Time for a game-changer in Local Authority leadership: Adaptive leadership in complexity and change Liz Skelton Director Collaboration for Impact 17 May 2016

Effective leadership is characterised by actions that have positive impacts beyond ourselves. It is not management, entrepreneurism or dictatorship. It involves using our privilege and power to connect with others to create progress for the whole, not just our part. It enables people to understand and solve their own problems, not look to someone (in authority) to fix it for them. Leadership always embodies a higher dream and purpose that things are left better than we found them – more resilient communities, sustainable organisations and people. The Australian Leadership Paradox: What it takes to lead in the lucky country. Aigner. G & Skelton L. Allen & Unwin

1.Incomplete or contradictory knowledge; 2.Has number of people and opinions involved; 3.Is hard to understand or predict 4.Has long time horizons for cause and effect; and 5.The interconnected nature of these problems with other problems. An adaptive or complex problem is a challenge that is difficult to solve 3

Mainstream responses to complexity 4 FORMAL TECHNICAL DETACHED AUTHORITY DRIVEN

Adaptive responses to complexity 5 FORMAL DETACHED AUTHORITY DRIVEN TECHNICAL SOCIAL EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEMIC POWERFUL

Adaptation What do we Conserve? What do we Discard? Where do we innovate? 6

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Balcony and Dancefloor 8

Role of Authority Protection Direction Order

Liz Skelton. The Adaptive Practice

Role of Leadership  Diagnose & question  Surface difference  Challenge norms

Creating the foundations for collaboration and learning Liz Skelton, The Adaptive Practice 12

Creating foundations for adaptive work

Purpose 14

Diagnostic Skills Liz Skelton, The Adaptive Practice 15

Power & authority POSITIONAL POWER - Formal INFORMAL POWER - PERSONAL

Productive conflict for innovation Liz Skelton, The Adaptive Practice 17

Liz Skelton. The Adaptive Practice

Working with the ‘No’  What happens to the No in your organisation? Visibly Subtly Liz Skelton, The Adaptive Practice 19

Curiosity, experimentation & Risk Taking

Mindsets & skills for adaptive leadership  Creating foundation for change and learning  Purpose  Power  Diagnosing  Collaboration:  Working with diversity and conflict for innovation  Tolerance for risk and failure  Curiosity 22

Questions, Reflections, Insights ???? 23

Thank you! “ When an old culture is dying the new culture is created by those of us who are not afraid to be insecure” Rudolph Bayo Liz Skelton Director. Collaboration for Impact 24