Conductors of orchestras are some of the best possible examples of leadership we can find. In the TEDx episode, Leading Like the Great Conductors (http://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_conductors.html), Itay Talgam demonstrates the dramatic differences among conductors' styles by showing clips of them in performance. Some are jovial and animated. Others are stoic and mysterious. Others are energetic and explosive. Talgam explains that none of these styles is better than the other; they're just the unique styles through which these conductors give life to the music they conduct. In the example of the stoic, Herbert von Karajan reports of himself that he never wants the orchestra members to be able to anticipate what he wants; he expects them to know and to create among the ensemble the true and authentic interpretation of the music. In von Karajan's own words, "The worst damage I can do to my orchestra is to give them clear instructions." When one player complained to von Karajan that he couldn't figure out when to play, he replied, "You start when you can't stand it anymore."
The lessons we can learn from music that help us with leadership... First of all, individual styles of leadership can be legitimate and effective. Second, leadership is sometimes most effective when reserved for the moment when collaborators can't stand waiting any more. And third, leadership is most effective when it draws the ensemble together, forcing them to rely on each other to fulfill their creative potential.
My favorite conducting example and leadership lesson is demonstrated by Leonard Bernstein as he conducts a composition entirely by use of facial expressions. It's priceles to see how effective he is without moving one finger or limb. By not really doing anything, he gives the music to the orchestra and demonstrates the most important artistic and leadership lesson of all, “If you love something, give it away.” And all great artists and transformational leaders have found a way to do this, no matter how difficult, how joyous, or how much it hurts.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Guides to expatriate work
I've read a lot over the last two years that relates to the history, culture, religion, and politics of the Arabian Gulf and Middle East. My motivation for this reading has been out of curiosity and wanting to know more about where I live and the places I've explored in my travels. Two recent books have been more for those who are working, or doing regular business, abroad.
Don't they know it's Friday (Williams, 1998) is a great little book about the Arabian Gulf. The advice offered in it duplicates much of what I've read elsewhere but the advantage of this book is its great practicality. Someone who wishes to be well-informed when visiting the Gulf will pick up many helpful hints and those preparing for expatriate assignments will find even deeper value to the respectful descriptions of culture, religion, custom, and successfully negotiating the transition to life in the Gulf. There's even a section on hosting Gulf guests in western countries which conveys many tips that educators will find helpful as they seek to understand Arabian Gulf, Muslim, and other Arab students on their campuses.
The adventure of working abroad: Hero tales from the global frontier (Osland, 1995) is directed at western (primarily U.S.A.) expatriates who are considering and/or making sense of work abroad. I picked this book up because I thought it might be helpful for educators on expatriate assignments but found that the content is quite narrowly focused on business, and not even on business in general but just foreign assignments from western companies. The book approached the topic through the metaphor of hero journeys. The hero metaphor may reflect the experience of some expatriates but I found it a little trite and oddly demeaning of how I've experienced working abroad. I've corresponded with the author and know that she is conducting research to update the book and I assume the subsequent issue will have much to offer. There are some very important points in the 1995 release including the importance of finding a cultural informant, welcoming paradox, being enriched by the expatriate experience, and dealing with repatriation once the assignment abroad is over. The enrichment that is possible through expatriate work is summarized in a wonderful table (Table 6.1, p. 141) that describes letting go (death to the old and limited perspective before work abroad) to taking on (being transformed into a more cultural aware and engaged global citizen).
Letting go --- Taking on
1. Cultural certainty --- Internalized perceptions of the other culture; increased patriotism
2. Unquestioned acceptance of basic assumptions --- Internalized values of the other
3. Personal frames of reference --- New or broader schemas so that differences are accepted without a need to compare
4. Unexamined life --- Constructed life
5. Accustomed role or status --- Role assigned by the other culture or one’s job
6. Social reinforcement knowledge --- Accepting and learning the other culture’s social norms and behavior
7. Accustomed habits and activities --- Substituting functional equivalents
8. Known routines --- Addiction to novelty and learning
The point made by Osland time and time again is the critical importance of fully engaging with the local culture and being patient and responsive to what the expatriate experiences. Realistically, not all expatriates are right for such an assignment, thus the selection, placement, and transition experience are key to increasing the chances of success.
