Leading like a gardener creates shared consciousness

Traditional, hierarchical patterns of leadership tend to implement manipulative (and sometimes coercive) means of influence. This results in an organization that tends to be vertically aligned and strategically rigid. As the world becomes more complex and the rate of change continues to accelerate, this organizational structure becomes increasingly fragile.

The organization as a rigidly reductionist mechanical beast is an endangered species. The speed and interconnected nature of the new world in which we function have rendered it too stupid and slow to survive the onslaught of predators. In some cases, it simply lumbers into tar pits, lacks the strength to free itself, and slowly dies. The traditional heroic leader may not be far behind.^[1]

In order for teams to retain their strategic agility and thrive in a complex environment, leaders must learn to shape the ecosystem of the team in order to maximize shared consciousness so that smart autonomy and empowered execution can flourish.

First I needed to shift my focus from moving pieces on the board to shaping the ecosystem. Paradoxically, at exactly the time when I had the capability to make more decisions, my intuition told me I had to make fewer. … Creating and maintaining the teamwork conditions we needed—tending the garden—became my primary responsibility. Without my constantly pruning and shaping our network, the delicate balance of information and empowerment that sustained our operations would atrophy, and our success would wither. I found that only the senior leader could drive the operating rhythm, transparency, and cross-functional cooperation we needed. ==I could shape the culture and demand the ongoing conversation that shared consciousness required.^[2]

#leadership #teams