Next Generation Leadership for building better businesses

04/27/20 • 47 min

I'm in conversation once again with Ralf Schneider Managing Partner of Better Business.
As the world stabilizes from a public health perspective, curves flatten, and restrictions are eased, what will change, and what will be the same? A magician's question perhaps? If we assume that in a more stable post lockdown world, employees and other stakeholders will increasingly demand spaces that allow for more human, whole-person engagement, what is the leader's work in creating this? How do leaders prepare and support their organizations in preparing for this? How do we create better businesses that are more resilient and outlast crisis?
We've generally become better at holding cooperation and collaboration. Are we at the same time limited by our mono focus on efficiency, optimization, or whatever an organization's performance holy grail is? To date, our successes have largely come at the expense of spaces for innovation, courage, and more flexible, sustainable processes, systems, and structures.
What we really need organizations, is innovation at the business model level. Listen to find out how this already works and could work in your organization. Enjoy.
The Better Business Insitute is offering a free webinar series until the end of May 2020. The idea is to dialogue and innovate towards better business. The webinars explore new ways of being, living, working, and leading in this 'new normal', viz COVID 19. You can register via this link. https://www.betterbusiness-institute.com/english/Home/
In this episode, we explore
A blip on a shift, moving from the old into the new 4:16
Dealing with uncertainty and complexity 5:20
Lessons from the Arts: jazz and improvisation 6:57
How we need to be, moving from the 'I' to the 'We' 10:26
Co-creating in fluidity 13:20
Question: The leader's work 16:20
Ralf's response: the leader's work 18:04
Walking and chewing gum, leaders delivering and growing self 23:24
The trick of distraction 28:52
Next Generation Leaders and role making 31:07
The opportunity that COVID 19 presents? 35:35

Previous Episode

COVID 19, blip or shift?

My guest Ralf Schneider is Managing Partner at Better Business, and part of the Better Business-Institute. He has spent more than two decades in leadership roles of large businesses in the global professional and financial services industries.
As a thought leader, consultant and speaker he has been contributing to the development and practice of Responsible Leadership as a new model for Next Generation Business. As a Consultant and Coach, he works with C-suite executives and their teams to build a culture for sustainable performance. He has spearheaded award-winning talent and leadership initiatives linked to building leading global industry brands.
The Better Business Insitute is offering a free webinar series until the end of May 2020. The idea is to dialogue and innovate towards better business. The webinars explore new ways of being, living, working, and leading in this 'new normal', viz COVID 19. You can register via this link. https://www.betterbusiness-institute.com/english/Home/
In this episode, we explore
Three chapters in Ralf's career: Airforce, Academia, Global Consulting 1:58
COVID 19, blip or shift? 9:04
The Realist's response 11:12
Drawbridges and old mindsets 15:24
Batten down the hatches or show up more human? 17:49
Connecting to self, as a leader 20:29
Culture, Diversity and Performance 21:04
Dichotomy: who we are as leaders vs who we show up as 24:06
Defining Future/Next Generation Leadership 28:06
Next-Gen leadership as an inclusive, co-creative practice 30:36
Leadership as 'energy' 33:34
Both control and trust are required 36:04

Next Episode

System Revealer: the Emperor's new clothes

Some people just make the best conversation partners. My guest this week, Roy Gluckman, public speaker and CEO of Cohesion Collective, is one. Roy's work focuses on bridging the gap between leaders and the workforce to achieve a more diverse and inclusive workplace. I enjoy dialoguing with Roy Gluckman because of the quality of thoughtfulness and integrity with which he holds this work.
Roy's perspective of COVID 19 as a system revealer was refreshing. And..., it made a lot of sense to me. This isn't changing the status quo as such, nor is it bringing up new issues, it's really just showing up and showing us what already "is there". The Emperor's naked and COVID 19 called it!
If we hold that this is indeed a system revealer, what will be revealed as we prepare for work-life post lockdown? How do we ensure that hardwon workplace inclusion gains aren't lost as we press forward? Will we immediately lean into the engines (of capitalism and industry) or, will we give ourselves the opportunity for pause and reflection. The collective we.
In this episode, we explore:
Fear will not get us the outcome we want 2:30
Anarchy, change agent or systems reveal 4:50
It's actually about leadership 10:18
...and a lack of trust 12:23
Pressing the time out button for a quick chat 12:43
The "gift" of COVID? Spotlighted deep inequalities 17:58
Flattening the inequality curve 20:24
South Africa's COVID 19 response, a case study in Leadership 24:48
Creating social cohesion in workspaces post lockdown 29:54
- financial security 32:00
- spaces for PTS healing 32:41
- check-ins 33:16
Stabilizing health, reducing stress 38:13
Performance Management 39:40
Being kind to self 44:17
COVID 19 is a trial run, there's more to come 47:17