A clear picture of executive leadership evolved throughout the 20th Century, driven by conventional management thinking, and stereotyped – we have to say – by tall athletic men in expensive suits with good teeth and hair, who led from the top with strength, confidence, and the ruthless application of power in pursuit of profit. Whilst many executives did it differently, they were often judged – perhaps implicitly and subliminally – against this model.
Now, as we have seen, the expectations are changing, as is the understanding that we can get better results with better ways of working, especially in the context of today’s different world. We now need Open Leadership to enable Open Management and Open Work.
We must define the word “leader”. Teal Unicorn think leadership is a behaviour that anybody can exhibit, not a role. But the world is determined to call you, executives, the “leadership” of the organisation, so we surrender – we use the term here in its popular meaning.
Open Leadership is a dynamic, integrative, and adaptive approach to leadership that recognises and leverages the strengths of multiple leadership philosophies. It’s about leading with vision, empathy, flexibility, inclusion, and a good understanding of today’s complex environment.
Open leaders exhibit:
- Holistic Approach
- Collective action
- People-Centricity
- Adaptability
- Synergistic Thinking
- Visionary Perspective
Put employees first, focus on customer, benefit all stakeholders.
Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients
– Sir Richard Branson
None of us is as smart as all of us.
– Kenneth H. Blanchard
We wrote a book:
