enablingtalent

Everything you've been told about leadership is wrong.

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 10:03:20 GMT

And if you don't really understand what leadership is, you can't build it.

For centuries we've focused on "leaders", on people who’ve been given job titles or who came to prominence in a movement that changed society. Our attention – and thus our thinking - has focused on these people because of their prominence in that movement, and we have come to view them – incorrectly - as the cause of the movement when in fact they emerged from the conditions that made that movement possible and /or necessary.

Martin Luther King didn't start the struggle for freedom and equality; Rosa Parks had been boycotting that bus for eleven years before anyone noticed; Churchill had been warning about Hitler and the Nazis since 1930.

When we look back without the (very human) desire to find and appoint a hero we see that their emergence from - and intervention in - the wider systems of their time signal a shift in thinking and in direction and behaviour that was already happening in those wider systems. Whatever marketing gurus want to tell you (because they need their heroes too), Steve Jobs didn’t create the desire for great design; he responded to it.

In other words, our heroes were as much the creation of the movement we associate them with as they were its creators. We see them as prominent and vital only because they articulated what people were already thinking and feeling. We have continually failed to recognise and continue to choose to ignore the fact that many, many people were already moving in the direction our heroes began later to champion. Leadership isn’t something someone DOES to others; it’s the phenomenon we see when people choose to act in a common direction and for a shared cause. The people we perceive as leaders are the tips of the powerful wave that brings them into being, and a high percentage of the “others” – the people we call followers - are often well ahead of the people to whom we attribute “leadership”.

So, what does this tell us about leadership itself and how to “do” (and develop) it?

Well, first of all, let’s agree that “leadership” isn’t mere compliance; it’s not what happens or what we see when people act in response to a threat of punishment or promise of reward. It’s not complying with what your boss tells you to do. It’s what we see when people are motivated to collaborate or cooperate in a shared direction of travel and towards goals that are, at the very least, not mutually exclusive (they may however be complementary, rather than identical). It’s what happens when people are truly committed to the journey and the goal; when they want to contribute more than the minimum, when they care deeply enough about success to provide their discretionary effort. In short; when it’s their goal as much as anyone else’s. When they own it.

The biggest clue to what leadership really is, however, is that our heroes became leaders ONLY because there was already a huge potential for a shift in thinking and values to happen in the system; there was a movement ready to emerge. By the time Ms Parks, Churchill, and Dr King became involved many, many people could already SEE for themselves what our heroes started to point at and the journey they were championing. It wasn't Churchill's vision in 1930, or Rosa Parks boycotting that bus for 11 years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, or Dr King's speeches, OR Hitler's, or Trump's that made the difference. It was the creation of a collective awareness in a large enough number of people that change was necessary and / or desirable. That was the potential that our chosen heroes represent and embodied. And it had reached a tipping point . They system was about to evolve.

What happened in those instances - what happens in every instance in which we see a change in thinking, in values, in behaviour, in direction, is that an individual inevitably emerges from the growing potential for change whom we choose to see as representing or embodying that potential - that promise of a journey and the emerging vision – but it is always, always, always, in reality already a collective vision - or else there would be no change, no movement at all. And that's because the emergence of these people into our awareness and our designation of them as " leaders" ONLY happens when a sufficient number of people in the system have already contributed to creating that potential for movement. Without that collective shift in thinking and direction nothing would happen, and the would-be-leader would be just someone going for a noisy walk - as Churchill did for several years, starting in 1930, and as many, many CEOs do to this day.

This distinction matters hugely.

Why? Because if you’re trying to develop leadership in your business or your country you need to understand that all of the nonsense about having a “vision”, a “purpose”, “authenticity”, being a ‘servant’’” etc, etc, ad nauseam says NOTHING about the critical fact that DEEP and LASTING change ONLY happens when people decide for themselves that they want it to happen; when people can genuinely see the need for deep and lasting change. And no, that isn’t the same as getting “buy in” for your personal view of the future. It means a genuine collaboration with the people involved and the people impacted to explore with them what the very best future might look like. Without that genuine collaboration you cannot create the potential movement, that shared vision and desire for deep and lasting change. Without that collective and collaborative journey in which people can reach their own conclusions you can achieve compliance, you can manage , but you’re not leading. The guys on the shop floor talking about better ways of organising the work are already doing the leading. In which direction? Are you listening?

