setting the tone and developing the mindsets that constitute the foundations of the new leadership playbook.’
So think about where your leadership is currently at, and what you need to do to lead the new age organisation.
What I do is not who I am. What about you? A recent article by Josh Leves (read it here) tackles the dangers of workism. Leves argues that we need to separate our sense of identity form our job. Which can be difficult, for many people their job is their principal source of personal identity.
This become a problem when it means we are always connected and missing out on time with families and friends. It can also have devastating impacts when things go awry at work and it leaves us emotionally devastated and potentially depressed. And not surprisingly, it frequently leads to overwork, which is a problem, because research is clear that employee output falls sharply after a 50-hour work-week.
The article is a great read, with some good practical pointers, beginning with how we raise our children! Executives need to set the example, and ultimately the business can then create cultures that push against the toxicity of workism.
Ryan Holiday has written The Obstacle is the Way: The Ancient Art of Turning Adversity to Advantage (2014, Profile Books) and claims in the introduction that it will teach the reader how to “turn the many negative situations we encounter in our lives into positive ones – or at least to snatch whatever benefit we can from them.” And surprisingly, it actually delivers on this promise.
Holiday takes a three-pronged approach in the book, dividing the content into sections on perception, action and will. Essentially the main argument is that obstacles should not only be expected, but should be embraced. Initially I was very skeptical of this, but as I read the book, I came on board, mainly due to Holiday’s honesty in that sometimes failure is an option.
Coming from a strategy and ideas background, and having witnessed some spectacular business collapses up close and personal, Holiday is well placed to write on this subject. What adds greatly to the book is how much Holiday draws on stories to illustrate his points. He is extremely well read, and offers book lists to accompany his work.
The book is really well organised and very easy to read. It took me just over a day to get through it. It would make a long plane ride go very quickly. I recommend this book to anyone, as it has applications right across life. I read it initially from a leadership perspective, but it soon expanded my perspectives.
The COVID 19 isolation rules have forced the Avondale Business School to create a new teaching mode, which is a mixture of online materials, and interactive zoom sessions with students.
Lisa Barnes Perspectives:
We have certainly learnt a lot about the use of zoom, especially when it comes to engagement with the students. Here is a photo of one of the zoom sessions run by Dr Homa Freeman, where she asked the students to give the thumbs up!
Zoom is certainly a challenge when a course is designed for a face to face delivery, and research has shown that one way to keep the student stimulated is to engage with them early. One of the initiatives we have been using is the use of “polls” where students are asked to select a response on the screen, and when all responses are received the results are shared with the group.
Another initiative is the use of Guest Speakers. In the past it was difficult to get guest speakers due to Avondale’s location, however getting guest speakers has become a lot easier for lecturers. So far, we have had QANTAS Captain David Saunders, who shared his experience of being stood down in the current environment after 31 years with the airline, and flying the International routes which have now been closed.
Another quest speaker was Nerolie Dever, the Internal Auditor for Sanitarium, and a current Masters student here at Avondale. Nerolie shared her experiences of creating policy in a pandemic, where demand for products have dramatically increased, and physical distancing presents real challenges in a food manufacturing setting. Thanks to both David and Nerolie!
Challenges
Opportunities
Peter Williams Perspectives:
In many ways, I felt somewhat prepared for the directive to commence teaching online. Having delivered content to other third-party providers in the past, albeit with tutors on their end, meant that I had a context of what students would likely engage with, and what they wouldn’t. As my thinking began to take shape, I placed a premium on three points of emphasis:
While I knew that the student/lecturer engagement component we enjoy in a classroom setting was going to be lessened, I wanted to keep students in a clear loop of communication, and the central elements of this became weekly emails revolving around what is happening in our unit (the ‘timeline’ as I refer to it!), together with a pdf document which contained the week’s media relating to our subject. With this as an ongoing basis, I knew that our Zoom classes would be able to build off of this, and emphasise the content and assessment mix to assist students in having a clear goal for what was needed to progress through the unit.
In addition to our weekly emails with the timeline and media for discussion during class time that week, I set about making a series of short videos that addressed the content areas, hoping that students who may not be availing themselves of our zoom classes may be able to use these videos to gain additional insight into their topic content. While this represented an extra touch point for content - now available in video, textbook, PowerPoint and our zoom sessions - it catered to another learning style and added some value for students.
Our zoom classes still covered the timeline of the unit, and of course the topic content, but additional emphasis in this time was placed on our exploration of the media which had been emailed to them the day prior to our online class. This proved a rich place for discussion for those present, and helped to solidify some of the concepts visited in the content. Steady attendance in our zoom classes took place, and while I acknowledge that it felt very different to our face-to-face classes, some camaraderie was built, and most importantly, learning took place.
A major learning for me was that just as each face-to-face cohort of students differs, so does the ‘feel’ of each online class. Adjustments were necessary to meet the preferred learning styles of the classes and their members, and student feedback was needed as to how they wanted to best utilise the zoom sessions. There were nuances of difference for each class, and these modifications proved to be beneficial in enhancing the student experience and improving student engagement as we progressed our online learning experience.
