Authenticity (as opposed to code-switching as covered in a previous issue) is a current buzz-term for what it means to be a good role model. Herminia Ibarra, Professor of Organizational Behavior at LBS, dives deeper into authenticity as a factor of a learning stance to get outside of one’s own comfort zone. We are all WIP (work’s in progress) - this stance is essential to being able to step-up as a leader.

Simon Sinek - famous from his work on the Golden Circle of Why, What then the How - leads a fairly long but engaging talk around the key elements of trust and cooperation in organizations. This is along the lines of “people trust what they see - not what they hear.”

Stefan Stern, co-author of Myths of Management, holds a talk on “What People Get Wrong About Being the Boss.” He touches on some key highlights as to the importance of what good managers do - while highlighting management fads, fiction and falsehoods. A bit cheeky and good for an overview to trigger thought. It is the piece around how are we being a good role model and operating principle-based.

This is a very short but succinct article highlighting key learnings from Leadership Advisor to LinkedIn & Google Fred Kofman’s Meaning Revolution book.

“Entrepreneurs are very clear about the mission. But that awareness gets lost as they start engaging other people,” Kofman says. “Each person thinks they should do what they were hired to do instead of help the company succeed, whatever it takes.” The key is to find a clear mission that would make a child proud of you. “The gravitational pull is always going to be toward each person’s individual role,” Kofman says. “The job of the leader is to defy gravity.” Want more on how to “defy gravity” - watch this, work with me and/or read a future issue of TTI.

A former colleague of mine loved to dive-into the neuroscience of what we do and why we do it at almost every turn. So in honor of him - here is an overview of how the power of transforming thoughts away from “reward/punishment” to doing what is right is critical for being successful as a strategic leader. There are some good recommendations around what it takes to travel the high road - even when the low road may be a lot easier.

This is a very simplistic check-list on the things to do to be a great manager based on the Project Oxygen experiment at Google. They have since added: collaborates across google and is a good decision maker to the list. (Probably they are also thinking about an integrity element to go back to their principle of “don’t be evil.” There are absolutely no arguments to be made around the truth to these characteristics - the piece is how to bring these elements to life and help teams thrive.

So to help with the thriving, some insights from experiment-based innovation. This article stems from research into successful hackathons in various industries and the observed differences to “normal” management behavior. For example: “there is a difference in the way hackathon organizers approach the act of managing. Instead of attempting to manage the innovation process when it happens, they focus on diligently setting the stage, and then they step back. The distinction from traditional management is akin to that between directing actors in film versus theater — in the former arena, directors are expected to control and intervene in the process to perfect the finished project, while in the latter, directors focus on preparation in advance as they accept the uncertainty and improvisation which is integral to the live performance. Like a theater director preparing her cast for opening night, hackathon organizers set the stage and conditions for innovative work, giving tools and guidance at times of need, but they minimize interventions to allow for creative exploration and experimentation.” As a host of @hrimprov, I can say this is one of our key objectives to help leaders be more comfortable in this space. The authors detail three strategies for setting the stage for innovation that can be implemented in organizations across industries. A good read for any leader.

Twisted Sister for the leadership insight win?

In this short article, success recommendations from Judas Priest’s lead singer Rob Halford, Heart’s Nancy Wilson, Roger Daltrey of The Who among others on collaboration and teamwork. (Extra bonus win for anyone who can quote back to me the real lyric being basterized with “Let there be R.O.C.K.”)