Coats Keith - Leading in a changing world : leadership lessons for future focused leaders

Copyright 2015 TomorrowToday Global

All rights reserved.

Preface

Theres a rule in Hollywood: never work with children or animals. Theyre unpredictable and will likely outshine you in key scenes. Luckily theres no such rule against friends or business partners working together on a creative project. Its taken 15 years of friendship and 12 years of partnership in business, but weve finally been able to write a book together.

This book is the culmination of over a decade spent immersed in trying to understand the changing world of work and the implications this has on people. It emerges from the intersection of deep academic study and extensive reading, a global client base that spans every continent and industry, our own personal experiences of leadership and change, and the efforts and insights of our many colleagues and associates at our strategic insights firm, TomorrowToday Global.

Weve written this book out of a deep desire to share some of what weve discovered about leading in a changing world through the study, work and experiences weve had. The leaders weve shared these insights with already - by way of presentations, workshops, leadership development programmes, blogs, online courses and coaching - have been able to find new ways of navigating the complex world we are now faced with, and have provided invaluable feedback for our models and methods. We know this book is merely a milestone on our shared journey into this new world of work, and we look forward to sharing it with you. Please do connect with us, give us feedback, share your stories, ask your questions and join us as we create a new future together. Were as keen to learn as we are to share what weve discovered already.

Writing a book together is fun; it is also hard work. Merging individual stories, friendships and thinking into some coherent stream that is presented in a consistent and sense-making format posed some challenges we didnt anticipate at the outset of this journey. So, a small note on style: we have decided to consistently speak from the collective pronoun of we, our, etc., in sharing our stories and words with you. We have many shared stories, of course, with nearly two decades of shared lives. But our choice in this book is mainly stylistic, making the book easier to read and less confusing as to whose voice is speaking.

There are some exceptions when the integrity of what is being shared dictates differently, but these are rare.

Our thoughts and insights come from a shared journey that precedes the formal start of TomorrowToday Global; they come from a friendship that has always been lived forward but is best understood and appreciated when looking backwards. Throughout this journey there have been robust conversations and different perspectives but such edges have always been anchored by a deep respect and a shared sense of destiny in the TomorrowToday way. Many of the suggestions and insights have been drawn from our own experiences, from the good and the bad, from the successes and failures that have marked our remarkable journey in the company we started together in 2002.

Since then, our work has taken us to well over 100 countries, with a combined average of nearly 300 client engagements a year every year. These clients represent the breadth of human endeavor, from large multinationals to small start-ups and family businesses; we work with corporates and non-profits, governments and schools. Probably most important is the fact that many of our clients are repeat clients, with CEOs and senior leaders asking us back again and again.

We love what we do, and we love that we get to do it together and as part of a larger team at our firm. And now we get to share it with you.

If youd like to know about us and who we are, there are brief bios at the end of this book, and links to our websites. You can also see what our team does at http://www.tomorrowtodayglobal.com. And, of course, youre welcome to contact us. This is a journey worth sharing.

Keith Coats

http://www.keithcoats.com

@keithcoats

Graeme Codrington

http://www.graemecodrington.com

@futuristgraeme

May 2015

Table of Contents

Introduction

If the world is changing, leadership needs to change.

The world is changing.

It is that simple; it is that complex.

Through our work in TomorrowToday Global we have been at the very forefront of this intersection of a changing world and changing leadership across the broad scope of industries and sectors spanning all corners of the globe, and what we see concerns us.

We see leaders who are frustrated that they cant mobilize their teams to adapt quickly enough to change. We see leaders who feel the horizon of their strategic plans rushing ever closer, resulting in decision making that often feels closer to guesswork than science. We see leaders battling to manage their teams, to keep and get the most of talent, to develop succession plans and to ensure everyone is focused on the same outcomes. We see leaders exasperated at the lack of initiative their teams have, and yet equally bound by increasing regulation, bureaucracy and inertia.

We see leaders struggling to lead.

We see leaders unable to admit that theyre struggling to lead.

Maybe the symptoms weve just listed dont all apply to you, or maybe you have a sense that your organizations problems lie elsewhere. Whatever the specific issues are, were sure youll agree with us that leadership isnt what it used to be. And a big part of the reason for this is that leadership itself is changing just as the world around us is changing in dramatic ways.

The leadership theory that underpins our practices of leadership is in need of review. For the most part, the way in which we review and measure leadership practice no longer works.

The only way to change all this is for leaders (and those tasked with the responsibility of leadership development) to step back, rethink things and be willing to change.

It means asking searching questions, challenging assumptions and revisiting formulae that have, for a very long time, worked rather well.

This is easier said than done.

But it can be done, and this is what this book is about. Future-focused leaders will gain insight into what it takes to succeed in a time of disruptive change. The book provides both a new lens through which to see the world and leadership, as well as practical tools and tips to help you make the journey towards a new leadership style and approach.

Its Time To Change

When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. Strange as it might seem, we have met many in leadership who are attempting just that: trying to ride dead horses and with commendable enthusiasm at that! The fact that the horse is dead, whilst obvious to others, is seemingly lost on them.

It is obvious that the character and style of leadership is changing. The irrepressible forces of technology, demographics, institutional and structural changes together with value shifts, all impact on leadership. In a world where how we organize and go about our business is adapting constantly, leadership that remains fixed and static is rendered obsolete, irrelevant and, well dead.

And so, if you find yourself astride a dead horse the best strategy is to dismount!

Much has been said and written about change and the importance for leaders - wherever they might be - to adapt to the changes that are taking place around them. If those changes bring about deep, structural change then the art and science of leadership itself may have to change. In fact, a new approach to what it means, to change might be required, and leadership may need to become adaptive in order to be effective.