'Cam completely understands the need to “lead without authority.” He does so, quite simply, by asking questions rather than barking orders .. an enterprise-wide leadership framework that cultivates a collaborative, social, open and engaging mindset among all employees regardless of rank or title. It encourages all employees to “engage and explore” with one another before “executing.” It defines key behavioral attributes such as communicating, collaborating, learning, deciding and adapting such that everyone can speak the same leadership language.'<blockquote>'According to the 2013 Edelman Trust Barometer, less than 20 percent of respondents believe leaders are actually telling the truth when confronted with a difficult issue in their organizations. Furthermore, a study conducted by the Human Capital Institute and Interaction Associates in 2013 found only 34 percent of organizations had high levels of trust in the places they work. Furthermore, a paltry 38 percent reported their organizations had effective leadership running the show.
To cap off a small sliver of dismal data points, research firm Gallup found that over a twelve-year period between 2000 and 2012 the percentage of engaged employees in the workforce has shifted between 26 percent and 30 percent. That is, roughly 70 percent of employees in today's organizations have spent more than a decade essentially collecting a pay check, an almost Shakespearean spectacle of tragic ambivalence.
What if our approach to leadership was to evolve into Drucker’s vision of "socially accountable and culturally embedded" management?
Cam Crosbie is the CIO of Equitable Life Insurance Company of Canada, represented by more than 10,000 independent producers across Canada and Bermuda. Cam completely understands the need to “lead without authority.” He does so, quite simply, by asking questions rather than barking orders. Before moving forward with a big decision or a large project, Cam makes a practice of asking lots of questions, including, as he says, "even the so called 'dumb ones'".
As a CIO, Cam believes it's important to reach out to others and inquire before pushing ahead. Cam said, "I hope that in some small way if people see the CIO unashamedly asking the simple questions, it clears the way for clearer and more meaningful discussion." Perhaps the first step toward a better future for your organization is to acknowledge that you don’t necessarily know the way there—and, just as important, to understand that by asking questions, you not only awaken and engage people, you stand to collect more valuable perspective and ideas than you would by starting from a position of authority.
Leadership isn't a 9-5 job—it's communal, it's holistic and it's accretive. It’s time to abandon the long-held notion that the “leader” knows all and should decide everything. A fancy title doesn’t put you above others—it puts you in their service.
TELUS, a national telecommunications company in Canada, with $11 billion of annual revenue and over 40,000 employees worldwide (and where I am head of learning and collaboration), has worked incredibly hard over the past five years to raise employee engagement from 53 percent to 80 percent. It did so through myriad actions including the launch of the TELUS Leadership Philosophy. The TLP is an enterprise-wide leadership framework that cultivates a collaborative, social, open and engaging mindset among all employees regardless of rank or title. It encourages all employees to “engage and explore” with one another before “executing.” It defines key behavioral attributes such as communicating, collaborating, learning, deciding and adapting such that everyone can speak the same leadership language.
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If you’re lonely at the top, it’s time to start recognizing and amplifying the contribution of those around you.'
- Dan Pontefract,
Rethinking the Work of Leadership, July 15, 2013</blockquote>
Context ‘Leaders….are only leaders if someone wants to actually follow them.’ - Terri Kelly
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Story - Raven III _ Ocean of Love, part XVI - To experience interactions'I think we need an ideological revolution in business.' - Gary Hamel(Haptonomy - Affectivity) - Praxeology as the Method of the Social Sciences - (Affective) Phenomenology of the Social WorldBazaarmodel - Management & organization</blockquote>