Meg Wheatley is an American writer and management consultant who studies organizational behavior. Leadership as a noble role | Meg Wheatley WebsiteMargaret J. WheatleyWikipediaMeg WheatleyYouTubeMeg WheatleyGoogleMeg WheatleyBooks: Meg Wheatley (12)Ask What’s Possible, Not What’s Wrong Meg WheatleyBe Brave Enough to Start a Conversation That Matters Meg WheatleyChange Starts From Small Conversations Meg WheatleyConversation Is the Continue reading Meg Wheatley American writer and management consultant
To me, leadership is not about necessarily being the loudest in the room, but instead being the bridge, or the thing that is missing in the discussion and trying to build a consensus from there. | Jacinda Ardern Continue reading Leadership Is Not About Being the Loudest in the Room Jacinda Ardern
Leadership begins with understanding that every gathering is an opportunity to deepen accountability and commitment through engagement. It doesn’t matter what the stated purpose of the gathering is. Each gathering serves two functions: to address its stated purpose, its business issues; and to be an occasion for each person to decide to become … | Peter Block Continue reading How Leadership Begins Peter Block
Margaret Heffernan is an entrepreneur, CEO, writer and keynote speaker. She is currently a part-time lecturer at the University of Bath School of Management in England. The voice of leadership | Margaret Heffernan WebsiteMargaret HeffernanWikipediaMargaret HeffernanLinkedinMargaret HeffernanX (Twitter)@M_HeffernanYouTubeMargaret HeffernanGoogleMargaret HeffernanTags: leadership (76) | Margaret Heffernan (1) | unintended consequences (14) | willful blindness (1)Google Web Continue reading Margaret Heffernan Author, mentor, teacher
Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could. | Steve Jobs Continue reading The Difference Between Management and Leadership Steve Jobs
Introduction The objective is simple: “Better decision-making.” The only issue is that there are so many different views over what we mean by “better.” At the core of all decision-making is the need to balance Power with Responsibility, as the vehicle for resolving the “better” question. This article explores why that is so difficult? It Continue reading The Issues at the Core of Ethical Decision-making and Leadership Bruce Lloyd (2009)
A leader these days needs to be a host—one who convenes diversity; who convenes all viewpoints in creative processes where our mutual intelligence can come forth. | Meg Wheatley Continue reading A Leader These Days Needs to Be a Host Meg Wheatley
Ronald Heifetz founded the Center for Public Leadership and is the King Hussein bin Talal Senior Lecturer in Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School. I have only recently discovered Ron Heifetz and learned that his views on leadership are remarkably similar to my own. WikipediaRonald HeifetzYouTubeRonald HeifetzGoogleRonald HeifetzPosts: Ronald Heifetz (1)Leadership Is a Practice Not Continue reading Ronald Heifetz Founding Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University
People sit in a circle, with the intention of de-emphasizing hierarchies and instead encouraging what’s called “a leader in every chair”. To create the mindfulness and focus conducive to an environment where everyone collaborates and contributes, meetings begin with a minute of silence. | Amy Edmondson Continue reading Encouraging a Leader in Every Chair Amy Edmondson
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. | John Quincy Adams Continue reading Inspire Others to Dream John Quincy Adams
You will find the transcript of the last minute or so of Ronald Heifetz‘s talk below. The highlighting is mine and draws attention to what I consider to be the key points. Ronald’s views on leadership as a practice fit perfectly with the concept of Conversational Leadership. We are all capable of practicing conversational leadership. Transcript Distinguishing leadership Continue reading Leadership Is a Practice Not a Position of Authority Ronald Heifetz (2019)
What is complex leadership? It starts by understanding the strengths and vulnerabilities of group dialogue. It uses this knowledge to leverage cognitive diversity within a group. | Ted Cadsby Continue reading What Is Complex Leadership? Ted Cadsby
Leadership is not simply something we do. It comes from somewhere inside us. Leadership is a process, an intimate expression of who we are. It is our being in action. Our being, our personhood, says as much about us as a leader as the act of leading itself. | Kevin Cashman Continue reading Leadership Is Not Simply Something We Do Kevin Cashman
You will find the transcript of Patricia Shaw‘s talk below. Although she never uses the term, Patricia describes some of the key elements of Conversational Leadership. The highlighting is mine and draws attention to what I feel are the main points. Transcript I thought last night about how I am beginning myself to think about Continue reading What Is the Work of Leadership? Patricia Shaw (2010)
Megan Reitz is a Professor of Leadership and Dialogue at Ashridge where she speaks, researches, consults and supervises on the intersection of leadership, change, dialogue and mindfulness. WebsiteMegan ReitzLinkedinMegan ReitzBlogMegan ReitzRSS FeedMegan ReitzX (Twitter)@meganreitz1YouTubeMegan ReitzGoogleMegan ReitzBooks: Megan Reitz (4)Being Silenced and Silencing Others: Developing the Capacity to Speak Truth to Power Megan Reitz, John Higgins Continue reading Megan Reitz Facilitator, teacher, speaker, executive coach, researcher and author
