The wise leader and the common good

The wise leader and the common good

Dr Suzi Skinner and I are getting close to completing The Wise Leader, a book that brings together thoughts from the world of wisdom with insights from the world of leadership. Our quest is to create something that helps leaders in a practical sense to become wiser. From our research so far have emerged the five mantras. We have changed them a bit since the last posting!

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In this short series of Linkedin articles, we seek to illustrate the significance of the five mantras with reference to oft cited attributes of wise leaders. In this article we focus on a motivation to serve the common good, to put the needs of all before the needs of self.

We may think of this desire to serve the common good as a personality trait, or a strong value formed at an early stage of life. Both these perspectives may be valid, but not all that useful when we are interested in cultivating the growth of wisdom. We don't get to change people's personalities or rewire their childhoods. In the book we talk about a third perspective, the idea that a desire to serve the common good may also be developmental. If it's developmental, then we can aspire to develop that desire in our selves and others.

The third of the five mantras is Transcend Yourselves. To become more self-transcendent requires a deeper exploration of selves and the realisation that who we are is co-created with others. Who we have become, in the form of the stories we tell about our selves, is a function of our relationships with others. Who we will become tomorrow is a function of the conversations we are having with other people today. This perspective challenges the notion of a fully boundaried, autonomous self. Through this lens I am, to a great extent, who we are. This mantra shifts the way we think about ourselves, steering us toward a belief that our very identities depend on our relation to others.

The fourth mantra is Think Meta! This mantra is about how we think about systems. If I think in linear or non-linear systemic terms as a leader, I likely regard my organisation as a system, and plot interventions to change the system. For example, I may seek to heighten employee engagement by awarding everyone extra leave. This way of thinking about things is consistent with the autonomous leader-as-hero model, so popular in western cultures. Through a meta-lens, this framing is illusory. Through a meta lens, change cannot usually be dictated, imposed, or controlled. In addressing complex challenges, it is more helpful to see ourselves as part of our social network. I cannot control employee engagement - there are no simple levers, but I can influence engagement through my capacity to engage in effective dialogue and take actions based what emerges from that dialogue. Change is a function of a social process in which I am a fully engaged participant. To influence change requires me to be aware of the social process, to be cognisant of all the various players in the process, their needs, and desires, and to frame my goals and aspirations in the context of others’ goals and aspirations. If I want to effect change through this lens, I have to think in terms of collective aspirations.

We can cultivate within ourselves, and for others, pathways toward greater self transcendence and new ways of thinking about the world around us. In the book we suggest practical ways in which leaders can develop their own thinking, and ways in which OD specialists can build wise leadership development solutions for those in their organisation.

If you’d like to know more about The Wise Leader, please check out our website.

Dr Suzi Skinner

Positive Adaptive Leader Mindset - Global Team & Executive Coach (MCC - ICF, MCC - AC)

2y

Ah the challenge and opportunity of self-transcendence! Powerful practices of wise leaders that we can all learn from! I am delighted (and beautifully challenged) to be continuing to evolve this thinking and bringing it to life in practical ways in our work together.

Fiona Adamson

Coaching&Coaching Supervision

2y

Sounds worth waiting for. Love the picture.

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Rosie Sweetman PEC

Executive coach, facilitator and consultant. Connecting ‘how’ you think and 'why' you work with ‘what’ you want to achieve to benefit all stakeholders #culture #valuesintobehaviours #purposeintopractice #leadership#bcorp

2y

Looking forward to the book!

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