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the art of
leadership

In times of increasing and unpredictable change, leading through control is an illusion. Today leaders must learn to live with and lead in uncertainty. This requires a focus on learning – on increasing both individual and organizational ability to learn. The exciting aspect of this uncertainty is that these complex times offer the possibility of transformation. As successful leaders create the environment for exploring the mysteries in the unpredictable world around us, amazing innovation and transformation can be the result. It is a different way of thinking and a collaborative way of leading – learning together at the speed of change.

Reliability is the proof that something can be replicated consistently and is based on understanding the past. Validity is about how well a solution meets the desired outcome and is more about the future. Organizations need to balance both Reliability and Validity – particularly when moving quickly to keep up with the speed of change in our world today. Unfortunately, most traditional business processes are focused on reliability – and are alluring because they seem to bring certainty in a time of uncertainty. Seeking more and more certainty through increasing reliability in the solutions developed to meet organizational challenges, ultimately leads to very reliable systems that don’t meet organizational goals (they are no longer valid, even though they are reliable.)

 Leaders must learn to balance reliability and validity – and a design approach based on action learning creates the environment and processes through which this can happen. Creative and practical solutions that have the appropriate balance of reliability and validity can only be developed through robust dialog, recognition of deep assumptions that feed our individual blindspots (and therefore our decisions), and appreciation for the value of diverse opinions and approaches. Conflicting ideas and recognition of constraints, when handled well, drive us to elegant solutions to complex problems. Leaders who learn to support this kind of collaborative dialog and learning in their organization and the individuals within it are best equipped to lead in the 21st century.

Leadership is about cultivating environments that foster success through building trust, dialog, and capacity for action. The tools and processes we use and can share with you strengthen the ability to think creatively when approaching both problems and opportunities, and provide a toolbox for navigating successfully in complex times.

meet our team 		  “Try as they might, organizations cannot predict the future. Instead of wasting their efforts, they should focus more on employing the vision, judgment and insight of their human capital.”
– Roger Martin, Dean, Rotman School of Management