In this book, Leadership in Complexity and Change, Sharon Varney draws on complexity science to paint a picture of a world in constant motion, where leadership is enacted in the midst of complexity and continuous change. We must learn to engage with complexity. If not now, when? Part I of this book brings complexity science Continue reading Leadership in Complexity and Change: for a World in Constant Motion by Sharon Varney (2021)
One of the ways of thinking about leadership is thinking about convening conversations that might not happen otherwise. | Patricia Shaw Continue reading Convening Conversations That Might Not Happen Otherwise Patricia Shaw
Jennifer Garvey Berger is a developmental coach and author. WebsiteCultivating LeadershipLinkedinJennifer Garvey BergerBlogCultivating LeadershipX (Twitter)@jgbergerYouTubeJennifer Garvey BergerGoogleJennifer Garvey BergerBooks: Jennifer Garvey Berger (3)Listening to Learn Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Making Sense of Complexity – an Introduction to Cynefin Jennifer Garvey Berger (2017)Safe-to-fail Experiments Jennifer Garvey Berger (2018)Videos: Jennifer Garvey Berger (3)Listening to Learn Jennifer Garvey Berger Continue reading Jennifer Garvey Berger Developmental coach and author
Distinguishing leadership from authority helps us begin to see that if we understand leadership as a practice, as an activity, then it becomes available to anybody high or low, any place or position. | Ronald Heifetz Continue reading Leadership Is a Practice Ronald Heifetz
Systems Leadership is about how you lead across boundaries – departmental, organisational or sector. It’s how you lead when you’re not in charge, and you need to influence others rather than pull a management lever. It describes the way you need to work when you face large, complex, difficult and seemingly intractable problems; where you need to juggle multiple uncertainties; where no one person … | Debbie Sorkin Continue reading Systems Leadership Is How You Lead When You’re Not in Charge Debbie Sorkin
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. The Power of Strangers: the Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World The Printing Press as an Agent of Change Tags: adaptive leadership (3) | leadership (76) | Ronald Heifetz (7)Google Continue reading The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ronald Heifetz, Marty Linsky and Alexander Grashow
Abstract Many executives are surprised when previously successful leadership approaches fail in new situations, but different contexts call for different kinds of responses. Before addressing a situation, leaders need to recognize which context governs it -and tailor their actions accordingly. Snowden and Boone have formed a new perspective on leadership and decision making that’s based Continue reading A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making David J. Snowden and Mary E. Boone (2007)
Abstract Consistent with views that see leadership emerging from social practices rather than from the external mind, this paper contributes to an emerging movement in leadership studies known as ‘leadership-as-practice’ (L-A-P). This movement looks for leadership in its music and activity rather than in the traits and heroics of individual actors. The article distinguishes L-A-P Continue reading From Leadership-as-practice to Leaderful Practice Joe Raelin (2011)
Transcript Who’s in Charge? Is it me? Is it you? Is it someone behind the curtain? My point is, we often think of leadership as a role for the few, and the rest get to just lean back. That might be OK for an event like this, but I believe leadership by the few is Continue reading Great Leadership Is a Network, Not a Hierarchy Gitte Frederiksen (2020)
Stephen R. Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I discovered Stephen’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People in 1989 shortly after it was first published. The book had a massive impact on me and I attended one Continue reading Stephen R. Covey Educator, Author and Speaker
Leadership is usually framed as a role or a position. It shows up more reliably in moments of interaction. In how questions are asked, how listening happens, and how difference is handled. Leadership lives between people, not above them. | David Gurteen Continue reading Leadership Happens Between People David Gurteen
Our traditional view of leaders — as special people who set the direction, make the key decisions, and energize the troops — is deeply rooted in an individualistic and non-systemic world-view. In a learning organization, the leaders’ role differs dramatically from that of the charismatic decision maker. Leaders are designers, teachers, and stewards. These roles require new skills: the ability to … | Peter Senge Continue reading The Leader’s New Work Peter Senge
We own collective responsibility for the global conditions that we impact and that impact us. We will not make these changes based on authority-based leadership, but rather with each of us taking a leadership role. | Ronald Heifetz Continue reading We Own Collective Responsibility for Global Conditions Ronald Heifetz
Most people think of leadership as a position and therefore don’t see themselves as leaders. | Stephen Covey Continue reading Most People Think of Leadership as a Position Stephen R. Covey
In the industrial age, leadership was a position. In the knowledge age, leadership is a choice. | Stephen R. Covey Continue reading In the Knowledge Age, Leadership Is a Choice Stephen R. Covey
The new kind of business hero must learn to operate without the might of the hierarchy behind them. The crutch of authority must be thrown away and replaced by their own ability to make relationships, use influence and work with others to achieve results. | Rosabeth Moss Kanter Continue reading Operating Without Hierarchy Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Are leaders born or made? This is a false dichotomy – leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders choose to be leaders. | Stephen R. Covey Continue reading Are Leaders Born or Made? Stephen R. Covey
