Frequently Asked Questions About Conversational Leadership Conversational Leadership: Key points and myths

There are several misconceptions and myths surrounding the concept of Conversational Leadership. To help clarify and shed light on the practice, here are some frequently asked questions, along with their corresponding answers.

Conversational Leadership is a complex multidisciplinary practice.

It’s never easy to sum up anything in just two words, and Conversational Leadership is no exception. Like Knowledge Management, Conversational Leadership is simply a label for a complex and nuanced discipline.

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Conversational Leadership is all about improving conversation or becoming a better manager or leader.

These are aspects of Conversational Leadership, but it is far more.

In learning about Conversational Leadership and making sense of the concept, don’t let the label limit your vision of what it is or what it could mean to you.

The following frequently asked questions should help you make better sense of the concept. Also, browse my gateway posts and pages to further your understanding of the breadth and depth of the subject.

1. What is Conversational Leadership?
   
   

   Conversational Leadership is about appreciating the transformative power of conversation, practicing leadership, and adopting a conversational approach to the way we work together in a complex world.

   Credit: David Gurteen

   Conversational leadership is a multidisciplinary approach to living and working in our increasingly complex world. It is a mindset and a practice. A way of seeing the world and a set of behaviors. It’s about creating a better life, a better organization, and a better world.
   
   See here for an introduction, or if you wish to get a feel of the depth and breadth of Conversational Leadership, see my Gateway pages.
   
   Gateway content is the core of my site and consists of the more comprehensive articles on the site that, to my mind, best represents what Conversational Leadership is all about.
   
   
   
   
2. Does Conversational Leadership mean the same to everyone?
   Conversational Leadership can mean different things to different people.
   
   Many people have a minimal view of Conversational Leadership. They fall into the trap of thinking that Conversational Leadership is all about improving conversation or becoming a better leader. For some people, it means authoritative leaders communicating through two-way conversation rather than a one-way monologue. They do not see leadership as a practice but as a position of authority, and they see Conversational Leadership as only being for managers. In other words, they see it for vertical communication only and don’t see it for discussion in all directions, both vertical and horizontal.
   
   They also don’t see Conversational Leadership as having anything to do with sense-making and or a host of other dimensions I write about in this book, such as the importance of respect, conversing in good faith, and much more.
   
   
   
   
3. What is the history of Conversational Leadership?
   Conversational Leadership is a relatively young, rapidly evolving discipline dating back to about 2007.
   
   
   
   
4. Who is Conversational Leadership for?
   Conversational Leadership is for anyone who wishes to take responsibility, influence, and lead, make a difference for the better, large or small, in their life, in their job, or in the world, in whatever way they choose. It is potentially for everyone.
   
   
   
   
5. How do I become a Conversational Leader?
   You don’t become a Conversational Leader. Conversational Leadership is a practice. It is not a title or a position.
   
   
   
   
6. What training do I need?
   Conversational Leadership is about learning, not training. It is a journey, not a course you take, a certificate awarded to you, or a qualification you can post after your name.
   
   It is a personal, life-long commitment to continuous learning and improvement. You can take on as much or as little as you have the time or inclination. Conversational Leadership is highly personal. Everyone takes a different path.
   
   
   
   
7. Do I need permission to practice Conversational Leadership?
   Anyone can practice conversational leadership. You do not need permission. It’s a mindset and a set of behaviors.
   
   
   
   
8. Is Conversational Leadership about improving conversational skills?
   Conversational Leadership is not only about improving communication and collaboration by improving our conversational skills and adopting more sophisticated conversational methods. However, this is a significant part of what it is all about, but it is far more than this. It is about embracing a more appropriate way of thinking and acting in an increasingly complex world. It is about improving sense-making, meaning-making, decision-making, innovation, and strategy formulation.
   
   
   
   
9. Is Conversational leadership about leading conversations?
   Conversational leadership is not about leading conversations. It is about using conversation to lead.
   
   
   
   
10. Is Conversational Leadership a management style?
    Conversational Leadership is not just a management style. Firstly, anyone can practice Conversational Leadership. Secondly, although some aspects of Conversational Leadership are about management style, it is far more than a conversational or participatory management style.
    
    
    
    
11. Is Conversational Leadership only for managers?
    Conversational Leadership is not only for managers. It is a practice, an activity. Anyone who has influence is a leader. To a greater or lesser degree, we all have influence, and thus we are all leaders. Every one of us has the potential to take responsibility for the things we feel passionate about and “lead” in those areas – with or without authority. We do not need any positional authority to lead.
    
    
    
    
12. Does Conversational Leadership mean heroic leaders are not needed?
    Conversational Leadership does not mean that authority-based leaders or managers are no longer needed.  Hierarchy is still required for an organization to function; traditional leaders and managers are still needed. Conversational Leadership is saying that we need a little less conventional leadership and management and more of what Henry Mintzberg calls communityship.
    
    
    
    
13. Does Conversational Leadership mean that everyone should lead?
    Conversational Leadership is not about lots of wannabe leaders competing with each other to lead – that would result in mayhem. It means that anyone can choose to step forward and lead in some small or large way when they feel it is appropriate and can step back down afterward.
    
    
    
    
14. Is Conversational Leadership a Human Resources Initiative?
    Conversational Leadership is not a change initiative or organizational development (OD) intervention foisted by your organization. It is a personal choice — a decision to practice Conversational Leadership.
    
    
    
    
15. Is Conversational Leadership only about business?
    Conversational Leadership is not only about business or organizational life. However, this book tends to be the default focus, as, like it or not, it is business that drives the development of the world. Conversational leadership principles can be applied to all aspects of life – to our personal life, family life, business or organizational life, societal or community life, political life, and global life.
    
    
    
    
16. Is Conversational Leadership only about employee engagement?
    Conversational Leadership is not just about improving employee engagement. Engagement is important and is a significant issue in many organizations. Conversational Leadership certainly helps improve engagement, but it is not its prime purpose.
    
    
    
    
17. Is Conversational Leadership the same as Dialogic OD?
    While there is considerable overlap between Conversational Leadership and an emerging form of Organization Development known as Dialogic OD, the two concepts are fundamentally different.
    
    Conversational Leadership is primarily about a set of behaviors that anyone can adopt within an organization or without, while Dialogic OD is about organizational interventions by OD practitioners and consultants.
    
    Many of the tools and techniques are similar, however.