Rethinking Leadership in the Age of Complexity with Winnie da Silva

In this podcast episode, Winnie da Silva discusses this month’s theme of leaderless teams. She explores the evolution of leadership from ancient times to the modern era, challenging traditional notions and embracing collaborative, human-centered approaches. Winnie shares how her guests encourage leaders to empower their teams so they can take a hands-off approach. In an era of rapid growth and exponential complexity, it may be time for a significant shift in how leaders lead.

• Leadership Ownership: Leaders desire their team to have a sense of ownership and bring their best work to the company every day.
• Productivity vs. Busyness: Being busy doesn't equate to being productive, and true productivity involves quiet thinking and strategic decision-making.
• Historical Roots of Leadership: Historically, leadership involved divine authority, with leaders often seen as having special powers or godlike figures.
• Shift in Leadership Vision: The world of business is ready for a shift in the vision of leadership, moving from control to collaboration and from hero to human.
• Leading People vs. Managing People: Leadership focuses on guiding and inspiring, while management ensures efficiency and task completion.
• Followership and Power Dynamics: Concepts like followership, power over versus power under, and theories X and Y are crucial in understanding leadership dynamics.
• Hands-Off, Eyes-On Approach: A hands-off, eyes-on approach empowers teams without relinquishing control, fostering autonomy and productivity.
• Organizational Design for Scale: Exploring how to organize for scale in a complex and uncertain world without breaking is a key challenge for leaders and organizations.

Resources

Winnie da Silva | LinkedIn