Aug 14 - What to aim for
Should you invest in learning about Change Leadership?
I'm fascinated by the question of "What does trustworthy leadership look like here in the accelerating 21st century, what is that counterintuitive set of skills, expertise, and tools that make leaders effective in times of change? ...and effective at leading change?
So my goal is to learn about and curate these change leadership skills, tools and insights and look for like-minded leaders who also value them, and find ways to help them. That is the premise of the S3T subscription and newsletter.
You may be wondering - should I invest in learning about Change Leadership? How do I know if its right for me?
Change leadership learning is for you if:
- You're ready to be the kind of leader who shakes things up, not just keeps things the same.
- You want to help your organization or clients think and work smarter.
- You're eager to understand the big changes happening in the world, explain them clearly to others, and create strategies that outsmart conventional thinking.
- You're ready to push yourself to the next level.
Why Change Leadership is the most important skillset of the 21st century
Why do we say change leadership is the most important skillset of the 21st century?
- The world has accelerated as Thomas Friedman pointed out in Thank You for Being Late. New ideas and capabilities - new technologies, new platforms, new financial tools, new ideas for governance - are being unleashed at a faster rate than ever before - often with big unforeseen and unwanted side effects.
- The stakes are higher than ever. There are more people, more needs, bigger risks, often with stricter less forgiving timelines - than ever.
- There is too much intentional or misguided change: change for greed's sake, or change driven by hype, or power struggles. This often results in change that has very negative impacts and unwanted side effects. Being passive and unengaged in this era of accelerating change runs the risk of allowing toxic and negative impacts to proliferate.
- Organizational fluidity: Leaders no longer lead static organizations with stable chains of command. Organizations are in constant flux. A new set of leadership competencies are needed.
Change Leadership then vs now
100 years ago being a change leader, an inventor or innovator was considered rare...something that occurred randomly here or there in any given country or population.
It wasn't for everyone. Change leadership was something done only by a few atypical innovators and status-quo challengers like Harriet Tubman, Thomas Edison or Albert Einstein. Sure, they’ll bring big changes, but the rest of us will just keep our heads down and mind our own business.
That was the mindset for the 20th century and much of history. Today we are in a very different place.
We can no longer afford to assume that change leadership is optional, or that it is just something that a few rare people do while the rest of us go on business as usual. That is no longer the right mindset. There is no business as usual. Truth be told it probably never was an accurate mindset. Every person is born to have an impact and every person has the potential to have a great impact.
Finding that change leadership opportunity that resonates with you - that mission you have, that gift that you can bring to make things better for others, is such an exciting opportunity. And its more crucial today than ever.
Change leadership is not just for a few of us. It’s for all of us.
Given the challenges we face today, it’s all hands on deck. Every person needs to be a change leader: someone who is constantly learning and building their skills to drive good change - the kind of intentional change that we actually want and need.
Not negative change, not careless change, and certainly not staying stuck in the status quo.
We each have a choice to make
We can:
- Perpetuate the status quo OR
- Be part of unintentional or careless change that has unwanted side effects OR
- Learn how to thoughtfully and effectively drive positive beneficial change that lasts, as depicted here:
This is where all of us want to be focused. This is where good outcomes become possible.
This is also why S3T exists. S3T (pronounced "set" but just spelled differently) refers to this set of skills that comprise change leadership. We'll describe and give you ways to develop this crucial set of skills in the upcoming learning segments.
S3T focuses on sharing 21st century leadership skills set in the context of emerging tech and the evolving economic landscape. This unusual combination of skills (not usually taught together) has become essential for the global and local challenges we face today.
You have a unique role to play
You have the potential and the ability to create lasting and very beneficial changes in the world.
There are change opportunities that you notice and urgently wish you could change. No one you know of may be thinking about it in the exact same way that you are. That's because you've been given a vantage point or set of experiences that sensitized you to a specific issue. Maybe something happened in your life that gave you awareness of some needed changes - and these have become very important to you.
It could be changes needed on an individual level, or changes within families, or communities. It might be a change that you recognize is needed in your team or your company or perhaps on a change needed on an industry level or macro, national or even a global level.
Whatever change you are motivated to desire and drive, you will can increase your chances of successfully enabling that change by committing to learning and building change leadership skills.
I invite you to visit the S3t.org website and click the change leadership link to learn more about the change leadership learning series.
Thank you again for investing in your change leadership skills. It matters.
Ralph
P.S. Check out this page you are curious about what is available to S3T paid memberships.
And the latest Premium Briefing: The AI Puppetmaster Problem: the Frontier Model Risk No One is Talking About
Opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not reflect the official positions of companies or organizations those individuals may be affiliated with. Not financial, investment or legal advice, and no offers for securities or investment opportunities are intended. Mentions should not be construed as endorsements. Authors or guests may hold assets discussed or may have interests in companies mentioned.
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