Leading with Agility

We explore the changing environment & dynamics that call for a different leading and following approach. We look into the misalignment between what managers think drives their people and what people – knowledge workers – expect from managing and leading them. Finally, we explore our understanding and expectations. What are some attitudes, expectations, and concrete behaviors we hope to see from people who lead with agility?

When you wish to make a radical change or transformation, understanding three things enables you to shift. Where are we coming from, where are we now, and where are we heading? This session explores the evolution of leadership theories and the leadership styles and approaches to which they have given birth. We determine what is still relevant. And what needs to change. A big part of that shift comes from understanding the nature of Power & Influence and how we gain power might be changing.

Finally, we look into specific qualities & competencies we can cultivate and develop to increase our agility.

If we cannot understand and embrace ourselves, we have little hope for fully understanding and accepting others. Understanding why we react to things in specific ways gives us the insights and ability to choose our responses better and change how we show up in our interactions.

Leading others starts with developing our self-leadership. This session explores ways to map and become more aware of our experiences. We dive into heuristics—cognitive biases—to understand how they work and influence our thinking, how we can become more aware of them, and, most importantly, how to counter them. Finally, we explore specific leadership mind-traps and how we can unlock those mind-traps to show up better as leaders.

Having gained some insights into how we can know and connect with ourselves to choose how we respond to situations and show up in our interactions with others, it's time to put that into practice.

We familiarise ourselves with the Clear Leadership model developed by Gervase Bushe and create the leader's four selves: the Aware Self, the Descriptive Self, the Curious Self, and the Appreciative Self. We explore several different contexts where we can put these into practice. To better check in with people, give and receive effective feedback, step into coaching leadership, and defuse conflicts through creating interpersonal clarity.

Communicating effectively, relating to others, creating and maintaining healthy interactions, having productive conversations, and ultimately influencing others requires both practice and an understanding of the dynamics of effective communication. In this session, we work on the dynamics of effective communication through the lenses of several mental models, the dynamics of productive conversations, and the power of compelling storytelling to move and influence others. 

We explore three types of stories we can learn to identify and narrative patterns that help you tell compelling stories as a leader.