The most impactful leadership development comes when you are able to build the emotional stamina to withstand people telling you that your new idea is naïve or reckless or just plain stupid. ~Leader interviewed by Roselinde Torres
I was searching for a TED Talk last week that I wanted to recommend to someone, and in the process came across a title that intrigued me. “What it takes to be a great leader by Roselinde Torres who shares the three simple but crucial questions leaders need to ask to thrive in the future.” I think it was the “three simple” reference that really made me curious. In her less than 10-minute talk she provides these three questions.
1. Where are you looking to anticipate the next change to your business model or your life?
Torres says, “The answer to this question is on your calendar. Who are you spending time with? On what topics? Where are you traveling? What are you reading? How are you distilling this into understanding potential discontinuities, and then making a decision to do something right now so that you’re prepared and ready?”
I think the key to this question is the word anticipate. It’s not about reacting to change well, but getting ahead of change so you’re prepared and ready. Because of the pace of change in the 21st century this is more of a way of life than a periodic retreat or intense review.
2. What is the diversity measure of your personal and professional stakeholder network?
“What is your capacity to develop relationships with people who are very different than you? Those differences can be biological, physical, functional, political, cultural, or socioeconomic. And yet, despite all these differences, they connect with you and they trust you enough to cooperate with you in achieving a shared goal. Great leaders understand that having a more diverse network is a source of pattern identification at greater levels and also of solutions, because you have people who are thinking differently than you are.”
I would add to Torres’ comments that I believe real diversity likely comes with a degree of discomfort. As she said, “they need to be people who are thinking differently than you are,” and that may make you uncomfortable, frustrated, or impatient. That doesn’t mean you should walk away; it might mean you should lean in.
If two people agree on everything, one of them isn’t necessary. ~Winston Churchill
3. Are you courageous enough to abandon a practice that has made you successful in the past?
Don’t let your past success hinder your future potential. ~Kathryn Scanland
Torres asks, “Are you going to keep doing what’s familiar and comfortable? Great leaders dare to be different. They don’t just talk about risk-taking, they actually do it. The most impactful leadership development comes when you are able to build the emotional stamina to withstand people telling you that your new idea is naïve or reckless or just plain stupid. Now interestingly, the people who will join you are not your usual suspects in your network. They’re often people that think differently and therefore are willing to join you in taking a courageous leap. And it’s a leap, not a step.”
What I observed about these three questions is that they all hover around the topic of significant change and relating to those who think differently. In the midst of unprecedented change, our instinct may be to surround ourselves with like-minded networks and rely on our past success. The 21st century is asking us (maybe demanding us) to take a leap and lead with courage, not comfort, and embrace difference and change.