Cadence Catch-up with Lewis #22

Welcome to the 22nd edition of Cadence Catch-Up.

Sadly, a fair bit of bad stuff has happened since my previous newsletter late last year. Not long after the atrocity at Bondi just before Christmas, POTUS did what he did to Iran, and shock horror, we now have a war and major fuel crisis to contend with. As a display of how harmful a material impact to fuel supply can be, the offer of free public transport in Victoria and Tasmania (a decent leadership act at a time neither state can really afford it) means very little to the Meals on Wheels volunteers that are finding it increasingly difficult to reach hungry, lonely people in remote areas. This crisis impacts different people in different ways.

This situation will require strong leadership, co-operation among the various levels of Government, difficult choices, and razor-sharp communication about those choices.

In this edition, I am placing “Dangerous Others” as a central theme. It may be stating the obvious, but POTUS qualifies as a Dangerous Other. Given his role and the power attached to it, he is a more extreme example than the Dangerous Others we are likely to meet in work and other group settings. They are the people that can damage our reputations if we become too close to them or have prolonged exposure to their “dark triad” personality types. In my recently released article Beware the Dangerous Other, I examine what to look out for, why it matters, and strategies we can take to protect ourselves if we find ourselves becoming entangled with a Dangerous Other.

A special call-out to the team at thought leadership group INSPO, that has kindly chosen to highlight this article in its upcoming Thought Leaders Digest. Keep your eyes peeled for it and other contemporary pieces of thought leadership!

Continuing that theme, over the summer I read the book Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams, about her time working at Facebook. Dangerous Others abounded! It was a seriously confronting read about the culture Facebook has developed, and the as-yet undefined impact its modus operandi is having, especially on young people. In the next highlighted post, I share the impact the book had on me. I would be interested to hear your reaction if you have also read the book.

To round out this edition, we grab the initiative back from the Dangerous Others and put the focus back on what we can control in our professional and personal lives – our narrative. In simple terms, this refers to our purpose, why we do what we do, and the stories we can recount to others that inspire and motivate. In my final article this edition, Connecting to Your Purpose Through Stories of Lived Experience, I provide a framework that allows you to bring this under-utilised but powerful leadership skill to life.

PODCAST CORNER

In this edition I highlight a podcast from a different source to normal – the What’s That Rash? health podcast, hosted by Tegan Taylor and Dr Norman Swan. The edition Is retirement bad for you? reveals the subject matter plainly. The key part for me was the impact retirement can have on our sense of purpose, particularly if work has been a major part of our identities. There is good news though. We can take control of what our “post full-time paid work” stage of life can look like, and construct a portfolio of activities that link directly to our values and interests. This is a regular discussion I have with friends and clients. If you are concerned about what life as a retiree looks like, I encourage you to listen to this edition. And I’d love to know what you think afterwards.

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.