One of the most salient points made by Osland is that expatriates need to be careful to whom they listen. There are almost invariably a few expatriates who stand in judgment of the host culture, perpetuate negative stereotypes, and never really give the locals a chance. This is a very sad reality that, at least in my experience, tends to occur in settings where there a large numbers of expatriates, especially those who take expatriate assignments primarily for the economic benefit of the assignment. A book I've just begun, Power (Greene, 1998) captures the impact of negativity as it undermines power in a chapter titled, "Infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky." It advises that negative people are to be avoided as "a virus. Unseen, it enters your pores without warning, spreading silently and slowly. Before you are aware of the infection, it is deep inside you." (p. 80) I can't think of a more apt description of the dynamic that I see sometimes spoiling and unraveling the effectiveness of a positive expatriate experience.
Don't they know it's Friday (Williams, 1998) is a great little book about the Arabian Gulf. The advice offered in it duplicates much of what I've read elsewhere but the advantage of this book is its great practicality. Someone who wishes to be well-informed when visiting the Gulf will pick up many helpful hints and those preparing for expatriate assignments will find even deeper value to the respectful descriptions of culture, religion, custom, and successfully negotiating the transition to life in the Gulf. There's even a section on hosting Gulf guests in western countries which conveys many tips that educators will find helpful as they seek to understand Arabian Gulf, Muslim, and other Arab students on their campuses.
The adventure of working abroad: Hero tales from the global frontier (Osland, 1995) is directed at western (primarily U.S.A.) expatriates who are considering and/or making sense of work abroad. I picked this book up because I thought it might be helpful for educators on expatriate assignments but found that the content is quite narrowly focused on business, and not even on business in general but just foreign assignments from western companies. The book approached the topic through the metaphor of hero journeys. The hero metaphor may reflect the experience of some expatriates but I found it a little trite and oddly demeaning of how I've experienced working abroad. I've corresponded with the author and know that she is conducting research to update the book and I assume the subsequent issue will have much to offer. There are some very important points in the 1995 release including the importance of finding a cultural informant, welcoming paradox, being enriched by the expatriate experience, and dealing with repatriation once the assignment abroad is over. The enrichment that is possible through expatriate work is summarized in a wonderful table (Table 6.1, p. 141) that describes letting go (death to the old and limited perspective before work abroad) to taking on (being transformed into a more cultural aware and engaged global citizen).
Letting go --- Taking on
1. Cultural certainty --- Internalized perceptions of the other culture; increased patriotism
2. Unquestioned acceptance of basic assumptions --- Internalized values of the other
3. Personal frames of reference --- New or broader schemas so that differences are accepted without a need to compare
4. Unexamined life --- Constructed life
5. Accustomed role or status --- Role assigned by the other culture or one’s job
6. Social reinforcement knowledge --- Accepting and learning the other culture’s social norms and behavior
7. Accustomed habits and activities --- Substituting functional equivalents
8. Known routines --- Addiction to novelty and learning
The point made by Osland time and time again is the critical importance of fully engaging with the local culture and being patient and responsive to what the expatriate experiences. Realistically, not all expatriates are right for such an assignment, thus the selection, placement, and transition experience are key to increasing the chances of success.
One of the most salient points made by Osland is that expatriates need to be careful to whom they listen. There are almost invariably a few expatriates who stand in judgment of the host culture, perpetuate negative stereotypes, and never really give the locals a chance. This is a very sad reality that, at least in my experience, tends to occur in settings where there a large numbers of expatriates, especially those who take expatriate assignments primarily for the economic benefit of the assignment. A book I've just begun, Power (Greene, 1998) captures the impact of negativity as it undermines power in a chapter titled, "Infection: avoid the unhappy and unlucky." It advises that negative people are to be avoided as "a virus. Unseen, it enters your pores without warning, spreading silently and slowly. Before you are aware of the infection, it is deep inside you." (p. 80) I can't think of a more apt description of the dynamic that I see sometimes spoiling and unraveling the effectiveness of a positive expatriate experience.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Practice of Adaptive Leadership
Ron Heifetz' new book (with co-authors Linsky and Grashow) applies the concept of adaptive leadership to the real world in which 21st century leaders will have to engage. In the case of Education City, we are dealing with western educational models, adapted in an Arab cultural context, engaging students from 75 countries throughout the world, and tackling the capacity building challenges of a growing knowledge-based society. Bottom line - there are no easy answers and perhaps no answers at all about how to do this. Under these conditions, the challenge of leadership becomes one of connecting to the values, beliefs, and anxieties of all of those involved in the experiment of higher education in the Arabian Gulf. And the greater challenge in connecting our values is that it frequently requires sacrificing some of our own values, beliefs, or self-interests.