Warrick Longs Perspectives:
The transition to online proved to be challenging and rewarding. While not everything worked, I learnt a lot to help make teaching more effective. Connecting with students proved to be critical, and different methods were adopted to try and find a way that connects with the wide variety of students. Classes took a more causal approach at times, as we chatted about the peculiar times we found ourselves in, and what strategies we were using to cope. My use of different backgrounds often provided a talking point. Institutionally I believe we found out that we can do many things were reluctant to even try. It has challenged the need for personal attendance at every meeting, and focused on what outcomes are important as opposed to what activities we do.
Dianne Smiths Perspectives:
From a student’s perspective, it has been amazing to see how the lecturers have stepped up to the challenge of creating and presenting every unit online due to COVID – 19. Initially it felt strange and different and a little uncomfortable, not being in a lecture room with students but instead getting used to a new kind of normal of having classes via zoom and seeing everyone via zoom on my laptop.
Lecturers communicated the changes in regards to moving to online classes and the modification and changes to any assessments and content to be studied extremely well. My class was an accounting unit and is a really hands on kind of unit where you need to read the content, understand the theory and then learn how to put it in practice. The lecturers conducted one or two zoom sessions and then would seek feedback from their students as to how they could gain the most out of learning online going forward. The lecturers were very flexible and quick to apply the feedback to make classes more interactive, interesting and balance the content of the specific topic with activities and questions that would help us to apply what we had learned in that topic.
My class lecturer also provided an extra tutorial class each week after the mid semester break to help us learn and understand the accounting concepts and financial statements that were being taught in this unit. I would receive an email regularly every week after class from my lecturer with encouraging words and a reminder of the topic that we had covered, a reminder of the extra zoom tutorial class that students could attend as well as any assessments that would be due in the next week or two.
Our lecturers were always encouraging us to contact them if we had any questions or issues, that they were very willing to help us and make time to see us via zoom out of class time to help us should we need it. Going through this change of learning style has shown me the importance of having initiative and persistence to get through my studies as well as knowing that the lecturers really care about their students and are willing to go the extra mile during these challenging times.
Dr Peter Williams and Associate Professor Lisa Barnes have started working on a joint project with colleagues from the University of Newcastle and the Australian National University. Made possible by a grant from the Australian Government, this project continues to provide funding to support regional business innovation capabilities, particularly on the Central Coast.
The project has 2 key objectives:
1: To help business design and deliver a critical innovation project
2: To continue to develop business leaders personal leadership capabilities to successfully implement an innovation initiative.
This project is a continuation of research that has been done over several years, where participants are classified into an animal descriptor as part of the research to see how they differently approach the innovation task (within the business savanna). Some examples follow:
Hyena: reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, attacking animals and humans.
Rhinoceros: Brawny and self-assured, cantankerous, let nothing stand in their way. Mistrustful of stranger, they see themselves as being gentle and reasonable, but at times their rage needs to be brought under control.
Lion: Independent and logical thinkers who are also persuasive leaders, they are business-minded and ambitious. They refuse to allow any subjective emotion to enter into their decision-making process, and as a result they can be seen as callous and cold. But these fierce individuals tend to be highly effective, successful, and incredibly powerful. They are truly the kings of the proverbial jungle.
Owls: are analytical and thoughtful individuals who prefer to work alone and who are often ill at ease in social situations. They are impatient with hierarchies and politics and would prefer that leaders prove their worth with merit, rather than with charisma and influence. Although they are not particularly social, they do have razor sharp wit (and claws), and are often surprised to learn that people do enjoy their company.
Sloth: Peaceful and easy going, sloths take things at their own pace and live moment to moment. They are considerate, pleasant, caring, and mellow. Their values are important to them, but they are not ones who particularly care about defending or debating their views publicly. Don't call them lazy -- maybe they are just more relaxed than the rest of us.
Deer: are quiet, observant, and thoughtful. They are interested in maintaining order and harmony, avoiding fast-moving cars, and respecting everyone's feelings. They are often described by the few people who know them deeply as being incredibly sensitive and trustworthy.
Meerkats are deeply ethical and idealistic, loyal to their family and closest friends, and guided by their desire to live a life according to their values. They are curious about those around them, but will not accept threats to the security of their adorable babies or their morals.
Elephants: are genuine and authentic, and they care deeply about those around them. These are the kind of individuals who bring out the best in those around them, and they are serious about loyalty and responsibility to their families, friends, and co-workers. They are generous and they love to bring joy to others, but they are also sensitive and easily hurt. Elephants are often blind to the flaws of those they love and they are incredibly trusting and full of love.
Giraffes are graceful, well-groomed individuals who move with confidence and elegance found only in the big game animals. Michael Jordan is a typical giraffe. Tall, good-looking, and successful, he stands heads and shoulders above the rest of the animal kingdom.
