"Tell me, I forget; Show me, I remember; Involve me, I understand" Confucius

I've recently reconnected with someone whom I admire for her unceasing quest for solutions to social problems.

At the end of her email she added the oft quoted saying of Confucius: 

"Tell me - I forget,

Show me - I remember,

Involve me - I understand."

It prompts me to think about how we achieve a higher level of consciousness? Then it struck me - as generations, we are shaped by different experiences and therefore, see and experience the world in different ways.

What if in involving Gen Y in the task of leading, we were to explore these different perspectives  and combine it with thoughtful questioning, designed to facilitate self-examination and self-discovery as leaders? Perhaps together, Boomer and Gen Y leaders could illuminate what is known, what can be, and how it can be achieved. 

Moreover, the level of consciousness gained is more likely to go beyond the accumulation of information toward knowledge.


If this were to happen, what level of creativity would be unleashed?

"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it" Albert Einstein

I am aware that hindsight affords 20:20 vision and that each generation's actions are a critique of what has gone before. I am also aware that in this period of uncertainty, Gen Y is highly critical of the Boomer generation for being profligate.

I hope, however, Gen Y leaders will look beyond the last 40 years and remember that the illusions of certainty in recent years is a very modern phenomenon. I hope too that they will seek to understand the experiences that shaped the attitudes and expectations of the last 40 years, rather than simply judging them as wanting.


And so  it was that Boomers were born into a world convulsed by tragedy and fatigued by want arising from two world wars and a Great Depression.

Therefore, I ask Gen Y to look beyond and to  find an understanding of their place in history. For me Vera Brittain's A Testament of Youth,  is an eulogy to a doomed generation that gives me clarity about my role in history: as beneficiary of sacrifices of previous generations and in turn, benefactor to future generations. 


So, find a way past being angry about the failings of recent years and find a way to raise your level of consciousness but; do it with compassion and humility in the knowledge that you too will make your share of mistakes. 


Now is a huge opportunity because there is no space of hubris. Find those with whom to critically reflect upon what has gone before and seize valuable lessons that are to be had.

What Is Leadership?

Is it a bit late to stop and ponder what is meant by 'leadership'?


It appears there is "no widely accepted definition of leadership... and remarkably little evidence of the impact of leadership or leadership development on performance and productivity; [furthermore] most initiatives appear to actively avoid addressing these issues [opting] for doing something about it… whatever ‘it’ may be!".(1)


Maybe an audit of leadership performance in using more than 30% of talent is a good place to start? How about clarifying leadership styles most beneficial in optimizing performance and understanding why, through critical reflection? Only then will it be possible to create a template of traits and skills upon which to create a meaningful leadership development framework.


Or, maybe it should start with envisioning what 'impact' all this effort might have in the world. Maybe then, leadership will come to be an alignment of values with talents in pursuit of goals that are meaningful and worthwhile. What mosaic of possibilities could we recreate?


In knowing what 'impact' means, growing Gen Y leaders at a service and team level will have a focus and provide a filter by which they can work out where and how they are most effective. 


In time the 'growing' may take them to a place of  operational or strategic oversight or it may mean extending their purview to maximise their contribution and impact upon performance. At all levels the process demands an educative relationship based on trust and mutual respect. Only then, will we get away from "doing something... whatever 'it' may be!"

Richard Bolden (p.4), What is Leadership? Research Report, Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter and The Windsor Leadership Trust (2004)

Releasing Energy A Step At A Time

Talking to leaders here  in Canada, I find the same level of fatigue as in the UK. 

There is a profound awareness of the need to sustain their work but the years have ground down their capacity to initiate a liberating leadership development process.

On the other hand, I witness as much of a yearning here, as in the UK, among the Gen Y to be given an opportunity to discover their potential. 

And so, I am lifted by an email from a young person, apologizing on behalf on his Executive Director for a late reply. It positively fizzed with excitement and joy at being part of something big and ambitious and despite the effort involved, it was clear there was no other place to be.

I can't recall a more uplifting encounter - which makes lament how rarely people's talents fully explored, let alone used.  Why are so many people kept boxed in their role? There is a cornucopia of talents and abilities to be found and people waiting to be asked.

If only exhausted leaders can find the energy to look at problems anew and work with Gen Y to pilot one solution at a time. How much energy will be released if their talents were to be recognized, used and celebrated?

Taking Stock

I continue to be shocked by my discovery that "organizations are running on a fraction of their human potential....less than one-third".(1) Should we not re-examine received wisdom?

For instance, why is recruitment so heavily reliant on competence to perform? Also, why the blind spot in seeing the impact of putting the role before the person on social relations?

Surely, without a foreknowledge of what kind of a person is most successful in a role, the likelihood of a good fit between an individual and a role is a matter of luck - get it wrong and the agony of micro-managing begins. Do we ever count the cost in terms of potential performance or a reduction in trust and generosity of spirit played out in the name of self preservation?


As parents, teachers, coaches etc. we search for and nurture latent talent, knowing that performance, self-esteem and confidence will grow. Yet, job adverts never communicate what talents will suit best. Likewise, training is less concerned with developing talent than ensuring competence.