Simon Sinek is a British-American motivational speaker and author known for his focus on leadership and organizational culture. He gained widespread fame with his concept of “Start With Why,” which emphasizes the importance of understanding and articulating the underlying purpose behind any action or organization. Simon’s ideas have been influential in corporate and personal development. Continue reading Simon Sinek Author and inspirational speaker
The more traditional forms of leadership based on static hierarchies and professional distance between leaders and followers are growing increasingly outdated and ineffective. As organizations face more complex interdependent tasks, leadership must become more personal to guarantee open, trusting communication that will make collaborative problem solving and innovation possible. AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States Continue reading Humble Leadership: the Power of Relationships, Openness and Trust by Edgar H. Schein, Peter A. Schein (2018)
Ted Cadsby is an author and researcher, writer and speaker on complexity and decision-making. I don’t know Ted and although he does not use the term Conversational Leadership, he does get close when he talks about Complex Leadership. He is one of a handful of people who are writing and talking about the power of Continue reading Ted Cadsby Author and researcher, writer and speaker on complexity and decision-making.
The search for human freedom—freedom being the choice to be a creator of our own experience and accept the unbearable responsibility that goes with that. Out of this insight grows the idea that perhaps the real task of leadership is to confront people with their freedom. This may be the ultimate act of love that is called for from those who hold power over others. | Peter Block Continue reading The Real Task of Leadership Is to Confront People with Their Freedom Peter Block
Questions are more transforming than answers. The skill is getting the questions right. The traditional conversations that seek to explain, study, analyze, define tools, and express the desire to change others are interesting but not powerful. Questions open the door to the future and are more powerful than answers in that they demand engagement. Engagement in the right questions is what creates … | Peter Block Continue reading Questions Are More Transforming Than Answers Peter Block
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to yearn for the endless immensity of the sea. | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Continue reading To Yearn for the Endless Immensity of the Sea Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
In an increasingly complex world, appointed leaders simply don’t know enough to decide what is new and better. Leadership is a group sport, not an individual heroic activity. | Edgar Schein Continue reading Leadership Is a Group Sport, Not an Individual Heroic Activity Edgar Schein
This “us and them” problem is exacerbated by our reliance on impersonal communications technologies. One of a leader’s greatest challenges these days is getting people to actually talk to each other; one-on-one meetings and old-fashioned brainstorming are vital to the success of any growing business. Improving the flow of information is just one … | Richard Branson Continue reading A Leader’s Greatest Challenges Richard Branson
Politics is life. Politics is the basis for real can do, as opposed to the imaginary sort brought to you by “strong leaders.” | Tom Peters Continue reading Politics Is Life Tom Peters
On accountability | Peter Block People: Peter Block (1)Peter Block Author, Consultant and SpeakerPosts: Peter Block (8)Connection Before Content Without relatedness, no work can occur Don’t Give Advice Especially when it is soughtIntroduction: Small Group Conversations Small groups are an essential building block to any future you want to createMeetings and Conversations Serve Two Purposes Continue reading Peter Block on Accountability Peter Block
Amy Edmondson is a scholar and the Novartis Professor of Leadership at the Harvard Business School. She is probably best known for her work on psychological safety. Psychological Safety | Amy Edmondson WikipediaAmy EdmondsonLinkedinAmy EdmondsonX (Twitter)@AmyCEdmondsonYouTubeAmy EdmondsonGoogleAmy EdmondsonPosts: Amy Edmondson (1)Psychological Safety ** A shared belief that within your team it is safe to take risksBooks: Continue reading Amy Edmondson Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management, Harvard Business School
Abstract The “visionary leader” narrative and Performance Mindset that predominate in theories and practices of change leadership are no longer effective in an environment of multi-dimensional diversity marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. Developments over the past thirty years in organization development theory and practice, which have led to what we call Dialogic Organization Continue reading The Dialogic Mindset: Learning Emergent Change in a Complex World Gervase R. Bushe and Robert J. Marshak
The true leader in a group is rarely the person who talks the most. It’s usually the person who listens best. Listening is more than hearing what’s said. It’s noticing and surfacing what isn’t said. Inviting dissenting views and amplifying quiet voices are acts of leadership. | Adam Grant Continue reading The True Leader in a Group Is Rarely the Person Who Talks the Most Adam Grant
How can leaders make their big or growing companies feel small again? How can they recapture the “magic” — the tight strategic alignment, the high level of employee engagement—that drove and animated their organization when it was a start-up? As more and more executives have discovered in recent years, the answer to this conundrum lies Continue reading Talk, Inc.: How Trusted Leaders Use Conversation to Power Their Organizations by Boris Groysberg, Michael Slind (2012)
