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Surprises in the development of an executive career

I’ve been thinking about the role of unexpected factors in the development of an executive career and the delivery of high quality leadership, and my thinking has been stimulated by the Space Shifters exhibition at the Hayward Gallery in London. The exhibits – some of them arresting and surprising, all of them thought-provoking – acted as optical devices that enabled visitors to see their surroundings in new and unexpected ways. See, for example, ‘Handrail’ by Monika Sosnowska , a red handrail which was entwined around the existing handrail, before straightening out and finally turning a corner on the wall before exuberantly becoming a ‘dance’ covering the whole wall.

Or Alicja Kwade’s ‘Weltlinie’ which used double-sided mirrors and carefully-placed objects to create sudden illusions and transformations.

Humility can be a surprising factor

While not as graphic, the realisation that humility can be a key factor in the advancement of executive careers can be just as surprising.

If you think about qualities that you associate with the advancement of an executive career, the chances are that you will come up with a list that includes vision, creativity, the capacity to inspire, passion, commitment, communication, confidence, empathy, integrity, courage, decisiveness…… Humility might not so readily have come to mind, and yet it is being increasingly mentioned as marking out exceptionally effective leaders.

Humility is key to extraordinary performance in an uncertain world

Humility: the capacity to recognise that you – how ever junior to me – offer something (a talent, a skill, an insight) that I don’t have, and that in that sense you are important to my success as a leader, and to our success as a team and as an organisation. Indeed, I am dependent on you – no matter in how small a way – in the system that we are all part of.

William C Taylor, in his book ‘Simply Brilliant – How Great Organizations Do Ordinary Things In Extraordinary Ways’ (Portfolio Penguin, publ 2016, ISBN: 9780241009185), explores how exceptional performance is possible in all industries, and how transformation can take place in the most ordinary of circumstances if only leaders dare to reimagine what’s possible. He comments: ‘In businesses (and social movements) built on new ideas, generating and evaluating ideas is everybody’s business. That’s why humility and ambition need not be at odds. Indeed, humility in the service of ambition is the most effective mindset for leaders who aspire to do big things in a world with huge unknowns.’

Organisations are starting to recruit for humility

What I recognise in the career advancement of leaders I work with is that in many organisations the notion of the heroic leader still reigns supreme, but in increasing numbers organisations are recognising the value of – and are recruiting for – talent that demonstrates the ability to be humble.

One of the brightest stars I’ve coached, with ambitions to have a global impact, was remarkable for his humility. As he climbed the talent ladder, this quality enabled him to connect with people at the highest – and the lowest – levels, and to influence without ego and with impact.

Another highly-accomplished leader, with a career of achievements behind him in a number of fields, and who was on track for a very senior role in his multinational organisation, had the ability to bring out the best in all those around him through respect, connection and a readiness to learn from others.

Jeff Hyman, Professor at Kellogg School of Management and Chief Talent Officer at Strong Suit Executive Search, comments in his article published in Forbes magazine ‘Why Humble Leaders Make The Best Leaders’, that a survey of 105 computer software and hardware firms published in the Journal of Management revealed that humility in CEOs led to higher-performing leadership teams, increased collaboration and cooperation and flexibility in developing strategies.

Assessing humility

Hyman asks: ‘When it’s time to make a hiring decision, how do you assess humility in a candidate?’ He answers:

Do they credit others?

Do they admit to mistakes – do they seek to understand what they did wrong and what they should change going forward?

Do they accept constructive feedback and admit to receiving criticism in previous jobs?

Do they strive to overcome their weaknesses?

Do they help others and help their reports to advance their careers?

He advises: ‘Search for quiet confidence, humility and a focus on others, [because] that’s where great leadership begins.’

Surprise and delight

Surprise and delight your clients in this way, and you will have taken an important step on your path to exceptional performance.

Photo by Kate Ter Haar via Compfight

Humility and the advancement of the executive career

Humility is the capacity to recognise that you – how ever junior to me – offer something (a talent, a skill, an insight) that I don’t have, and that in that sense you are important to my success as a leader, and to our success as a team and as an organisation. Indeed, I am dependent on you – no matter in how small a way - in the system that we are all part of. Humility can be a key - albeit surprising - factor in the advancement of executive careers. More and more organisations are recognising the value of – and are recruiting for – talent that demonstrates the ability to be humble.