In short, your people aren’t passive “followers”; they’re collaborators, colleagues, comrades, and co-conspirators. If you really want to see leadership, if you really want to generate it, then you must enable and empower people to contribute it by damn well listening to them in a genuinely collaborative process from which a genuinely shared understanding of the challenges, the benefits, and the roadmap emerges. Why? Because in this increasingly fast-paced and complex business environment your business needs diverse inputs to pick up early signs of trends, make sense of them, and arrive at a clearly understood decision that will be implemented both swiftly and well because everyone involved knows both the “why” and the “how”.

What’s more, you may well find that your people already know better than you where the thing your looking at needs to go. If they don’t then maybe take a long, hard look at the information you provide them with, and ask who told them that they are just drones in your machine. Don’t be too upset if you realise it’s you. You’re far from being the only one.

Leadership isn’t you or anyone else in the C-suite having a Dream and pointing at it in the hypothetical distance. It’s an emergent property of the complex systems of which we are all a part, and it emerges when enough of your colleagues, co-conspirators, and comrades realise that their thoughts and ideas are as welcome as their effort, and that together you are working to intuit or understand why change needs to happen and what it should look like.

Leadership is making that process happen. The question is, how do you do that well and quickly?

I’m a coach. That’s an actual question. You’re smart; you’ll figure it out. But If you’re pushed for time, simply download our practical guide to action - Future Fit - here: Strategic Leadership Development | Enabling Talent

How to get the best out of working remotely

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 12:02:48 GMT

How to make remote working work for YOU

FROM:
The Center for Creative Leadership

INTRODUCTION

Remote working is familiar to many (all of our consultants work from home, and many have done so for decades), but for many others it is an entirely new experience. Inevitably, some will hate it while others love it, but everyone will be trying to make it work for them (and for their organisations and their families).

Remote working is not a temporary shift, but a paradigm change. We've wondered for decades why large organisations invest millions in real estate rather than trust the people they hire to work well at home. Good leaders know that the people they hire can be trusted (if you're a leader and you don't think this is the case please speak to us about how to improve your hiring processes).

More subtle, but even more powerful than the financial incentive for firms to encourage home working, is that talented, marketable people are going to make it happen for themselves. They expect businesses to make working from home part of their employee offering. This has been happening for some time - one General Counsel I know told the business that headhunted him that he wanted to work from home and that he would only work three days a week so that he could spend the rest of his time with his family and composing music. They agreed.

Today, millions of people are striving to make home working work for them. So we decided to distil the thinking that consultancies around the world have put together and share it with you. Below is some of the best thinking from world-class sources about how to make remote working work for you. And, of course, some thoughts of our own.

The Center for Creative Leadership on remote working :

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. There are five specific areas you can work on to build your resilience:

a. Sleep – a healthy routine with regular times for going to bed and getting up improves attention, concentration and reaction time, and diminishes anxiety, irritability and depression. Short naps can help.

b. Exercise – especially in green spaces decreases stress, improves mood, enhances focus and boosts self-control. Even short periods of exercise help.

c. Giving “Affectionate attention” to your own thoughts and emotions – also known as Mindfulness, or “being present” helps us stay in the “here and how” and prevents us spiralling into unhelpful negative thinking.

d . Becoming more aware of the things in your life that you are grateful for – a “gratitude practice” – makes us more appreciative, trusting and social, and enables us to be aware of and focus on what’s good and working well in our lives.

e. Connection and community – we are social animals; connection is important to us and improving the quality and consistency of our social interactions can dramatically increase our resilience.

More on the above from The Center for Creative Leadership

2. Understanding ourselves and how we react to stressful situations – being self-aware - is important to maintaining self-care and relationships, as well as our decision-making and productivity.

Self-awareness and empathy are vital - both to being aware of your own wellbeing needs and in making sure you stay sensitive to the needs and concerns of others

From Harvard Business Review - some simple tips and profound truths...

6. Self-care is vital for all of us. Some simple things we can do to look after ourselves:

a. Breath – take a few moments to practise mindful breathing. Exhale longer than you inhale, and express one thought of gratitude. Think about someone or something in your life you’re grateful for, and what they mean to you. If you feel anxious or unfocused during the day, take eight minutes and just breath, observing your passing thoughts and feelings without judgment. If your thoughts or emotions try to grab your attention or distract you, just bring your focus back onto your breath.

b. Eat and sleep well. It’s impossible to overstate the importance of these foundations of our wellbeing.

c. Create connection – when stressed we typically turn to those close to us for comfort and support. Social distancing doesn’t have to mean isolation. Reach out to others; reinforce the connections that are important. Let the people who matter to you know they matter to you.

d. Find purpose – in troubled times our everyday routines can seem to lack meaning. Victor Frankl, wrote, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, only by lack of meaning and purpose.” Think about where you might find meaning and a connection with something beyond yourself and your circumstances. Follow your heart to find where you can make a difference, however small, that means something to you.

