Warming up for Leaders in London 2007
The question 'what kind of leader am I?' becomes 'what kind of leader can I be'?
I love this time of year; yes because autumn approaches and change is in the air, but it's not just Mother Nature that galvanises me.
While some anticipate the crackling of seasonal log fires, I look forward to the energy generated by what has become an annual fixture in TSOC's calendar; the Leaders in London (LiL) business summit.
For the fourth year we are sponsors of this event that brings together business leaders of note from across the globe. This November (27-29) at Central Hall Westminster the line up is as impressive as ever; we will hear from Kofi Annan, Allan Leighton, Michael Eisner, Karren Brady, Nicola Horlick; and from leadership gurus such as Stephen Covey, Edward de Bono, and Michael Porter.
In particular I look forward to working with Benjamin Zander at this year's LiL; TSOC will host an audience with this celebrated conductor who is as renowned for his work in inspirational leadership. Tom Peters describes Zander as ‘the hottest property on the management circuit'.
In preparation I am re-reading Zander's book, The Art of Possibility. I revisited an anecdote where in a rehearsal maestro Zander apologised to his orchestra for a misdirection; the players were astounded at their leader's humility, his willingness to take the blame. This, we are told, is not the norm in the world of artistic tempos and temperaments!
I work with new leaders, to help make them good leaders; and with good leaders to help make them even better. I can't count the number of times when, at the beginning of a new coaching relationship, I've been struck by a new executive's perception that they should become the perfect boss; have all the answers, be right every time.
When this occurs I take a leaf out of Zander's book and pass on one of his most popular and successful ‘practices'; I award people an ‘A' grade before they even start their self development.
Giving an ‘A' before it has been achieved allows outstanding performance. By letting us know we've succeeded before we've even begun, Zander means to steer us away from a world of measurement and evaluation. He describes the approach as creating ‘not an expectation to live up to, but a possibility to live into'. My coaching clients respond to this because they find that by removing self-imposed pressure of performance we give ourselves the room to relax, stop, breathe, think, then do - and perhaps deliver way beyond our anticipation.
Zander's approach does work. I've taken his principles, moulded his methods and applied them with (not ‘to') business executives searching for their own Holy Grail of leadership style. In this process, the question ‘what kind of leader am I?' becomes ‘what kind of leader can I be?' - and the journey begins.
Zander advocates a total shift in transforming our individual professional world; the practices he suggests are not designed to deliver incremental modification; his is not a self improvement book. It is a book about making changes.
And for me, here lies the challenge. How do we know if a change in our leadership style has been made for the better? Sometimes it is appropriate to just feel a difference, to note how we feel, maybe how people respond differently to us. And there are times when this approach is not enough, when we require hard facts to support a case for success and a return on our investment.
As Zander explains, ‘we don't want to hear a violinist who cannot play the notes, to be treated by a doctor who has not passed the course', just as my clients don't want to be coached on leadership by an inexperienced consultant.
Nevertheless Zander does not propose giving the ‘A' in the context of measuring people's performance against standards. He awards his ‘A' to ‘finesse the stranglehold of judgement that grades have over our consciousness from our earliest days; the ‘A' is an invention that creates possibility for both mentor and student, manager and employee, or for any human interaction'.
I agree measurement and evaluation can work against, rather than for us. We can allow data to restrict rather than release us; for some people it can simply come down to where they sit and feel most comfortable on Zander's equation of measurement (ie goals) versus possibility (ie risk). Not everyone wants to - or is in a position to - release a tight grip on traditional performance measurements that chart their professional coughs, splutters and successes. Some folk need to see their footprints as evidence on the road to leadership maturity.
But where there is a hunger for a more entrepreneurial style of leadership, one that perhaps is more intuitive, creative, innovative - more fun! - then possibility will be a key that unlocks opportunity.
And where things are less than perfect; where a plan goes awry; when we wonder why we're not content to be as we are when we perceive people around us to succeed without a care... that's a good time to take another leaf out of Benjamin Zander's book; to throw your hands up in the air and to genuinely remark, ‘how fascinating', - and to start again.
So, yes, I am looking forward to Leaders in London and to meeting the maestro Zander. If you would like to join this year's inspirational speakers, you can follow this link to take advantage of TSOC's 25% reduced booking rate.
See you there, I hope.
