Cadence Catch-up with Lewis #16

Welcome to the sixteenth edition of Cadence Catch-Up.

As I come to write this, the third anniversary of fully immersing myself in the leadership education space is approaching. And it’s got me reflecting – what was happening in our world three years ago?

· The greater Sydney area was thrown into a general lockdown, due to COVID-19 and generally low levels of vaccination;

· McKinsey released a Global Survey on AI and reported in an uncharacteristically under-stated fashion that “AI adoption continues to grow and its benefits remain significant”. ChatGPT was still 18 months away from launch;

· Auckland was voted the world’s most liveable city by The Economist, mainly due to its COVID-19 response.

How quickly are things changing? Most Sydney residents will by now have received multiple COVID-19 vaccinations and are living fully free lives again. The capacity and application for generative AI continues at incredible scale and pace. And Vienna is now the world’s most liveable location, three years running (Auckland has quickly slumped to tenth).

There seems to be a lot more cramming itself into our lives these days. The pace of change, mostly induced by technology, is on the up and shows no sign of abating. For leaders comfortable with change, and a bit of chaos, it’s truly exciting times. Those with a growth mindset and an embrace of lifelong learning might also feel it’s a great time to be alive. But for others, who feel they have limited control over the forces of change, it’s unpredictable and tenuous at the moment.

There are still only 24 hours in a day, and 365 days in a year. That bit hasn’t changed. So it’s up to us to make the choices around how we use that time – deciding what to stop doing, keep doing, and maybe start doing, in order to create a level of control and structure a life we are comfortable with.

In keeping with these themes, in this edition I lead with a self-penned article on the power of what I call “elite balance” – the ability to keep a healthy balance between business and family, activity and reflection, and work and leisure. Balance is one of four competencies under The Leadership Circle model that contribute to the dimension of self-awareness, reflecting a leader’s orientation to ongoing professional and personal development. Those with elite balance claim a calming sense of control in a hectic world by fully understanding their purpose, and ensuring the essential components of their lives are regularly nourished.

I also take a look into the advent of “rage applying” – that feeling of needing to apply for random jobs, due to the toxic work cultures many find themselves in. It’s concerning to note reports of this are on the increase. And to close out this edition, I look at how leading with empathy in the post-pandemic world, while admirable, has led to many leaders getting drawn into the problems of their people. The authors of the Harvard Business Review article referred to in the post promote compassion as a way of demonstrating both “emotional awareness” and “rational understanding” in guiding their people to solve their own problems.

Happy reading. Remember, feedback is a gift, so feel free to share some. And if you like what you read, share Cadence Catch-Up with your connections. Finally, if you’d like to know more about a particular aspect of leadership I can cover in future editions, let me know!

THE POWER OF ELITE BALANCE IN LEADERSHIP

HOW DID WE GET TO “RAGE-APPLYING” FOR JOBS?

CONNECT WITH EMPATHY, LEAD WITH COMPASSION

PODCAST CORNER

Of the many podcasts I devour, one recently stood out for its brevity, simplicity and cut-through. Ben Crowe is a coach and speaker who first caught my attention a few years back as the mindset coach of tennis player Ash Barty. In April he released a podcast titled Ohh….So That’s a Leader that I recommend to everyone. He really cracks the nut on what leadership is (creating an environment to help others reach their potential), that it’s okay to be vulnerable and not always expect to have the answers, and that leadership is “a mindset, not a position”. It’s all of 16 minutes – do yourselves a favour and listen to it!!

ABOUT LEWIS

Lewis Williams is the Founder of Cadence Leadership Advisory, which provides coaching, strategic and team leadership facilitation and services to individuals and organisations. He has over 25 years leadership experience through senior roles at National Australia Bank and HSBC. Lewis regularly contributes as Adjunct Faculty to AGSM@UNSW on a variety of reskilling, leadership and development programs. He is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Cadence Leadership Advisory is a leadership development business specialising in coaching people, team leadership and development, strategy review and organisational culture.