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. Knowledge Café: Create an Environment for Successful Knowledge Management Leadership in Complexity and Change: for a World in Constant Motion Tags: conversational leadership (49) | leadership (76)Google Web Search Photo Credits: Midjourney Continue reading Leadership Conversations: Challenging High Potential Managers to Become Great Leaders by Alan S. Berson, Richard G. Stieglitz
We live in a highly connected world where human, social, and technical complexity keeps increasing across organisations and societies everywhere. Attempts to control, simplify, or plan our way through it often fail and leave people disengaged. Conversational Leadership offers a practical response by using dialogue, shared responsibility, and participation to make sense and act together. Continue reading Introduction: Conversational Leadership Practice Areas Conversational Leadership Practice Areas
The book “Changing Conversations in Organizations” by Patricia Shaw explores a complexity-informed approach to organizational change that focuses on the self-organizing and emergent properties of conversation. Shaw suggests that real change happens through the ongoing, everyday conversations and interactions between people in organizations rather than through structured change programs or interventions designed and controlled by Continue reading Changing Conversations in Organizations: A Complexity Approach to Change by Patricia Shaw (2002)
In a time obsessed with influence, Hannah Arendt chose restraint. She saw how the desire to lead others could quietly become a form of control. Instead of guiding minds, she defended the conditions in which people could think for themselves. This redefines how we understand leadership, responsibility, and the role of conversation. Continue reading Hannah Arendt and the Risk of Influence How leadership begins by thinking together, not persuading
Most change initiatives begin with trying to change individuals, but lasting change rarely starts there. Interaction, not the individual, is the primary unit of change. Continue reading Interaction as the Primary Unit of Change Is not the individual, it’s the interaction
Leadership is often seen as providing guidance and security. However, authentic leadership may lie in confronting people with their own freedom, even when they resist it. Understanding this tension can help us rethink power, responsibility, and the choices we make in politics, religion, and the age of AI. Continue reading Peter Block, the Grand Inquisitor, and Leadership Leadership, freedom, and the burden of responsibility
The quotations on this page are broadly connected to the theme of leadership. Tags: leadership (76)Google Web Search Photo Credits: Willi Heidelbach (CC0 1.0)This page is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. Parts of this book have restricted access. You can learn more about the book and how to obtain full access on the home page. Continue reading Quotations on Leadership To inspire thinking about leadership
South Africa was on the brink of violent collapse during its transition from apartheid. Political enemies were deeply divided, with trust in short supply. Nelson Mandela showed that listening, dialogue, and empathy could bridge even the deepest rifts—proving that conversation, not coercion, is the path to lasting change. Continue reading Mandela Chose to Talk How conversation, not force, helped unite a divided South Africa
Many see leadership as the work of individuals. This focus can overlook the power of communities working together. Communityship shifts attention to shared responsibility, where relationships are nurtured, and everyone contributes to the growth and well-being of the whole. Continue reading What Is Communityship? Where everyone in a community practices leadership
Practice Leadership: The world is too complex a place and faces far too many issues for only a small number of appointed leaders to make a difference. We need a new, more democratic form of leadership. We all have influence and the potential to lead and make a difference. Leadership is a choice. Continue reading Practice Leadership A Conversational Leadership Practice Area
Cultivate Communityship: We need to cultivate communityship. An organization is not just a collection of individuals. It is a community of relationships and shared purpose. Communityship reminds us that leadership is not about one person at the top but about people working together with care and commitment. Continue reading Cultivate Communityship A Conversational Leadership Practice Area
Politics shapes decisions and outcomes in organisations, communities, and everyday life, not only in government. It is often reduced to manipulation, self-interest, and office games, which leads many people to deny or avoid it. A broader definition shows politics as influence and action, making things happen without abandoning ethics. Continue reading Politics Is Life We can’t escape it
Effective leadership is vital for driving positive change in a complex world. However, many view leadership as a position of authority rather than a practice accessible to all. We can create a more engaged and sustainable society by recognizing that anyone can develop leadership skills and influence others. Continue reading Leadership Is a Practice Not a Position of Authority Anyone can practice leadership
Speak last: If you want to genuinely understand others’ opinions, listen to them before expressing your views. Continue reading Speak Last Learn to be the last to speak
