A Different Optic

I mentioned this Harvard Business Review article (in the January 2008 issue) during the Y-Talk Radio roundtable last night, and I think it’s worth a read — “Where Will We Find Tomorrow’s Leaders?  A Conversation with Linda A. Hill.”  Prof. Hill of Harvard Business School has been researching new forms of leadership, looking closely at emerging nations and “invisible” groups here at home to see what U.S. companies can learn from leadership models other than the standard Western styles of leading.  She has some fascinating observations for us, and she explores two ideas in depth in this conversation:  leading from behind, and leadership as collective genius.  It’s clear that these trends in leadership thinking apply directly to the kind of leadership that will appeal to Gen Y — they will naturally gravitate toward leaders who operate in these ways.  Also of interest is Prof. Hill’s contention that we should cast our nets more broadly when we search for emerging leaders to be developed; if we let people volunteer for leadership development experiences, we’ll expand the pool of potential leadership talent and capture a greater diversity of leadership styles — something else that appeals to Gen Y.

Carol Graser of NextGen Leadership Development, Bea Fields of Millennial Leaders, and I did a roundtable interview this evening on Y-Talk Radio.  Sara Thomas, a corporate communications specialist, moderated the dialogue and asked us some very insightful questions about what’s going to be different about developing the young leaders of Generation Y now entering the workforce.  What made the conversation especially lively was the interplay of generations around our own (virtual) roundtable — three Boomers from early, middle, and late stages of that generation, and Sara the Gen Xer — talking about the Gen Y people we have been getting to know in our research. 

You can listen to this fascinating conversation here, and please give us your thoughts and ideas by leaving a comment on the blog!

 

 YTalk Radio Show - Beth, Carol & Bea Feb. 13 '08: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Our research on how to develop the next great generation of leaders is just beginning, and already we’re hearing from our contacts about the genuine need for real insight and creative solutions to help Generation Y leaders grow.  Everyone I talk with has a story or concern, and most share my own view that this new crop of “millennial leaders” is going to face challenges unlike any we’ve seen before.  My partners in this exciting work Bea Fields, Carol Graser, and I will be interviewed together on Wednesday night, February 13, at 7:00pm on Y-Talk Radio about what we’re hearing and how we are framing our research.  We’re curious to hear what you have to say, too.  Tune in and listen live (note: you’ll need to register with BlogTalkRadio.com if you want to call in during the broadcast) or check back here later for the podcast of the complete one-hour interview.  Whichever you choose, you’re invited to join our conversation! 

Sure, you know that change is a constant in the world today…but did you ever stop to think about what that really means?  If you think you can just keep on doing what you’ve been doing, maybe a little better, then think again.  This provocative video has been making the rounds on YouTube for the past several months, and if you haven’t seen it, take a few minutes, sit back, and prepare to be amazed. 

Click here to watch ShiftHappens. 

Last week, my colleagues Bea Fields and Carol Graser and I interviewed Margaret Regan of the Future Work Institute on Y-Talk Radio.  Margaret is doing a study on Gen Y in the global workplace, and she is full of great insights into what this new generation wants from their work and what they need to develop into our future leaders.

You can click here to listen to the whole interview.

Or you can get it as a podcast.

 

 Margaret Regan interview Jan 30 '08: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Welcome!  Three years ago I set out to stake my own claim in the blogosphere, but somehow I wandered from the trail, sidetracked by other projects.  Maybe it has just taken this long to find the voice I knew was in there somewhere, but here I am at last.  I’ve decided to name the blog after my monthly newsletter, A Different Optic, because that conveys nicely what I’m all about as a coach and as a writer — my role is to help you see things in a different way, through a different lens, from a different vantage point than you normally would.  I hope to make you stop and go “hmmmm….” because you never thought of it that way before.  Maybe to provoke a new idea or prompt you to take some kind of new action you never tried before.  I plan to introduce you to new people who are doing some pretty interesting, new things.  And I’ll give you a chance to put your own new perspectives out there for people to ponder as well. 

My professional interest, as a leadership coach, is primarily around what makes for good leadership, how to help leaders develop their skills and capacities, and how to create organizations that nurture and support good leadership.  Lately, I’ve been drawn to a new focus in my own learning — the huge transformation that has already begun in the world, in our society, and in our organizations that will carry us through the turbulent times ahead and into a future unlike anything we’ve known before.  The jury’s still out on what kind of future that will be, but I’m an eternal optimist.  I believe we are entering a truly historic period where a new kind of leadership will be necessary to help us transform.  We need experienced leaders today who have the vision to see what’s coming, and the wisdom to extend a hand to the generations of leaders coming up behind them.  More about this in future postings, to be sure.

I’m always asking my coaching clients to “stay curious”, and so that’ll be the mantra of my blog, as well.  We’ll talk about literature and films and other cultural artifacts that can instruct us on leadership and change.  We’ll look at the implications of new and emerging technologies for the art and practice of leadership.  We’ll look for signposts that might tell us something about the nature and direction of the transformation going on around us.  And we’ll share stories of all sorts.  There are plenty of coaching blogs, leadership blogs, and business blogs out there, and I’m aiming to make this one different.  Take a Different Optic on things, you might say.

And oh yeah, I’m just getting the hang of this blogging thing, so I’ll probably make some mistakes along the way.  So be nice…