Bulletin. Introducing the Concept of Renaissance Leadership Rethinking and Leading the Future

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1 June 2010 Introducing the Concept of Renaissance Leadership Rethinking and Leading the Future Bulletin For further details about Innovation Expedition Inc., see Note: The Program is aimed at strengthening the leadership required to Rethink the Future and to design and implement initiatives for driving high organizational performance by unleashing innovation. The idea that a detailed map with all the possible routes can be drawn in advance of an innovative journey in turbulent times is a fantasy. The route and the destination must be discovered through the journey itself. The key to Collaborating success lies the Founding creative activity Sponsors of making new maps not in the imitative following and refining of existing ones. Ralph Stacey, Managing the Unknowable Collaborating Founding Members Conversations are underway with additional potential Founding Members For more information, contact dsimpson@innovationexpedition.com

2 The Leadership Challenge: It is becoming increasingly clear that the type of leadership that drove organizational success in the Industrial Era will not be sufficient for the Knowledge Era. What kind of leadership, then, will offer the greatest chance in this fast changing world of harnessing the creative energy required to drive dramatic improvements in organizational performance, deliver harmonious prosperity and support the development of a satisfying quality of life for our community and others around the globe? Over the past several years the Innovation Expedition has been on a journey to discover what knowing, doing and being skills are required to lead successful, high performing, knowledge-based organizations today We believe it s a style of entrepreneurial, collaborative and innovative leadership we call Renaissance Leadership because we believe the shift to a knowledge economy is a significant period of rebirth akin to the great Renaissance periods of the past, and shares with them an intense focus on learning and inquiry encompassing all aspects of human life. Don Simpson, Chief Explorer, Innovation Expedition Inc. What is the Value Proposition Offered by this New Renaissance Leadership Program? The Innovation Expedition commits to work with interested individuals and organizations to co-create customized, creative, experiential initiatives aimed at preparing them to: drive improved performance through unleashing innovation in order to survive and thrive in turbulent times develop broad-minded, transformational leaders who have the thinking, doing and being skills required to help their team mates and their organization achieve exceptional levels of performance (i.e., to learn to think and act like a Renaissance Leader) What do we mean by the term Renaissance Leader? The Innovation Expedition describes Renaissance Leaders as high integrity individuals with sensitive self-awareness and a passion both for driving high performance in their organizations and for helping to make their communities and the world a better place. These leaders have a sense of history and an unusual capacity for viewing the world holistically, for practicing systems thinking, for injecting a global and a future s perspective into present challenges, for honouring diversity, and for drawing on ideas and best practices from diverse disciplines and economic sectors. They also demonstrate an ability to take the input from these various disciplines, synthesize it and integrate it for application to a specific complex task. Finally, they have mastered the art of demonstrating grace under pressure, and of inspiring others to have the courage to collaborate and innovate in order to dramatically improve organizational performance. 2

3 Why Renaissance? We are using the term Renaissance as a powerful rallying call for creative organizational and systems changes in periods of major paradigm shifts. We want to identify and support those leaders who are moved to action by awareness of the lessons from earlier Renaissance periods and by a desire to emulate the behaviour of some of these leadership heroes from an earlier age. The world has seen many renaissances literally periods of rebirth, rejuvenation or reawakening in which a spirit of courageous, creative, open inquiry inspires breakthroughs in the arts, sciences, technology and business. This type of leadership in periods of major change ultimately leads to fundamental changes to economic, political and social models. This program draws on lessons from an iconic historical Renaissance in Europe and uses them to inspire modern day Renaissance leadership. Why an Expedition? Metaphors are useful vehicles for articulating complex issues in a way that helps people to organize their thoughts to respond to these challenges. The concept of an Expedition (a journey with a purpose) is a powerful metaphor for exploring complex realities of a different world (the global, highly competitive, fast-changing, knowledge-based world). We are viewing this knowledge economy as if it were an intriguing new place for us to explore, to understand and then to learn how to prepare oneself and others for success in it. Our intention is to position the elements of our Renaissance Leadership Expedition as a cross-cultural learning experience. The Expeditions can be brief (two weeks to three months) and focused on a major theme or they can be more wide-ranging and comprehensive (nine to twelve months). The journey can be done partly online and mainly in one location featuring mainly a journey of the mind or it can involve physical trips to other locations. Preparatory events for undertaking a significant Expedition can be as brief as three hours or as long as three days or three weeks. All of these elements of the Expedition can be customized to fit the needs of a specific individual or an organization. Members of the core crew are available to help participants create their customized journeys. Why a Focus on Leadership? In the Knowledge Economy, Leadership Development is one of the highest forms of leverage for an individual, organization or nation Leadership is first and foremost a mind-set and is more about serving others than authority and power Critical role for leaders is to produce and drive change 3