From Fresh Air Fridays -

THE FOUR ASPECTS OF TOTAL WELLBEING

To be fully well and live our best life, it is helpful to be aware of, and take care of, all these aspects of ourselves.

The Physical You

Your body, requires good nutrition, beneficial exercise, adequate rest and proper stress management, all of which help to keep us at an appropriate weight for each of us as individuals.

The Emotional You

benefits from self-supportive attitudes, positive thoughts and viewpoints and a positive self-image. Giving and receiving forgiveness, love and compassion will support you; as well as laughing and experiencing happiness and joyful relationships with yourself and others.

The Mental You

also benefits from self-supportive attitudes and a positive self-image. Intellectual stimulation, being able to bring different perspectives to situations and grow yourself, as well as taking pleasure from moments of stillness and calm.

The Spiritual You

can be openness to your creativity, trust in your inner knowing and connection with yourself and others; for some it also includes having a relationship with a higher power.

We are all unique, and so what ‘total wellbeing’ looks like for each of us is likely to be very different. However, the science shows that these are some universal tips which will serve you well.

FIVE TOP TIPS FROM FRESH AIR FRIDAYS _

These are simple tools and techniques to support your own mental and emotional wellbeing.

The tip pages in the links below outline ‘how to do it’ and ‘why it works’.

With consistent use these ideas build mental and emotional resilience, providing a solid foundation for total wellbeing.

Breathing - how to tune into your breathing... and relax
Being Present - being in the moment is often an ok place to be
Filling Yourself Up First - put your own oxygen mask on first; if you're not well, nothing works well.
Gratitude - "When it rains look for rainbows, when it's dark look for stars." - Oscar Wilde
Get Outside - even if it's just for a short walk, the evidence shows that being outdoors brings real benefits in terms of wellbeing.

"Nothing will work well if you're not well."

We cannot help anyone – not ourselves, the ones we love, our friends, our colleagues, our customers, anyone - if we are not well and healthy.

Stay safe, stay well,

Remote assessments for executives - an immersive experience

martin.collinson@enablingtalent.com (Martin Collinson) — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 16:48:27 GMT

Assessing, selecting and developing leaders and executives for global businesses

Businesses that are committed to building a global presence have been selecting and developing leaders remotely for some time. As a result, our consultants have been involved in delivering remote assessments since around 2005. Since covid, more and more businesses have realised that leaders in global businesses have to lead people and generate teamwork remotely, rather than face-to-face. When we speak of leadership today there is no longer an assumption that people will be in the same room.

It's vital to realise that leading people from a distance places different demands on a leader and makes new demands of the team. If you're looking for people to lead geographically distributed and remote-working teams you really need to assess their leadership capability in that context.

Our consultants have assessed hundreds of senior leaders using remote assessments. It offers many advantages. A well-designed remote assessment enables you to create a truly immersive experience that faithfully represents the demands and challenges of the role you're recruiting for. This matters matters. Research shows that assessments that take into account the context in which leaders are being asked to perform are four times more accurate at predicting leadership potential than generic assessments.

This means that the combination of bespoke content and realistic assessment methodology ensure your potential leaders and hires are demonstrating their capabilities in a simulation setting that is highly predictive of their actual capability and potential.

Here's one example of such an assessment - a leadership simulation called SkyFly, co-created with a client to represent their specific business context:

SkyFly is an immersive simulation in which a potential Managing Director or possible executive hire steps into the role of business leader, responding to emails, phone calls and live video calls to drive the business forward and develop the team. The platform contains all of the data a new MD needs to understand the business, its strategic landscape and operating environment. Throughout the simulation the candidate or high-potential employee is presented with precisely those kinds of challenges and opportunities that the client's leaders and businesses are facing in real life. While the simulation is running our expert assessors gather data about the participant's performance. Later they combine it with psychometric and other data to provide a deeply insightful, comprehensive report on the individual's strengths, development needs, and their readiness for the role, as well as their likely potential for future ones.

Executives who have gone through this experience immediately reflect on its realism. The process unveils for them and for the client where their leadership potential is high and where they might need additional support - or why they are not yet ready. To achieve this very powerful outcome you need three things:

A high-fidelity leadership simulation tailored to precisely the strategic and operational business context in which the future leader will be asked to perform;
An assessment medium that reflects the way in which they will need to demonstrate leadership and help their people achieve the results that they need to achieve.
Expert, experienced assessors.