Turtle They are quiet, shy, and harmless yet display intelligence. They can identify their keepers and know when it's feeding time. Turtles and tortoises are very sensitive to loud noises, vibrations, and sudden bright lights.
Wildebeest (gnu); There is no other antelope like the wildebeest. It looks like it was assembled from spare parts – the forequarters could have come from and ox, the hindquarters from an antelope and the mane and tail from a horse. The antics of the territorial bulls during breeding season have earned them the name “clowns of the savanna.
Which animal most likely represents you in business?
Like Neo from the Matrix who, once he takes the red pill, can never unknow what he discovers, I found the book Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Guide to the Real World (Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A., 2019, Harvard Business Review Press) challenges many ‘settled truths’ of business such that the reader can never think about them in the same way.
This book exposes 9 misconceptions or myths that are pushed on employees as current practices, which do not have any substance to support their ongoing practice. For some unknown reason, there are so many practices that businesses adopt because they are just accepted as ‘settled truths’, and yet these ‘truths’ just don’t have the evidence or outcomes to substantiate their continued use. A few examples of the lies they dismantle:
The authors bring strong professional and academic backgrounds to the book, with very sound research that has been proven in the workplace. Their survey involved 19,346 employees across 19 countries to support their assertions in the book.
The book is very well organised and well written. While it is easy to read, it is one of the most challenging I have read in a while as it has made me rethink a number of things I took for granted. I highly recommend the book for any leader or aspiring leader. But remember, once you have read it, you will never look at those 9 issues the same way again.
Fraud has not gone away! PWC has released a very interesting report noting the prevalence of fraud still, and some excellent preventive ideas. You can access the report here.
Surveying over 5000 respondents across 99 different territories, the survey has some very interesting findings, for example:
In identifying the types of fraud, the top 4 are:
The perpetrators were pretty evenly split between external and internal people. Customers were the biggest group of external perpetrators, and middle management the biggest of the internal. Interestingly one third of all respondents had either been asked to pay a bribe, or lost an opportunity to a competitor who they believed had paid a bribe.
When it comes to prevention, the survey revealed that six in ten organisations don’t have a programme to address bribery and corruption risk. The three most effective actions to put in place to address the risk of fraud are:
The report includes some excellent advice regarding preventing risk, and dealing with the consequences of fraud. It is well worth accessing to see how exposed your organisation might be,
As with all businesses in the current environment, the COVID 19 pandemic is having a profound effect on operations and services, this is particularly true for the not-for-profit sector. As part of Avondale Business Schools commitment to engagement, our staff are appointed onto many boards to assist decision making, for example Dr Warrick Long is on the Board of “Adventist Senior Living”, Dr Peter Williams has been appointed to the Alphacrucis College “Learning & Teaching Committee” and Associate Professor Lisa Barnes is Treasurer for “Coastlink” a Central Coast Based disability service provider.
The not-for-profit sector according to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) contributed $146b in revenue in 2017, employs more than 1.3 million paid staff, with nearly 3.3 million volunteers (read more about the ACNC here). The not-for-profit sector has been hit hard under the pandemic, particularly as they are mainly looking after the vulnerable, and are under pressure to maintain services, under these new social distancing rules. For Coastlink this means suspension of all face to face provision of services including:
With both Beyond Blue and Lifeline experiencing an increase on average of 30% in calls (Australian Institute of Company Directors 2020, “NFP Directors, Working it Out”, Company Director, Vol. 36 Iss. 4.) the mental health of clients, their families and staff is a constant concern for the Board of Coastlink.
One of the initiatives by the CEO John Davis was the delivery of flowers on Mother’s Day, to Mothers of clients with a disability, who have had no support during the social distancing rules implemented by the government in late March. It was received with much appreciation, and was also reported on local TV as a good news story. In the not-for-profit sector, the provision of services is very personal, and relationships with clients and family essential. It is hoped such initiatives will maintain our client based for the “new normal” that post COVID-19 will present.
To link to the NBN article, click here.
For several weeks now, thousands of employees have been working from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the curve has flattened, attention is turning to the easing of restrictions and transitioning employees back into their regular workplaces. While a return to the workplace will be good news for some employees, others may be reluctant to leave the comfort and balance they have found in their home offices. Below are some tips and considerations for employers currently facing this transition:
Most importantly, remember that this is new territory for everyone and employers and employees alike will need to remain flexible and adaptable.
Don’t we all wish we owned shares in Zoom BEFORE the implications of Covid-19! With so many entities now moving to one form of virtual meetings or another, most of us are running or attending them several times per week. An unintended consequence of this is that we are all now connoisseurs of what works and what doesn’t in the virtual space.
To help those of us who need to run virtual meetings and events, we found a really nifty article pout together by Nancy Duarte, whose company specializes in virtual events (read it here). Following are the 7 tips for better virtual conferencing. I would recommend accessing the article and reading the commentary for each tip.
What a time we are in, and one of the by-products is the amount of learning and new skills we have developed. Hopefully our virtual meetings will be one area that sets as apart for the right reasons.