An example - Western education presumes that students are able and need to make their own choices about career (an idea borne of the individualistic belief that, if young people are to be successful, they will have to take charge of their own destinies) yet in the Arab world, Asia, and many other places, the choice of one's career is frequently dictated by family, by business sponsors who fund educational opportunity, or out of beliefs that specific careers are more lucrative or carry greater prestige. The paradox for educators becomes one of responding to family/student demand or preference, all the time knowing that the "choices" students make may not be the best fit for their talents or convictions. Managing the individualism involved in free choice in contrast with the collectivist idea of obligation to family and community has no predictable answer. For some students taking the risk to contradict family expectations may be the best path while for others maintaining the commitment to the family and community is best. Educators cannot be effective in working with students unless the potential legitimacy of both choices (originating from different values systems) is embraced.
Some of us in the Gulf are here as managers or as experts in processes of technical change. However, those who make the greatest difference are the ones who recognize that the most exciting work in higher education in this area of the world is adaptive and that maintaining a focus on the bigger picture of change and the possibilities it poses is worth the negotiations, hard work, and risk. As Ron and his colleagues say, "Adaptive leadership is not about meeting or exceeding your authorizers' expectations; it is about challenging some of the expectations, finding a way to disappoint people without pushing them completely over the edge. And it requires managing the resistance you will inevitably trigger." (p.26)
The "authorizers" are sometimes our bosses. Sometimes they are our colleagues or followers/collaborators. But we all have authorizers who grant us the authority to act. Naturally, authorizers want the easiest and quickest way to a solution. But if there is no known solution, who will provide the holding environment for shared work to be undertaken and who will be responsible for the outcome? One response to who will create the holding environment is that it will be the organization itself, of course fostered by insightful leaders. In Chapter 7, Ron and his colleagues identify five characteristics of an adaptive organization which include: 1. Elephants in the room are named, 2. Responsibility for the organization's future is shared, 3. Independent judgment is expected, 4. Leadership capacity is developed, and 5. Reflection and continuous learning are institutionalized. (pp. 101-108) By fostering these attributes, leadership then joins with various authorizers to establish and sustain a holding environment that is capable of negotiating the adaptive challenges of its environment.
Through reading Ron's new book and observing the dynamics of many of the questions I face each day, I have a much greater appreciation and dedication to the work I am privileged to pursue with my colleagues here. And, the work is clearly adaptive and shared.
An example - Western education presumes that students are able and need to make their own choices about career (an idea borne of the individualistic belief that, if young people are to be successful, they will have to take charge of their own destinies) yet in the Arab world, Asia, and many other places, the choice of one's career is frequently dictated by family, by business sponsors who fund educational opportunity, or out of beliefs that specific careers are more lucrative or carry greater prestige. The paradox for educators becomes one of responding to family/student demand or preference, all the time knowing that the "choices" students make may not be the best fit for their talents or convictions. Managing the individualism involved in free choice in contrast with the collectivist idea of obligation to family and community has no predictable answer. For some students taking the risk to contradict family expectations may be the best path while for others maintaining the commitment to the family and community is best. Educators cannot be effective in working with students unless the potential legitimacy of both choices (originating from different values systems) is embraced.
Some of us in the Gulf are here as managers or as experts in processes of technical change. However, those who make the greatest difference are the ones who recognize that the most exciting work in higher education in this area of the world is adaptive and that maintaining a focus on the bigger picture of change and the possibilities it poses is worth the negotiations, hard work, and risk. As Ron and his colleagues say, "Adaptive leadership is not about meeting or exceeding your authorizers' expectations; it is about challenging some of the expectations, finding a way to disappoint people without pushing them completely over the edge. And it requires managing the resistance you will inevitably trigger." (p.26)
The "authorizers" are sometimes our bosses. Sometimes they are our colleagues or followers/collaborators. But we all have authorizers who grant us the authority to act. Naturally, authorizers want the easiest and quickest way to a solution. But if there is no known solution, who will provide the holding environment for shared work to be undertaken and who will be responsible for the outcome? One response to who will create the holding environment is that it will be the organization itself, of course fostered by insightful leaders. In Chapter 7, Ron and his colleagues identify five characteristics of an adaptive organization which include: 1. Elephants in the room are named, 2. Responsibility for the organization's future is shared, 3. Independent judgment is expected, 4. Leadership capacity is developed, and 5. Reflection and continuous learning are institutionalized. (pp. 101-108) By fostering these attributes, leadership then joins with various authorizers to establish and sustain a holding environment that is capable of negotiating the adaptive challenges of its environment.
Through reading Ron's new book and observing the dynamics of many of the questions I face each day, I have a much greater appreciation and dedication to the work I am privileged to pursue with my colleagues here. And, the work is clearly adaptive and shared.
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