Leadership in Chaos: 14th edition.
Leaders Digest

Leadership in Chaos: 14th edition.

By 12th July 2024 July 16th, 2024 No Comments

Leadership in Chaos: 14th edition.

fractional, micro-cultures, slow learners.

“Love does not consist of gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Michelle Maguire and Kelsey McClellan

Change: fractional.

One of the dominant themes from this years Talent Summit, was flexibility. Most agreed it was good for business and talent, with some suspicion. In lots of ways flexibility will be the defining feature of a new type of emerging worker. We’ve had the full-time employee, the full-time or part-time contracted employee from another firm and the freelancer. Now, with the forces of technology, shifting demographics and new mindsets, a new fourth type of worker is emerging: the fractionalized employee. They have the continuity and loyalty of a long-term employee with the cost flexibility of a part-time employee. Not only will it benefit companies looking to manage new talent mixes or costs, it may also attract a lot of talent who want to work in a company 50 to 75% of their time.

A thought for leaders: AI is driving change and a rapid need to adapt. So, we need to think differently. Fractionalized Employment starts to open up mutually beneficial possibilities. It allows talent to think about exciting “what if” scenarios. And it allows businesses to frame transformational change, in a really positive light. Instead of doomerism, it gives everyone the potential for positive growth, instead of negative decline. Plus, it gives employees a sense of agency over their own futures.

Michelle Maguire and Kelsey McClellan

Culture: micro-cultures.

In our Talent Summit wrap up, we mentioned how organisations are communities of communities, and how important it is, to connect and listen to these groups. This Deloitte report on orchestrating micro-cultures underlined the importance of “thinking small” when it comes to culture. Almost a third of new employees leave their jobs within the first 90 days, with unmet expectations from recruitment and culture being top factors. Often it’s a disconnect between the overall organisation culture, and the individual team culture. When the culture differs from their expectations, the impact can be huge. Big generic monolith cultures can also hide the appeal of individual teams, that might operate in a slightly different way. Plus in a world of volatility, a one size fits all culture may be more vulnerable.

A thought for leaders: Worker preferences, technology, and new ways of working are driving the growing importance of micro-cultures. Though senior leaders may rate them as less valuable, directors and those closer to the work itself recognize their importance. Bruce Daisley writes on inside the culture clashes about the disconnect between Google’s claimed mono-culture (innovative, exciting etc), with feedback from individual teams who describe slow moving bureaucracy at the coalface. Maybe thinking small about culture, enables bigger culturally transformation?

Michelle Maguire and Kelsey McClellan

Team: slow learners.

Training, support and resources were big themes at this years Talent Summit. There’s a lot going on: from AI, DEI, to multigenerational awareness. Knowledge and awareness are important, but we shouldn’t forget that speed of learning isn’t always the right focus. Ian Leslie recently wrote in praise of slow learners. He recalls a Haruki Murakami story, of two men, one of whom is very clever, who go to see Mount Fuji to see what all the fuss it about. The clever one looks up at it. He moves to different vantage points, then claims, “yep, got it”. And goes home. The other, doesn’t get it. So he walks up the mountain. He eventually summits. Exhausted. But he understands it in a way his friend cannot.

A thought for leaders: We’re in the era of acceleration. And often in the service of speed. But we mustn’t forget that breath, is different to depth. Many of our most valuable people climb mountains one detail at a time but understand each detail more deeply, more meaningfully, and more usefully for the organisation. The allocation of training support and resources in an era of change, needs to remain mindful of the slow, but incredibly useful, climbers.

Michelle Maguire and Kelsey McClellan

Podcast: EP 43: Building Trust in Teams

With societal Trust being so central to high performance, we wanted to share from the Podcast Vaults: Episode 43, Building Trust in Teams. Trust is, after all, the core element of Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions of a Team.

Listen to the full episode here. Enjoy!

You can follow Flow Group on Linkedin here.

P.S. This month’s featured artists are Michelle Maguire and Kelsey McClellan. Based in Ohio and San Francisco, respectively, they work together at every opportunity. They have created a number of editorial and fine art series that translate the act of dining into innovative and visually satisfying compositions. This series, Wardrobe Snacks, was inspired by diners lacking the luxury of being seated at a table. They’re informal — perhaps even a bit awkward — spaces as far as eating is concerned, yet the diner always appears to be comfortable and perfectly satisfied with his chosen snack, almost zen-like.