I remember once running a emergency scenario and being deeply impressed by a participant who calmly and firmly took control of the scene by managing the anxiety of bystanders and responders alike. The debrief revealed a complex analysis of the situation and a highly intentional response. Yet there was no means by which the organisation could embrace his potential.


What if we were to go in search for those with latent abilities and develop their talents? The resources are there, if we care to look. How often do we help exceptional people understand why they are really good and template their skills and qualities to help us define  success? Why don't we throw unlikely people into scenarios and discover their talents?


How often do we ask: "What are you good at?" and go from there. It may go towards explaining why in the US, for instance, between 1950 and 2000, nonfinancial company profits fell from around 20% of GDP to just over 5%.(2) And so, what of the non profit sectors?

(1) Curt Coffman and Gabriel Gonzales-Molina, PhD (p. 19), Follow This Path: how the world's greatest organizations drive growth by unleashing human potential (2002)

(2) The Economist, December 8, 2001, p. 65 - cited by Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina

Rediscovering the Art of Conversation

Why it is so challenging to engage with the Gen Y?

One element is that we have lost the art of conversation. How often do we ask: "How are you?", not expecting a honest answer.

It is a pity, because it is a lost opportunity to connect and begin to discover talents waiting to be mined. Shockingly, it is believed that "organizations are running on a fraction of their human potential....less than one-third".(1) 


How can this make business sense?

Moreover, when we ask "What do you think?" but fail listen intently - why should we expect an honest and thoughtful answer?

Good conversation is like an exchange of goods - finely balanced and of equivalent worth. Yet, how often do we leave a conversation feeling a little cheated by the exchange? And what is the cost in terms of relations and future transactions of effort?

Now more than ever, it is beholden upon us to make time to converse with Gen Y; revisit our deeply held beliefs and expand our thinking through an engagement with their perspective.


Why did exchanging of perspectives become absent from organizational  culture?






(1) Curt Coffman and Gabriel Gonzales-Molina, PhD (p. 19), Follow This Path: how the world's greatest organizations drive growth by unleashing human potential (2002)

Taking a Leaf from William Cox

In their report, The Next Generation Leaders: competency deficits and the bridge to success, Judy Chartrand and Bonnie Hagemann conclude that the fundamental gaps in future leadership are: critical thinking skills and an ability to motivate and influence others. Moreover, they found that the "real issue is that we can't find enough people PREPARED to fill the seats". It prompts me to ask why not? 

Perhaps it is because we are in an age of great uncertainty that require these competencies be infused with a courageous quality.

I am reminded of William Cox, an extraordinary engineer who in 1814 pulled together a team of 30 convicts and 8 guards to build a road across the Blue Mountains and access fertile lands beyond. In so doing, Cox and his men enabled the expansion of the colony of New South Wales and so began the process of nation building. His was a story of endurance with his men and solving seemingly insurmountable difficulties together; and it is one that heartens me immensely because he was an authentic leader. 

For my part, the relationship with Gen Y leaders meant that together we engaged in critical thinking, cut through mind boggling complexity and motivated others through veils of fear. 

So why as a culture, do we have a need to turn our leaders into what Johann Hari calls "cuddly eunuchs", devoid of human failings? What scope is there today for a William Cox to emerge? How is it possible to motivate and inspire any other way?

Maybe the first step is for incumbent leaders to let go of their certainties, relinquish the security blanket of 'expert' and allow critical thinking to occur, from whatever quarter.

If not, how will we inspire anyone to step forward and "fill the seats"?

"The Way We See a Problem is the Problem" Stephen Covey

I was enlightened by the findings of Professor Carolin Reka Munro of Royal Roads University into attitudes toward Gen Y leadership. 

She found that Boomer leaders across Canada experience Gen Y as  "having a loud voice...[are] confident and are very forceful,” In turn, Gen Y is “clear that it wants to move into leadership position and it wants to make changes...[T]hey want to build partnerships based on key values, and...mak[e] a difference in the world.” All this leaves Boomer leaders not "quite sure how to handle these upstarts, but there is as sense of profound, inevitable change in the workplace"


Profound indeed; for their world will be one of monumental change. According to Julian Cribbs it will be a world requiring a doubling of "food production using half the water, far less land, with no fossil fuels, scarce fertilisers amid drought and changing climate."  Consequently, it will be a world requiring the best of leaders to deal with the social, political and economic fall out; and one where an entrepreneurial, collegiate style of leadership will optimize performance.

So, rather than trying to work out how to handle Gen Y, why not  allow a process of co-enquiry, a discovering of synergy between leadership styles and prepare the ground for a smooth transition? Better still, lay the foundations by which they test their mettle and acquire the tools for their future.


The conversation must begin with key values and a reimagining of the culture they underwrite. Also, from my experience, it must be conducted with a progressive attitude because they'll know if you're not being real with them.


In turn you will be rewarded if you hang out with them and experience life through them. My outlook is changing, I behave differently and I have begun to live more myself. All this has come about because it is so enjoyable to talk 'with' them and not 'at' them and to learn alongside them, freed from the tyranny of the expert. 