"It's like a flight simulator for leaders!" We'll take that.

Building a high-performing organisation

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 19:08:54 GMT

Holistic Talent Strategy - an Organisation Development approach with major impact

Tasked with identifying how an organisation of 700 employees in a global pharmaceutical organisation could become more effective, our colleague, Dr. Julia von Onciul, swiftly earned the trust of the leadership team and helped them take a radical approach.

The challenge

It quickly became apparent to Julia that the departments had developed in silos as part of what can be called ‘natural’ departmental growth, i.e. technical specialists, growing into the roles of managers and then the business leadership, whilst managing their own areas from a specialist, rather inward oriented perspective.

As a result the senior leadership team was firefighting; managing their individual departments through day to day challenges. "Leadership" meetings were high-jacked by the need to manage issues that were making the interfaces of departments ineffective. The leadership team was simply not making time to work at a strategic level.

What was missing

Julia quickly realised what was missing . The first was an overall strategy for the whole organisation and vision setting for its future growth. The second was a leadership structure committed to that vision and supportive of talent movement and development in pursuit of it.

Holistic interventions

Julia helped the leadership team obtain a more strategic remit and become more effective at managing outside stakeholders. In addition, a new managing team was hand selected - and allowed to mature into their roles before going live. Having split the role of the leadership team in two, both teams were provided with support around communication, team effectiveness and running highly productive meetings. Individuals were coached both for their own development and around their role in the team. These (and other) structural changes were fundamental to allowing talent to grow and in ensuring alignment with new business objectives.

Bottom line result

As a result of these new leadership structures and the team effectiveness work enabling people to collaborate across the silos more effectively, synergies were created that led to significant savings in procurement costs. The organisation began to pull together towards a common strategy. Julia was given the feedback that as a result of the consultancy and support she had provided several processes had become much more efficient, and the internal and external profiles of the organisation had markedly improved. So much so that this approach and new leadership structure was transferred as best practice to the US leadership team.

A comprehensive talent strategy, organisation development, strategic leadership coaching, and a team development approach came together in an holistic intervention that moved the whole organisation forward significantly.

Helping a diversified global business develop senior leaders

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 16:28:10 GMT

Developing senior leaders

We're working with a diversified global business to help them develop their Managing Directors, General Managers and other senior executives. We've highlighted their individual strengths and development needs in an assessment tailored to the challenges their businesses face, and are coaching them to help every one them fulfill their potential.

We've also analysed several years' of the client's talent management data to identify persistent patterns of strengths and weaknesses in their diverse leadership pipelines. This enabled us to offer strategic insights that revealed how the strategy, structures and cultures within the group shape the mind-set and the skill-set of the leaders who emerge at executive level, leading to important conversations about the talent strategies the group needs for the future.

The client has told us that we've taken the assessment and coaching of their senior leaders “ to another level ” , and that our strategic insights are “ light years ahead ” of anything they've experienced previously. They've discovered that being willing to take a fresh approach and engage with provocative thinking can add even greater value than expected.

Working with a global business to develop its marketing team

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 15:17:59 GMT

"Sometimes a team is really just a bunch of people in the same room."

A global retail and leisure business hired us to help them "improve teamwork" in their central marketing team. It quickly became clear that there were really two groups operating within the notional 'team', and that each group had a markedly different 'mission' personality, priority and processes.

The first group were highly motivated by business results. They were very structured and analytical in their approach, and powerfully assertive in pursuing it. The other group had a huge creative drive, artistic aspirations, and could often be seen surreptitiously sketching new products on the back of the sales charts handed out by the first group. Much under-appreciated by their 'business-focused' colleagues, t hese highly gifted creatives were (and remain) the inspiring and passionate heart of the business; they are the reason its customers have made it a global success for decades.

It was obvious that the key to improving the performance of the marketing organisation wasn’t questioning team members' commitment, coaching the leader, or trying to improve 'teamwork'; it was reorganizing and re-focusing the talent available to do what it did best; enabling all of the people involved to follow their passion, use their skills and fulfill their potential. The next step was ensuring an appropriate level of engagement and interaction between these two superb teams.

Understanding the question the client wants us to answer is vital, and "how do we improve the performance of the team?" was the question we were asked. However, knowing the right answer - and achieving a competitive edge - depended on being prepared to think about the context and the underlying issues. And then stepping outside of the box to provide the solution the client really needed: "It's two teams".