 The Paradox of Leadership, by Center for
Creative Leadership and Forrester Research
A paradox is the
conception of two alternatives as mutually exclusive, while there seems to be a
need for both concepts to be true.
Simply put, a complex challenge
can be described as a situation demanding action … but for which we have
no resources, or framework, for acting. For leaders today, this is more likely
the status quo than an occasional experience. As a result of such ambiguity,
learning to embrace paradox is key to leadership in times of
complexity.
According to a recent study by CCL and Forrester Research,
leadership today is characterized by five key paradoxes:
- Swift AND Mindful*. When research participants
were asked about the impact of technology on leadership, the most common
response was the need for speed. As a result, many organizations and
individuals make bad decisions because they have not taken the time to
understand the situation and think through alternatives. The dilemma: how to
balance efficient, habitual responses with fresh ideas and innovation.
- Individual AND Community. Technology provides us
with tools that give individuals a great deal of autonomy. Our survey showed
that e-mail is the most frequently used type of e-mail communication today -
above the telephone (98 percent). But a 1999 study of 6,357 workers by Randstad
North America found that the top reason employees gave for staying with their
current company was affection for coworkers (71 percent).** This happens
through face-to-face interaction and shared experience. The dilemma: how to
create ways for individuals to be autonomous without feeling isolated.
- Top-Down AND Grassroots. Many organizations are
still based on a hierarchical structure, and frequently someone at the top
needs to make a fast decision. A hierarchical structure is predicated on the
idea that someone is in charge, is presumably in control, and has "the answer."
The trouble is that many people who are at the top of organizations today don't
know the answer and in fact, there may not be one. The dilemma: how to decide
when to use control while also increasing collaboration.
- Details AND Big Picture. The need to manage and
prioritize an enormous amount of data has never been more demanding. Yet to
stay competitive, leaders must also be able to link all these bits of
information together to identify patterns. The dilemma: how to sift through
vast amounts of data and weave it together so that it becomes meaningful.
- Flexible AND Steady. With new technologies and
changing economic conditions, organizations have to be able to sense needs and
opportunities, adapt and improvise. Ongoing mergers, acquisitions, alliances
and downsizing mean that employees are frequently working on teams of
continuously shifting players. At the same time, we must maintain some sense of
priorities and movement toward a common direction. The dilemma: how to maintain
focus and purpose in the midst of continuous change.
Taken together, the five paradoxes can be daunting. Yet
recognizing paradox allows us to accept, even embrace, the inherent complexity,
ambiguity and challenge in our leadership roles and, indeed, in our
lives.
A final point: In reality, few people can bridge all of the
leadership paradoxes alone. In fact, complex challenges require a sense of
leadership that is shared, where leadership exists in the dialogue and
relationships between people rather than in any one individual.
This
article is based on the work of the Center for Creative Leadership and
Forrester Research and is adapted from E-Leadership: Tackling complex
challenges, by Mary Lynn Pulley and Valerie J. Sessa, Center for Creative
Leadership, forthcoming.
Sources:
* Langer, E. J. (1989).
Mindfulness. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
** Kanter, R.
M. (2001). Evolve: Succeeding in the digital culture of tomorrow. Boston:
Harvard Business School.
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