‘The new leader loves chaos and complexity theory, even though he may not quite understand what it means’
Nov 28 2008 The Journal
Les Walton’s career as a headteacher, college principal, regional education chief and now director of his own business has given him a unique insight into leadership in its many guises. He has a few words of advice for our future leaders.
Nevertheless, we still continued to focus on managerial skills. We were experts at planning, financial management and human resource development. We understood that management ensured that “things worked properly”, and that leadership transformed organisations.
Now we have leadership programmes coming out of our ears. Everywhere you turn there are “leadership programmes”, essentially focusing on the emotional intelligence of the leader. Thus our previous focus on “technical intelligence” is passé. For those of you who are just jumping on the bandwagon – there must be still a few left – I have bad news. We are now to enter the coaching phase. Leaders are now “coaches”. Just watch out for the “coaching programmes” soon coming to a training programme near you.
The “new leaders” are very much focused on the management of change and how to improve the individual and organisational capacity to cope with managing change.
However, I have always been taught that the first decision we should consider is the decision not to make a decision.
The modern leader rejects the status quo, rejects stability and keeps moving – forward, sideways, any way as long as the dominant feeling is movement – not necessarily improvement.
Those who focus on stability and tradition are considered to be leadership heretics.
The modern leader also rejects previous thinking and goes with the new. Thus the “scientific and classical” schools of management are only for the ageing manager.
Management by objectives and organisational development theory are “square”. The new leader loves chaos and complexity theory, even though he may not quite understand what it means.
The new leaders have their own prophets such as Michael Fullen and Stephen Covey. They attend seminars as though they were religious rallies. They believe in the five or six key principles which will change your life: “Change yourself and you will change the world,” is the cry. They are quoted, but not read. The focus on “day-to-day management” is for the narrow-minded, small-minded micro manager.
So why am I concerned? Surely all that is happening is that bright young things are jumping on the latest bandwagon and has this not always been so?
I once was a bright young thing. I remember discovering “planning” on January 3, 1987. I loved it. I was incredibly excited when discussing the difference between an objective and a target. (Don't we all just hate targets?). I even sat in a pub on a Friday night and argued over the difference between a mission and a vision.
But I am more than concerned. I am afraid. Young leaders are ready to challenge their own competence and impact. That is good. What they do less is to challenge the systems within which they work. The leaders who regional and local government identify and promote as leaders often cannot see past their own emotional intelligence. Thus they accept any innovation and any government initiative as a challenge which they must deliver. There is very little open challenge to the latest daft idea or initiative.
When is the last time we have celebrated a business, a school, a voluntary organisation which has continued to provide its customers, students, clients with a “stable diet”, a “tried and test formula” which has never let them down?
These organisations have adapted and introduced incremental change, whilst at the same time focusing on the constant needs of individuals.
These organisations have strong values about work that has meaning and real service to their customer or student, treating people well and maintaining integrity in the way that the work gets done.
Most of all, such “leaders” have had to tolerate being called “reactionaries”, or “old fashioned” and lacking vision. In a society that celebrates change for change sake, they might even be called mavericks.
The best organisations learn both externally and internally. I am all for external learning and responding to change. Nevertheless change is too important to leave to these external prophets. Business must also focus on its own internal learning and expertise.
Those who have managed organisations in a steady and possibly unspectacular way must remember how they achieved such consistency. They must remember what they have learned and applied over the years. They must teach the young leader about their own journey of understanding.
As a young manager I worked in one of the first comprehensive schools in the North East. My first concern was the need to provide stability and care for those students who were entering a revolution in education.
As a head teacher in an area which suffered from major social upheaval, my first concern was stability and security for my children.
As a management adviser working within the most unstable and fast changing financial and education environment for many years, I know I desire stability, as do my children.
Therefore, all I ask of present and future leaders is to combine their incredible self-awareness with an increased awareness of the political, economic and social forces affecting their every day activity.
If they could balance our need to respond to and influence change with our desire for stability and consistency, then we will have leaders who are truly ready for the 21st Century.
