This is a great topic Michael,
I find that authentic leadership in organization is connected to
authentic leadership of self. We can't just coach folks in the work
context without inviting them to step into genuine contact with
themselves. For leaders particularly the challenge is often to assist
them to exhibit what i call evolved autonomy. This is a state where
there is a healthy ego structure, but it isn't in charge of the show.
There is no need to either please or be pleased. A leader who has
embraced this state can open tremendous space in their organization
and foster this capability in others. One of the common hurdles for
leaders to overcome in 'open-spacing' their organizations is facing a
loss of meaning or relevance when many of the functions that usually
filled their day are now competently handled by others. It is hard to
let go of the necessary authority in order to allow others to truly
step into responsibility (just ask any parent!). In order to assist
leaders with this transition i find it useful to explore with them the
meaning of leadership for them personally (and how this might need to
shift or morph in order to achieve their goals) and then to spend some
time reflecting on how the purpose/mission of their organization
meshes with their personal purpose in life. When you find this
connect, there is an incredible synergy and energy that arises that
powers the kind of vision required to manifest authentic leadership at
the highest levels of formal leadership. After that, management
becomes like breathing.
In terms of what we do or don't do--we exhibit a lot more being and
embodiment--and that takes courage and daily personal preparation on
our part. We engage in radical acts of authenticity (suitable to the
business environment, of course ;0). One of the most radical things
we can do in a business environment is to invite the whole person to
show up and to create a container that makes that possible. And, of
course, to show up ourselves and be willing to make genuine contact
with our clients and their organizational community. We follow
invitation and don't force the stream. We don't tell them it won't
hurt. We are clear that this is a co-learning journey--that we are
leading at the edge and that is an essentially emergent process. If
they have the guts for the ride--make sure you've got the ankle strap
for that surf board!
Bring on more!
Cheers,
Wendy
On 22-Oct-08, at 8:19 PM, Michael Wood wrote:
Harrison Owen talks about "Authentic Leadership" as the leadership
which emerges out of the self organising system at the conjuction of
passion and responsibility.
Then there's "Formal Leadership" related to specified roles in
organisations. Formal leadership may exhibit the character of
authentic leadership and can either encourage or hinder the
emergence of authentic leadership in the system.
So - what the implications of this for the way we do "Leadership
training and development", particularly within those larger
organisations that often have quite large budgets and staff in
special departments dedicated to this purpose? What is useful in
what we currently do which we'd want to keep? What would we throw
away? What new or different approaches might we introduce?
Anyone up for a conversation?
Michael Wood
Perth, Western Australia
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