Lessons in Leadership

Holly writes about how we perform in a rapidly changing world.

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The Leading Edge

The Leading Edge is written for those who wake up every morning caring about being a better human, building a better world. It’s for those who are done with the status quo, who feel restless for a new tomorrow, today. The answers aren’t simple. The Leading Edge is the culmination of years of research and interviews with luminaries like Susan Cain and Condoleezza Rice to Barack Obama and Malcolm Gladwell. Diverse leadership stories construct a framework for future leadership.

What does mental health leadership look like today?

As we map our road forward to a ‘COVID-normal’, what are we going to take with us and what will we leave behind? This pandemic has hit pause on our routines and given us all a chance to reflect on the factors contributing to our wellbeing as individuals, organisations and as a society. We see cries for help to mental health hotlines spike, fears of domestic violence increase during iso and a general malaise of youth who were already struggling to envisage a bright future for themselves. Mental Health professionals are highlighting a secondary curve likely to escalate, that of mental health.

What should we do when every decision is a tough decision?

When I sat down to chat with renowned transformation strategist, Ron Gauci, we were discussing the mindset leaders need to cultivate in order to turn crisis-imposed business disruption into crisis-led business transformation. Ron’s practical and experienced-based tips seem to have struck a chord with the LinkedIn family and so this insights paper seeks to break down the information into actionable steps to take when every decision feels difficult.

“Plans stop working the moment the first bullet is fired.”

As an ADF veteran of 15 years, Former Health Operations Executive trained in strategic leadership and with experience in disease management in Washington D.C., Emma provided pragmatic advice on how leaders might tackle the challenge we are facing today, as well as plan for those we will inevitably face tomorrow. I asked her “why the ideas of preparedness and planning seem at odds with the disruption and chaos brought on by crisis”. She proceeded to give a compelling view of planned disruption and disrupted plans.

The ultimate innovation? Our ability to change ourselves through leadership.

To the entrepreneurs, the change-makers and the brave decision-makers out there, we need your radical ideas in these unparalleled times. So far, visible innovation has manifested mostly in the way we are responding to change. We are now harnessing underutilised methods we have had at our disposal for decades: open-source R&D collaboration; rapid technology adoption, and; the mobilisation of collective action. While it may be tempting to hunker down and wait for COVID-19 to roll over us, we know that innovation thrives in adversity. So let’s get moving.

Habit-hacks for leaders too busy for leadership development

The science emerging around habits offers an alternative way to address the dissonance. The notion that ‘we are what we repeatedly do’ is a tangible and pragmatic way to master our goals, without expending significant money, time or even willpower in the process. As James Clear explains in his book ‘Atomic Habits’, it’s the tiny things that we do each day, that when enacted frequently and with consistency, define not only our behaviour, but our identity. Add to that accountability – the simple act of telling someone what we are hoping to achieve – and our chances of success increase by 70% (Matthews, 2015). Finally, own your start of day and end of day routines. These are powerful triggers in our daily cycle. Begin as you wish to continue, and continue as you wish to begin!

Not Making a Decision, is Making a Decision.

As a leader of today, Rice is clearly focused on empowering the leaders of tomorrow. She emphasizes the need for those in charge to demonstrate trust in their people by delegating and investing in training. 'We must allow them to color outside the lines' she says.  Can we imagine a democracy wherein the government actively comes to the youth for ideas, for better questions, even for solutions? I have been fortunate to have seen the success of initiatives such as the G20 Youth Summit in action. I believe there is so much to be gained in bringing different voices together to explore collaborative policy design and development. So long as we are clear on who our decisions are serving...