Leadership Turns Collaborative
At a high level, we should start thinking about the new executive not just in terms of new skills but in terms of how traditional skills are being reshaped, says Julie Coates, who will be one of the presenters at the Executive Leadership Institute in San Diego April 6-8. “There are so many changes—both profound and subtle in the skill sets that will define executive success in this century,” she says, “that in addition to identifying new skills, we might want to look at how traditional executive skills are being reshaped.” Leadership turning collaborative is one of the skills Coates identifies as being reshaped for this century.
From Superstar to team culture
As we continue to move into an era where collaboration is increasingly linked to productivity and worker satisfaction, it is increasingly important that executives be part of the team, not just directing the team. As the Harvard Business Review points out, the culture of the superstar is giving way to a team culture.
“Executives no longer sit behind closed doors,” one consultant told the Harvard Business Review recently, “instead, they must be ‘team-oriented, capable of multitasking continuously, leading without rank, resisting stress, ensuring that subordinates do not suffer burnout—and do all of this with a big smile in an open-plan office.’” One consultant characterized the entire company as a team and described the executive’s job as “leading and developing the company’s team, from the leadership down to the ‘troops.’”
Collaborative Organizations More Successful
Coates says organizations that can do this are going to be more successful than those that persist in top-down, authority-based leadership. “This is the direction LERN is now heading,” Coates concludes, “and in spite of the challenges we face, we are demonstrating the new direction of executive leadership for our members.”
Top Networking Meeting for Leaders
The Executive Leadership Institute is a unique LERN experience in that it will not only have experienced leaders, but also new and emerging leaders participating. To be held April 6-8, 2016, at the Bahia Hotel and Resort in San Diego, the executive institute will feature networking and small group discussions among the participants. The networking will be combined with concise executive briefings from top LERN senior management team members Greg Marsello, Julie Coates, Layne Harpine, and William A. Draves. Photo: Julie Coates, LERN Senior Vice President for Information Services
For more information on the Executive Leadership Institute, click here.
For questions or assistance in registering, call Tammy at (800) 678-5376 or email her at info@lern.org.