Drilling Beyond the Surface

I suppose the challenge of Gen-Y leadership development is, where to start?


For me, the starting point was borne of necessity. I had found I'd inherited of a failing organization and confronted by an apathetic incumbent team, I looked to students from Gen-Y to help me turn things around.


Originally, we began by drilling beyond the surface of our core values to re-conceive what Quality would look and feel like. It soon led us to an understanding how these values must be expressed through the behaviors and traits of everyone in the organization and eventually to how all systems and processes should support and facilitate them too. It was a eureka moment!


Armed with  this insight, our ability to recruit the 'right' people transformed; and we quickly found ourselves moving from being a 'cornered' leadership into an engaged leadership - confident in our team's ability to overcome any obstacle.

It leads me to ask, how often do we take the time to audit the vibrancy of core values in the life of our organizations?


And, what is the consequence to performance and effectiveness?

From Challenge to Triumph

I am always intrigued by those organizations/companies that exhibit a certain flair - Apple, Pixar and Google come to mind. All seem at ease with being unique. However, drill below the surface and it is alway a story of struggle.


And always, at the heart, is a group of people who worked hard to create an environment where people could make an emotional investment in the success of their company. To achieve this, I believe that these leaders have led with authenticity and consistency - creating a sense of security and a bedrock for their people to perform to the best of their abilities.


So, how do we enable Gen-Y leaders to arrive at a place where they too can inspire commitment and an energetic pursuit of ambitious goals? For me, the starting point was a peeling away of the illusions of certainty. By going below the surface of conditioned assumptions of oneself, the world and others, young leaders engaged with the substance of their beliefs.


Consequently, mentoring involved facilitating an engagement with core values and aptitudes to develop patterns of behavior in a conscious way. Very soon, they became critical thinkers, reflecting on what authentic leadership meant for them; and in time, they fashioned their own approach.


In so doing, they were better placed to arrive at an integrated understanding of leadership and one which was accommodating of uncertainty. More than ever, it will become a defining trait of leadership in an era of monumental social, cultural and economic shifts. 


All this remind me of encounters with good and great teachers. The former strive to ensure students meet current standards; the latter create stepping stones towards each student's potential.


Embedded in the latter's approach is a knowledge that the future is an unknown land. Therefore, it is beholden upon us to facilitate the next generation of leaders by creating stepping stones for them.

In Pursuit of Authenticity

I continue to think about why the Gen-Y are perceived as challenging.


Maybe it's because they don't take anything for granted and continually test the boundaries.


What if those same qualities were harnessed to establish strong foundations for the future? If only we would engage with their questions, maybe we would begin to see intractable problems in a new light.


Now is the time: in an era of cutbacks, it is precisely the moment to embrace new ideas rather than dismissing them as having been tried. The world has changed and much is up for reinvention.


Gen-Y have a hunger to learn, to puzzle out and to use all their skills. They will not settle for being under utilized in the name of loyalty. After all, they were raised to expect respect and for their loyalty to be earned. 


If we continue to judge their baseline expectations as fickle, they in turn will judge us as unaccountable power and will go in search of authenticity.


So what does authenticity mean? In my experience, it is a genuine connection between core values, behavior and culture. In other words, say what you mean, mean what you say and do as you say.

Catching the First Followers

The demand for Gen-Y skills are set to outstrip supply in the next 15 years. The organizations that learn to work with the Gen-Y will have a market lead in attracting the brightest and the best.


In 2007, Fortune characterized Gen-Y as: "self-absorbed, gregarious, multitasking, loud [and] optimistic....exactly what the boomers raised them to be." 


If this is so, being perceived as upstarts won't inspire commitment among this generation who, more than any other in history, feels that the world really is their oyster?  


More fruitful would be to deem them as self-assured rather than 'self-absorbed'; or vocal instead of 'loud'?


Of course, it will mean standing outside of the prevailing view but what impact will such a shift in thinking have to the  quality of relationships between Gen-Y and the Boomer generation of leaders?


No doubt it will feel awkward to begin with but get it right with the first Gen-Y leaders and the others will want to follow.

Reimagining Engagement

I recently met someone who, as a one time marine ecologist, uses his training to analyze the challenges of an organization or sector. For him, it is a question of looking for stress in parts of an 'ecosystem' and identifying areas of damage.

It is a powerful way of thinking about  any sector and its capacity to deliver. If we can identify the areas of weakness and find ways to address failings, will we not be more able to  engage with complexity and the interconnectedness of issues? 

And so, I wonder, what other disciplines have to offer us.

For instance, in the UK, medical specialisms such as oncology increasingly rely on a cross-discipline approach to to arrive at an optimal care package.

Is there not scope for greater collaboration between those engaged with communities facing complex challenges or for that matter within organizations?

Does is make sense for us to continue to work in silos?


Or, in reimagining engagement and transformation, should we not be continually looking to other spheres  and what they have to teach us?


Will it not ensure organizations' ability to maintain performance in today's changing environment?