Inconvenient truths

My latest article, in Coaching at Work magazine's reflection column (Jan/Feb 2019 edition), looks at our reluctance as human beings to face uncomfortable facts, and the implications for organisational behaviour, especially where this can be counterproductive, or lead to ignoring obvious truths, such as poor leadership or distress in a team. I believe my role as external coach carries responsibility to surface and illuminate what may be hidden or opaque, to peel away layers of wilful blindness and enable sight of reality, which can be uncomfortable, confronting and liberating for my clients

Authority, courage and the leader

There's an interconnection between a leader stepping appropriately into their authority, on the one hand, and their courage, on the other. An effective leader understands their team and their client group, and is able to stay up to date with their needs, changes in those needs, and changes in the context and the system that impact on those needs: they are in touch with the ebb and flow – and act on it - without getting sucked in to the detail, and they can anticipate and prepare for changes. This takes courage.

Who am I? Shifting the focus

My latest article has been published in Coaching at Work magazine's reflection column. In it I explore the question that leaders sometimes put to themselves (and to their coaches): ‘Who am I if I don’t have the answers?’ The question is about both identity and performance – at the very least. While a leader is judged on the results they achieve, achieving outcomes rests in turn on a broader underpinning than just getting things right - notably process, meaning and system.

Trust and transition

Trust is a fragile commodity, and is damaged when the psychological contract (even more than the formal contract) is not respected and/or there is abuse of goodwill, when people feel exploited, disrespected or manipulated, when they have a sense that there’s a hidden agenda, or when they start to question what they had taken for granted about integrity. The outcome may be reduced motivation, performance that is restrained, constrained or diminished, and commitment that is short-lived or superficial. When trust is justified, discretionary effort, engagement and motivation are sustained and built. This is all highly relevant at a time of transition. As a leader you ignore the impact of trust at your peril.

Leading through systemic complexity

The task of leadership in our time is increasingly often described as complex – and leaders are often challenged as to how to deal with it. Leaders whom I work with arrive sooner or later at the realisation that question(s) they bring to coaching are either obviously or surprisingly complex, requiring a holistic approach to address them. Those whose behavioural pattern is to rush towards quick answers can find the exploration of what’s actually happening to be confronting, frustrating, uncomfortable – and rich in learning. In complexity what matters is strengthening relationships between people, recognising and understanding influences and forces rather than exerting control, accepting emergence rather than being focused on planning for outcomes, and a readiness to work with boundaries and perspectives rather than a sense of objective truth.

What's the difference? My article in Coaching at Work

In the Coaching at Work conference session I ran in July 2018, we set out to explore differences and connections between generations. Generation Z guests wanted to be recognised as individuals and to have their diversity valued, rather than focus on their differences as a group from the rest of the population. And coaches reflected that coaching students was no different from coaching anyone else. So what's the difference?

Resilience in a changing world

Leaders are constantly required to deliver more with less. But their resilience can’t be taken for granted. Resources that are particularly valuable for building resilience include: Self-compassion and self-care; mindfulness and acceptance; awareness of habitual thinking patterns such as confusing assumptions with reality; clarification and articulation of purpose; building adaptability and the ability to flex; physical resourcing through sleep, diet and exercise.

Leadership, culture and successful selling

Leaders often start their careers by excelling technically. However, as their careers progress, they require an increasingly nuanced approach – particularly in relation to communication. Leadership means getting things done through people, not in spite of them, and leaders need to tap in to their self-awareness and to convert that into self-managed communication. In the high-stakes climate of the oil and gas industry, from Texas to Saudi, the leader has a consistent need for humility, integrity, curiosity, a willingness to think beyond the usual boundaries, trust, an awareness of one’s impact, and a finely-honed capacity to listen and to respect each individual.

'My markers in the sand': my latest article in Coaching at Work

Organisations which buy coaching can, knowingly or unknowingly, prevent the embedding of the learning it enables: organisational cultures can pull in the opposite direction from the messages from such learning. Expressing my values, my philosophy and my expectations of organisational adaptation at the beginning of every coaching programme might boost the integration of the changes that result from the coaching.

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