Leading Transformation for Tangible Results: The Demise of the Hero Leader

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Short Description

The CEO as all-knowing leader is an outdated model that prevents modern organizations from achieving their goals and mission. Sustainable and innovative success requires whole senior leadership teams to promote and build upon individual and collective input. Problems can be complex, solutions cannot. This workshop will explore a senior leadership team’s requisite capacities for successful and adaptive transformation, concrete strategies that will forward individual, group, and organizational progress in the face of uncertainties. Presenters will frame the relevant topic and facilitate several 20-minute rounds of dialogue-rich, table-based working sessions. The roundtable data will be summarized and shared with participants via email.

Detailed Abstract

In the 20th century, CEOs, as “Hero-Leaders”, could formulate strategy and singlehandedly guide their direct reports to execution and sustain competitive advantage. The CEO as all-knowing leader is an outdated model that prevents modern organizations from achieving their goals and mission. Sustainable and innovative success requires whole senior leadership teams to promote and build upon individual and collective input. This new model can be challenging. It is often considered inefficient and time-consuming as well as highly biased by the CEO’s perspective. The majority of private and public organizations are used to top-down mandates or, despite commitment to flatter structures and collective leadership, don’t know the mechanics of execution therein. Thus, leaders struggle; organizational transformation can’t catch up to the latest external pressures. What is necessary for adaptive, organizational transformations in both private and public sectors? How will entire organizations thrive in politically, economically, socially and environmentally unpredictable and turbulent contexts? How will Leadership Development practitioners anticipate the diverse and complex needs clients face?

This workshop will explore an SLT’s requisite capacities for successful and adaptive organisational transformation. As a group, we will explore and propose concrete strategies that will forward individual, group and organizational progress in the face of today’s and tomorrow’s uncertainties.

Four presenters will frame the relevant topic and facilitate dialogue-rich, twenty minute, table-based working sessions, followed by three-round, facilitator led table discussions.

FRAMING – 20 minutes:
1. The four presenters will share “Hero-Leader” research wherein CEOs and SLTs are hamstrung by “Hero-Leader” style.
2. Presenters will then review research which lists the intrinsic, senior teams characteristics, classic and endemic interpersonal interactions therein, and the broader, inefficient relationships and connections that these team characteristics promote.

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS, 60 minutes total time:
Roundtable Discussion #1

15 minutes. 4 tables, 1 presenter per table.
COMPETENCIES, BELIEFS and BEHAVIORS – Questions:
o Table 1 will work on the following question:
 What collective competencies will SLTs need in order to make sense of contradictory, convoluted, incomplete and unpredictable information and create ample enough clarity for initial direction direction?
o Table 2 will work on the following question:
 What beliefs and values will SLTs need in order to make sense of contradictory, convoluted, incomplete and unpredictable information and create ample enough clarity for initial direction?
o Table 3 will work on the following question:
 What collective competencies does an SLT need to make good choices and select a small set of clear priorities that will focus energy and execution amongst the overflow of opportunities and threats?
o Table 4 will work on the following question:
 What beliefs and values will promote an SLT’s ability to make choices and formulate a small set of clear priorities to focus energy and steer execution amongst the overflow of opportunities and threats?
The deliverable of each of the 4 tables from round 1 will be captured in the form of a chart that is shared instantaneously with the other tables using appropriate technology – 5 min.
Roundtable Discussion #2
15 minutes. 4 tables, 1 presenter per table.

ASSESSMENT: Questions:

1. Table 1 will work on the following question:
 How would you assess senior teams which you have experience of on their collective competencies around sense-making?
2. Table 2 tables will work on the following question:
 How would you assess individuals in a senior team on their beliefs and values around sense-making?
3. Table 3 will work on the following question:
 How would you assess the senior team on their collective competencies to make choices and formulate a small set of clear priorities?
4. Table 4 will work on the following question:
 How would you assess individuals in a senior team on their beliefs and values around making choices?
The deliverable of each of the 4 tables from round 2 will be captured in the form of a chart that is shared instantaneously with the other tables using appropriate technology – 5 min.
Roundtable Discussion #3

15 minutes. 4 tables, 1 presenter per table.
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: Questions:
a. Table 1 will work on the following question: How would you develop the senior team on their collective competencies around sense-making?
b. Table 2 will work on the following question: How would you support the change of the members of senior team on their beliefs and values around sense-making?
c. Table 3 will work on the following question: How would you develop the senior team on their collective competencies to make choices and formulate a small set of clear priorities?
d. Table 4 will work on the following question: How would you support the change of the members of senior team on their beliefs and values around making choices and prioritising?

The deliverable of each of the 4 tables from round 3 will be captured in the form of a chart that is shared instantaneously with the other tables using appropriate technology – 5 min.

CONCLUSION – 5 min:
The 4 presenters will use data from all 4 round tables to summarise participant inputs and to add their insights. All data gathered during the round table event will be shared with participants by email.


Outcomes: at the end of the 80 minutes, participants will have:
1. Reviewed and challenged the hypothesis of values and beliefs as a core lever for a SLT in leading transformation and its relationship with the level of complexity of the change at play.
2. Created a framework for further research on the topics of the creation of collective beliefs and values in in SLT in support of organisational transformation.
3. Explored assessment and development strategies for senior teams in the context of organisational transformation.

Sub Unit

• Business Leadership

Presenters

• Florence Plessier, Center for Creative Leadership

• Paul Galante, Center for Creative Leadership

• Pierre Antoine Vacheron, Ingenico

• Jeneva Patterson, Center for Creative Leadership