Leadership Conversation 34: Fairness, Shields & Accountability
Reflects on the key insights arising from an overnight Conversation on managing the challenge of being fair as well as decisive.
We suggest that for a large number of leaders their behaviours are driven by the fear of being seen to be unfair. To tackle this, it is important to reframe unfairness as a state that leaders occasionally help their team – and themselves – to pass through. We also look at the importance of leaders establishing explicit lines of accountability, with consequences clearly attached to success and failure.
Please click on the front cover to open it or click here to download a pdf version.
Leadership Conversation 33: Doing the right thing: six behaviours and four challenges
Captures the key insights arising from a one-day Conversation on “Role-modelling integrity in Leadership”.
We identify six specific behaviours for high integrity leaders and explore some tough challenges that can hold us back, such as being “people pleasers” and never slowing down because we’re fearful of challenging ourselves about how we’re running our lives. We suggest that boundary-setting in our most important relationships is crucial to “losing fewer morsels of our integrity”.
Please click on the front cover to open it or click here to download a pdf version.
Leadership Conversation 32: Stepping into the future with courage
Draws on the main themes of our May 12/14 Conversation. Sets out eight propositions for leaders who can “no longer tolerate the present” and are seeking to build a broader base of support for radical change. We focus on the importance of leaders spending more time sharing their story about the future.
Our ideas draw on the links between fear and courage and the importance of “Ninja wisdom”, before suggesting a fresh approach towards “disempowering the Dementors”.
Please click on the front cover to open this report or click here to download a pdf version.
Leadership Conversation 31: Culture Change: farewell, impatient bus driver!
This reflects on our April 25/26 Conversation on culture change and the challenges involved in living the culture that we want to see. We focus on the core challenge of calling out behaviours that get in the way of the culture that we are seeking to embed. This requires us to create space for ourselves to “hold space for others”, in which they are able to share any sense of loss before focusing on the future.
We also explore how we might invite others to challenge us as part of the process of embedding new practices for cross-team feedback.
Please click on the front cover to open it or click here to download a pdf version.
Leadership Conversation 30: Connect not Convince
This report of our first three-night Leadership Conversation focuses on a truly transformational principle for team working that captured our imagination and demonstrated its capacity to change behaviour throughout the whole Conversation. Through applying this principle we achieved higher levels of mutual trust than at any time before.
In relatively few words, the report draws out the essence of Connect not Convince and its capacity to enable leaders to step into more authentic relationships with team members.
Please click on the front cover to open it or click here to download a pdf version.
Nurturing Wisdom, Volume Four: Conversations 22-29
This latest Volume reflects on the insights arising from eight Leadership Conversations at St George’s House between September 2018 and March 2019. It covers the following themes: integrity in leadership, getting the right balance between think/ reflect/ act, creative conflict, raising our game as leaders, disruptive leadership, thought leadership and stretching ourselves as leaders.
As usual, there are hyperlinks in the Executive Summary and on the final page taking you to specific Chapters.
Please click on the front cover to open Volume Four or click here to download a pdf version.
Nurturing Wisdom, Volume Three: Conversations 16-21
Captures the key insights arising from six Leadership Conversations at St George’s House between March and July 2018. As usual, hyperlinked headings in the Executive Summary up-front are intended to make the document as accessible as possible.
Covering the following themes: leading with integrity; being more authentic as leaders; from good to exceptional; driving up Board performance; rethinking our approach towards challenging conversations; rebalancing our lives as leaders.
Please click on the front cover to open Volume Three or click here to download a pdf version.
Nurturing Wisdom, Volume Two: Conversations 10-15
Brings together the 38 Insights from Leadership Fellows that we captured at the end of six Conversations at St George’s House between September 2017 and February 2018, with hyperlinked Chapter headings and Executive summaries up-front.
Covering the following themes: empowering others more as leaders; improving our performance as leaders; leading culture change; defining your brand as a leader; becoming more trustworthy as a leader; think today, reflect tonight, act tomorrow.
Please click on the front cover to open up Volume Two or click here to download a pdf version.
Nurturing Wisdom, Volume One: Conversations 1-9
Captures the key insights arising from our first nine Leadership Conversations between October 2016 and July 2017, with executive summaries up-front under hyperlinked Chapter headings.
Covering the following themes: from good to exceptional; driving ambition for our organisation; courage in leadership; leading culture change; developing top performing Boards; leaders as innovators; leaders as facilitators; breaking our bad habits as leaders; leading a winning team.
Please click on the front cover to open Volume One or click here to download a pdf version.
September 2017 Gathering for Leadership Fellows
On September 6 2017 we held a Gathering for Leadership Fellows in the quire in St George’s Chapel.
Four of our Fellows gave speeches highlighting different aspects of of their responses as leaders to the challenges of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity in our “VUCA world”. They were received very enthusiastically, and when you have a chance to read the speeches you will know why!
Please click on the front cover to open the report or click here to download a pdf version.
