annrajaramLeadership Reflections May 2023
Have you heard of a kaleidoscope? As the patterns and colors change, the images evolve and morph from one spectrum of colors to another.
An Agatha Christie mystery (involving the characters Satherwaite and Harley Quin) first introduced me to the word and what I call the concept of ‘kaleidoscope perspective’. A word, an article, or a prompt that forces you to re-examine deeply held opinions. You don’t always change your opinion but it stimulates you to evaluate what you had never thought to question before.
Being a good leader means exposing yourself (intentionally) to ideas and people who can allow you to look beyond the obvious.
This week’s reflections come from 2 such sources:
- McKinsey Leadership Forum
- Using Influence for Good Ideas
McKinsey Leadership Forum:
I read an article about how to prepare for a CEO role, especially as the world seems to be lurching from one crisis to another since 2008. Article link here . Nothing truly prepares you for the role but having diverse skills like a Swiss Army knife is useful to handle new disruptions and pressures. Many of the skills and concepts seemed similar to a book I read earlier ‘The Edge’ by Michael Useem.
Why should you care?
Let’s face it, most of us will never get close to CEO position or consideration. However, many of these skills are critical to staying valuable in a chaotic world where layoffs, outsourcing, and disruptions are getting to be far too common. We (solopreneurs, business owners, or corporate junkies) must show a strong value proposition or be relegated to obscurity.
Food for thought – Interestingly, I felt that as a “mom” and as a woman whose career has been more ‘jungle-gym’ than ‘straight ladder’, I am better equipped with many of these skills than many of my male or younger counterparts.
Using Influence for Good Ideas:‘
Someone recently stated ‘Good Ideas wither away without an influential champion’. I don’t know whether he meant it to be profound or not, but it resonated deeply with me. How many times do we see resources being galvanized behind bad ideas simply because someone influential and persuasive made it happen?
Food for thought – What would happen if the world’s toughest problems were lead by someone persuasive? What would happen to your career if you 10X-ed your persuasion and influence skills?
How do you make sure you expose yourself to new ideas that coax a dramatic shift in perspective?
