Changing Campus: Adaptive Leadership Dr Tanveer Ahmed Psychiatrist and Author

Changing World more interdependent challenge to innovate difficult to know what to keep from the past defining purpose paramount

Connect to Purpose articulate your deepest values exercise leadership for something you care about the change may need to occur elsewhere

Adaptive Problems more and more problems are adaptive most of us more used to technical problems adaptive leadership is more about marshalling stakeholders

Some Adaptive Characteristics change that enables capacity to thrive build on past rather than jettison the past experimentation diversity- nature is like a fund manager!! new adaptations displace, rearrange time

Leadership, Authority, Management leadership as a verb “Some leaders cannot manage...some managers cannot lead.” there is an overlap eg project, delegation, organisational change

“You cannot manage men into battle. You manage things; you lead people.” General Shwarzkopf (US Army) “Underperforming organisation are usually overmanaged and under led.” Jack Welch, CEO General Electric “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Peter Drucker

Diagnose the System You are a system too!! Collect Data Don’t Leap Into Decision Making

What is the Status Quo? Structural Norms Default Interpretations ( Reframe Truths as Assumptions)

Diagnose Adaptive Challenge dependence on authority competing committments speak the unspeakable work avoidance

Political Landscape Identify Stakeholders Loyalties Values Losses at Risk(Identity, Security, Reputation etc) Hidden Alliances

Qualities of Adaptive Worlplaces elephants in the room are named responsibility is shared independent judgement is expected leadership capacity is developed reflection and continuous learning are institutionalised

Making Interpretations technical to adaptive benign to conflictual individual to systemic

Your Own System identify loyalties- colleagues, community and ancestors prioritise loyalties

Know Your Tuning know your triggers hungers and carrying water: eg power and authority, affirmation and importance, intimacy and delight

Broaden BandWidth your repertoire of technique must teach old dog new tricks understand your roles- parent, manager, friend, teacher ?role conflict identify your scope of authority

Articulate Purpose prioritise purpose story you tell yourself keep purpose alive- physical reminders, rituals, integrate ambitions and aspirations

Avoid Common Traps going blind and deaf becoming a martyr appearing self righteous being self appointed chief purpose officer “Sometimes a cigar is a cigar” Freud

Engage Courageously get past the past watch for gaps between words and action stay in the present identify loyalties you need to refashion conduct needed expectations create rituals for refashioning ancestor loyalties fo

What Makes A Tough Decision? close call known vs unknown doing the right thing would incur significant losses several of your values are in conflict

Thrive grow your personal support network find confidants satisfy hungers outside work anchor yourself in multiple communities create sanctuaries renew yourself

Take Away We are all leaders and exercise it in many facets of our lives Change is the constant of our times Don’t have too rigid a view of yourself Connect to purpose and integrate it with your work and life