4 Leaders at all levels are faced with tasks that: Are complex, often ambiguous and do not necessarily lend themselves to conventional processes Require collaboration internally and externally Require social and technological innovations and use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) Leadership is expected of individuals at all levels in an organization whether or not they are in formal leadership positions and most of us are capable of providing more leadership than we are consciously aware of Becoming a Renaissance Leader Key Behavioural Characteristics The Innovation Expedition has synthesized a wide ranging list of modern-day Renaissance Leadership competencies identified by our clients and colleagues and captured their essence in six key behavioural characteristics. Practice personal mastery They have high integrity and view self-awareness as a prerequisite for leadership. They work hard to develop their capacity to innovate, and to inspire others to join them in making the world a better place. Apply a glocal mindset They have a keen sense of history and seek a holistic understanding of changes taking place on a global scale. They use this global perspective as they address local challenges and seize opportunities (global and local hence glocal ). Accelerate cross-boundary learning They constantly seek to satisfy an intense curiosity about every facet of human life, past and present, scientific and artistic, technical and social. They guide others in distilling meaning from a morass of information, and efficiently apply their learning in creative ways to nurture innovation and drive improved performance. Think back from the future They are able to richly imagine alternate futures and work back from there connecting with lessons from the past to better understand the present and choose among possible paths to the future they see. Lead systemic change They are systems thinkers who seek out patterns, interconnections and interdependencies. They are skilled in seeking common ground and nurturing productive collaboration across diverse parts of a system be it an organization, a sector, a community, a network to solve complex problems and drive large-scale change. 4

5 Drive performance with a passion They care that their leadership makes a substantive and sustainable difference, and are relentless in their commitment to performance. They articulate clear (and high) expectations of themselves and others, create focused strategies for innovating to achieve these ends, and are disciplined about assessing progress. For Whom is this Renaissance Leadership Program Intended? The program will be attractive to organizations that are seeking to transform themselves in order to survive and thrive in these turbulent times. The expeditions and related events organized by this Renaissance Leadership Program will be attractive to leaders who combine: an active curiosity about the world in all its complexity an eagerness to explore innovative approaches for dealing with the complex challenges they are facing in sustaining and growing their organization an openness for learning how to choose and successfully utilize new information and communication technologies to support performance improvement initiatives The program is intended to assist these kinds of leaders in diverse types of organizations (business firms, research centres, government agencies, nonprofit social agencies, cultural groups and educational institutions). It is aimed at individuals who are committed to function as entrepreneurial, collaborative leaders with a capacity for driving dramatic improvements in organizational performance by unleashing innovation. The Expedition is equally relevant to executives from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and indeed starts from the premise that interaction among people with diverse perspectives and experience is a catalyst for breakthrough thinking and practical innovation. It will be attractive to leaders who combine a passion for driving high performance in their organization with a desire to make their community and the world a better place. All Renaissance Leadership Expeditions will: Be informative, innovative, interactive, influential, inspiring and fun Lead away from comfort zones and aim at substantial transformational goals Be co-created with the Founding Members and then with specific clients and customized to the specific needs of their organizations and to individual leaders Offer a wide variety of theme elements to consider and potential sites to visit Involve both a journey of the mind and a physical journey with experiential learning opportunities to be experienced through interaction with innovators in business, social and cultural organizations, government agencies, research centres Offer opportunities to connect with Renaissance Expeditions in other locations and to participate in an evolving community of practice of Renaissance Leaders 5

6 Becoming a Renaissance Leader in your Organization What are the Key Challenges? This Renaissance Leadership Program will be shaped by a number of Founding Member organizations and these Members will collaborate with teach other to strengthen their capacity for: Practicing Strategic Foresight Practicing innovation on a regular basis both innovations in continuous improvement and breakthrough innovations Designing new social and technical architecture for your organization Applying design expertise not just to the creation of things but also to the creation of systems Implementing creative initiatives for demonstrating a sense of social responsibility Exploiting entrepreneurial opportunities offered by a recession Cutting costs without impeding efficiency Motivating others for sustained performance Redesigning your personal leadership development model Who is Organizing the Renaissance Leadership Programs? The Expedition is being led by Don Simpson, the founder and Chief Explorer of Innovation Expedition Inc. (IE Inc.) a global network organization first created in 1991 at the renowned Banff Centre in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. (See the brochure which profiles Don Simpson). IE Inc. serves as a global connector identifying, linking, and supporting influential innovators and potential innovators who are concerned with building high-performing organizations (businesses, research institutes, government agencies and not-for-profit associations), and helping to create sustainable prosperity in their communities. The focus of IE Inc. is on helping these organizations to rethink the future and to provide appropriate leadership for the future work of their organizations. This involves, among other efforts, initiatives aimed at developing Shared Vision, Shared Actions, Shared Learning and Shared Innovations. This work is undertaken by two synergistic business units (IE Consulting Ltd. and IE Renaissance Leadership) and is supported by a network of Affiliates and a powerful digital site for engaging innovators globally (see The Core Crew for the Renaissance Expedition is drawn from the ranks of the Affiliates and the global network of IE Inc. all of whom are experienced mentors with broad national and global experience in leading or supporting breakthrough interventions that have led to significant social, environmental and economic innovations. The initial testing of this concept has been carried out as part of the Advanced Management Program at the Saïd Business School at Oxford University. This has provided an excellent opportunity to get feedback from senior leaders from business, government and nonprofits from over 20 countries. 6

7 Leadership for this program in Continental Europe is being undertaken by the Executive Leadership Program in the Otto Beisheim School of Management in Koblenz, Germany. Collaborative efforts in the design of breakthrough executive leadership initiatives are being facilitated in Canada with the Schulich Executive Education Centre (SEEC) at the Schulich School of Business at York University. Marshall McLuhan, the late, great Canadian pathfinder to this new global knowledgebased world provided excellent advice for those considering signing on as an Explorer. He said we should: view our community as a global village which is being influenced by events from around the world and which also has the potential to influence the world integrate knowledge and insights from a wide range of disciplines focus on people relationships at the same time as we are relying more on technology For more information, contact dsimpson@innovationexpedition.com 7