Leadership Isn’t Rocket Science—It’s Harder
Managing Director - Bob Gower
Complexity and Its Discontents
The human brain may be the most complex object in existence. And when you bring a collection of brains together—like in a company—the complexity multiplies exponentially.
Even small changes in a complex system can have large and unexpected consequences — the so-called butterfly effect.
Not only are organizations complex, but so is the context we operate in today. We now live in a world that is more volatile, uncertain, and yes complex than ever before.
This means that leading an organization today is quite possibly the most challenging job in the universe.
What’s a Leader to Do?
Most leadership advice focuses on individual skills, capabilities, and mindset. While these are important, they are insufficient to the task of leading even relatively small organizations.
Leading in a complex world requires a variety of perspectives, skills, and abilities, and even the most capable leader needs a group of helpers around them. But a group of individuals who don’t work well together can be worse than being alone.
What’s needed is a real leadership team.
How a Group Becomes a Team
A group becomes a team when trust and efficiency are built through collaboration.
This process follows the familiar stages of Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. For leadership teams, the Chief of Staff (CoS) plays a critical role in making this happen.
The CoS is specifically tasked with helping a leadership team function effectively as a team. The job is equal parts coach, project manager, executive, advisor, and facilitator.
The Value a CoS Delivers
I recently worked with a client as an Interim Chief of Staff. The company was in a moment of deep change and under enormous stress. I was brought in by a new CEO who needed to quickly build a leadership team — many of whom were also new.
I partnered with the CEO to bring the leadership team together operationally and culturally. We created high-yield meetings and put systems in place to improve decision making and situational awareness.
The CEO also asked me to coach individual leaders on how they led their teams, and to restructure the product organization so it would be ready for the new Chief Product Officer, who could hit the ground running when she was hired
Our work resulted in a company that was 50% faster at launching new initiatives, and a leadership team 1.5x quicker at making high-quality business decisions.
The CEO had this to say at the end of our six-month engagement: “Bob’s expertise in developing highly effective teams really shone through, and our leadership team gelled so much faster than it could have without him.”
We Can Help
If your leadership team isn’t firing on all cylinders, you could be losing more than just time. My team and I are available to help your team thrive in a complex world.
Click here to book a 1:1 with me.
Bob Gower Managing Director, Org Effectiveness
