From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
I believe that culture isn't a continuous act. We talk about strategizing. We don't just talk about our strategy. I believe that we also need to review our culture, maybe not as much as our strategy, but at key points of a company changing. It is essential to also look at how we are working together.
Insecurity is normal, we all feel it. If you don't? you're a psychopath! This is the manager who really leads from that place of insecurity.
A lot of aid goes to displacement camps, which are necessary in the immediate aftermath of a crisis but are short-term and frankly undignified band-aids. The community feels hopeless in that environment where every day is the same and there are no opportunities to rebuild their lives.
How many CEOs or heads of government agencies have taken the trouble today to say, 'Who are my five most-thoughtful antagonists? How have I reached out to them, and what efforts do I have in place to create a listening community across those antagonists for when I really need it when the crisis hits?'
No-one is perfect. In fact, we are perfectly imperfect. When we do the self-reflection work to reveal who we are, everyone has bad and ugly in them and we may not like what we see, but that's what healing and doing our work to grow as individuals and as leaders is all about.
We often project our 'superhero' aspirations onto our leaders and vulnerability, and other more human traits, are not always encouraged. Organisational leaders often experience loneliness, and the 'truth' within their company is often illusive to them because subordinates will often tell them what they want to hear.
It's strange though, I never feel this as a weight when I'm around kids – I feel so much lighter. They have an impact on me, as much as I hope to have an impact on them. It's a real mutual benefit.
The most critical element is the cultural integration. The distinct cultures of the two companies present a significant challenge, consuming 80-90% of our efforts. Our goal is to forge a unified team culture, permeating from senior leadership to the deepest levels.
For the last 50, 100 even 200 years, almost all of the world's problems have been solved by a relatively small group of white men- and now we're bringing diversity to the challenge; we're opening out the future of our world to several billion people not just a few hundred million, and with that level of entrepreneurial thinking capacity I would see our civilisation growing exponentially, and that gives me hope.
Initially, I harboured a somewhat naive belief that the system's failings were largely due to a scarcity of people willing to do the right thing. Working for international organisations, I was caught up in the belief that we could fix broken systems simply by introducing the right resources, processes, and intentions. However, I've come to realize that good intentions alone are insufficient.
Failure is an important tool with which one can reassess and reconstruct an idea or process, it is an essential element of the feedback loop. Failure should be used to step back and question your method and weaknesses. To recognize failure early can ultimately make one much stronger down the road.
I know when this is coming because people at the club stop talking about the future. That is a big sign. When I see that the Arc is on the decline I start looking for a new Club!