Written by: Christine Nady
Editor: Mahmoud Mansi
1- The Crisis of Leadership and a New Way Forward
Halla Tomasdottir, entrepreneur, former Icelandic presidential candidate and the CEO of the B Team; a group of global leaders working together to transform business for a better world. In her interview with TEDx, she explained how continuing to do business and lead in the way we always have, is a crisis of conformity.
Halla clearly distinguished “we tend to think about leadership as only those who sit in positions of power. To me, leadership is not at all like that.
There’s a leader inside every single one of us, and our most important work in life is to release that leader.”
Halla explained what she thinks new leadership actually looks like
- Leaders have to be courageous with embrace for humbleness.
- Their guidance directions have to be aimed by the moral compass of their nature; which is combined by both a social purpose and a set of principles.
- Responsible leaders need to start thinking courageously and holistically how they’re going to be part of the solution and not window-dress anymore.
She strongly believes that; in light of the hierarchical leadership within corporations, gender-balanced leadership is the way to embrace a successful module for leadership style. In addition to close the generational gap, we need the wisdom of those with experience, but we need the digital natives of the young generation.” And consequently, most potential aspiring leaders face the hard reality of this gap between generations; people at the top won’t listen. Halla advises trying to build a coalition for your good idea, find other people to support you and make the case.
2- A guide to collaborative leadership
Lorna Davis inspires, coaches and provokes leaders to use business as a force for good. In her talk with TED, explained how our idolization of heroes is holding us back from solving big problems and that “radical interdependence” is the way to make real change happen.
Lorna explained the difference between a hero and a leader,” A hero sets a goal that can be individually delivered and neatly measured. Interdependent leaders, on the other hand, start with a goal that’s really important, but is actually impossible to achieve by one company or one person alone.”
She set the characteristics of the interdependent leaders; explaining that they collaborate and share ideas with others.
Interdependence is a lot harder than being a hero. It requires us to be open and transparent and vulnerable.
Why does hero culture persist, and why don’t we work together more? Lorna said that “That’s not what traditional leaders have been trained to do.”
The joy and success that comes from interdependence and vulnerability is worth the effort and the risk. And if we’re going to solve the challenges that the world is facing today, we have no alternative, so we had better start getting good at it.
3- How vulnerability makes you a better leader
Tracy Young is a construction engineer who became the founder and CEO of a startup. In her talk with TED conference, she shares how she developed the courage and vulnerability to lead as her complete, raw self.
“I never wanted to draw attention to my gender, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a CEO. So I focused my energy on the things that I thought were important, stuff like making my team laugh.” Tracy stated. She had this typical perception that CEOs had to be robots because she was afraid of what staff would think of her if she acted as a human in front of them. After experiencing hardships with her life, Tracy realized how wrong it was to hide her womanhood as something to be ashamed of.
Tracy emphasized the many positive sides of embracing the human side of being a leader in position, and openly sharing her vulnerability;
- She became a much happier and more effective leader.
- With accepting that side effect of leading with her true nature, she was able to “seeing their culture evolve to a more close-knit and effective version of itself.”
- During times of crisis, it completely changed the conversation between her and her staff; where they would build and solve problems together.
“Whoever you are, if you’re thinking about starting a startup, or you’re thinking about leading, do it and don’t be afraid to trust and be yourself completely. I wish I knew that a decade ago. And learn from my mistakes.”, Tracy’s wrap up and advice to potential leaders.
4- How to lead in a crisis
Amy C. Edmonson, Leadership expert who studies people and teams seeking to make a positive difference through the work they do. In her talk with TED, she openly highlighted all the misinterpretations of the great leader; we used to know as the unwavering captain who guides us forward through challenge and complexity. Confident, unwavering leaders, armed with data and past experience have long been celebrated in business and politics alike. Amid of the sudden upheavals that hit,
- Leaders have to communicate with transparency, and communicate often.
- Leaders must share what they know and admit what they don’t know. As “honesty creates more psychological safety for people, not less”.
- Act with urgency despite incomplete information. Admitting you don’t have the answers does not mean avoiding action. While it’s natural to want more information, fast action is often the only way to get more information. Worse, inaction leaves people feeling lost and unstable.
- Leaders must hold purpose and values steady, even as goals and situations change. Values can be your guiding light when everything else is up in the air.
- Give power away. Our instincts are to hold even more tightly to control in times of upheaval, but it backfires. One of the most effective ways to show leadership, if counterintuitive, is to share power with those around you. Doing this requires asking for help, being clear that you can’t do it alone. This also provokes innovation while giving people a sense of meaning.
We have to flip the leadership playbook. Humility, transparency and urgency are the keys to successfully steering an organization — big or small — through the challenges that come your way. Amy provided clear advice and examples to help any leader rise to the occasion; you can refer to the video for the detailed examples.
5- Essential lessons for women leaders
In a rich conversation full of practical insights, former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard and former Finance Minister of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala share six standout lessons on what it takes to lead and build solidarity; during an official TED conference.
- There’s joy in being a leader — in having the opportunity to put your values into action. Emphasizing the positive makes a real difference to the power of role modeling.
- Men can more equitably share domestic and care work. They can point out sexism when they see it. They can make space for women and mentor and sponsor them. Given that men disproportionately still have the power, we won’t see change unless they work with us to create a world that will be better for men and women.
- If you have a sense of purpose that drives you, then aim high, become a leader. And make room as you go.
- There’s no right way to be a woman leader. Be true to yourself.
- We know that women leaders face sexism and stereotyping, so sit down with your mentors, sponsors, best supporters and friends and war-game. How are you going to deal with the gendered moments, with being judged on your appearance, with being assumed to be a bit of a bitch or with your family choices questioned? Forewarned is forearmed.
- Let everyone you know talking about gender stereotypes and debunking them: these false assumptions can’t survive being held up to the light of day.
- There are structural barriers too. Don’t wait until you need help balancing work and family life or to be fairly evaluated for promotion. Be a supporter of systems and changes that aid gender equality even if you don’t personally need them immediately.
- Don’t take a backwards step. Don’t shy away from taking up space in the world. Don’t assume you’re too junior or people are too busy. Reach out, network.
And the most important tip is, go for it.
About the Writer:
Christine Nady is an experienced professional with 8 years of diverse experience working in philanthropic organizations and venture capital. She worked with NGOs in MENA, Asia, and US, Religious Ministries, and 500 Global. She is actively involved in civic engagement in Egypt and globally. Her drive is to shape the future of youth.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-nady-boushra/