The past two strange years haven’t been anomalies but indicators of how deeply leaders must come to terms with unpredictability. To solve complex problems amid uncertainty and ambiguity, we need new mindsets and methods.
In her talk at The Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition on February 24, 2022, Margaret Heffernan explored how to maximize collective intelligence and foster deep collaboration, both of which are critical elements leaders need to navigate an uncharted future.
Enjoy these official notes from Margaret Heffernan’s session on How to Navigate the Future.
Running a business is not what it used to be.
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- We used to think of management as a three-legged stool: forecast, plan, execute.
- But one of the legs fell off the stool: the forecasting leg. We can’t seem to predict what’s going on.
- Love is going to keep you going, but it’s not very good at forecasting.
The world has gone from complicated to complex.
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- Complicated things are linear, you can see them, control them. In that environment, efficiency is your friend.
- Complexity is a different beast. In the middle of complexity, efficiency is not your friend.
- Because there is so much more complexity in the world, about the longest out you can forecast is 400 days. If you don’t do all the work, the best you can hope for is 150 days.
Almost all businesses are a mixture of complicated and complex.
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- If you manage them all like they are complicated, you have no margin and no fall back.
- If you manage them like they are complex, you will have a wildly expensive, over-engineered business.
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? You experiment. This is a mindset you need to bring to leadership now.
Lesson from Netherlands Home Nursing System
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- They changed job description for nurse to do what is best for the patient. As a result:
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- Patients get better in half of the time.
- Costs have gone down by 30%.
- The key is the teams of 10 nurses that work together (16,000 nurses with a back office of 32 people).
Experimentation
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- Experimentation is what you want to do when you’re looking for growth and health.
- Ideas are often solved by people working outside their area because they see things differently.
Collaboration
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- Collaboration is essential in complex environments.
- Get people interacting around a central motivating factor. It requires that they focus on the core nature of the business itself.
- Bonds between people build longevity.
- Companies don’t have ideas, only people do.
- What motivates people is people.
- The ultimate sustainable resource is humanity.
Global Leadership Network
GLN Staff Writer | globalleadership.orgMargaret Heffernan
CEO, Entrepreneur & AuthorGLS22 Special Edition Notes—Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future
TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Change ManagementExecutionLeading OrganizationsStrategyVisionThe past two strange years haven’t been anomalies but indicators of how deeply leaders must come to terms with unpredictability. To solve complex problems amid uncertainty and ambiguity, we need new mindsets and methods.
In her talk at The Global Leadership Summit: Special Edition on February 24, 2022, Margaret Heffernan explored how to maximize collective intelligence and foster deep collaboration, both of which are critical elements leaders need to navigate an uncharted future.
Enjoy these official notes from Margaret Heffernan’s session on How to Navigate the Future.
Running a business is not what it used to be.
The world has gone from complicated to complex.
Almost all businesses are a mixture of complicated and complex.
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? You experiment. This is a mindset you need to bring to leadership now.
Lesson from Netherlands Home Nursing System
Experimentation
Collaboration
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About the Author
Global Leadership Network
GLN Staff Writer
The Global Leadership Network is a community committed to learning from each other and using our influence to accomplish God’s purposes on earth. No matter where your influence is, when you commit to grow your leadership, everyone around you wins—businesses work for good, communities are transformed and churches thrive! Both global and diverse, our network includes partners in 1,400+ cities and 135+ countries. We are committed to deliver fresh, actionable and inspiring leadership content both at The Global Leadership Summit, and year-round through our digital platforms.
Margaret Heffernan
CEO, Entrepreneur & Author
Born in Texas, raised in Holland and educated at Cambridge University, Margaret Heffernan has led a rich and diverse career as a director, writer and producer for the BBC and A&E, as well as a music video producer for the London Chamber Orchestra. Under her leadership at the trade association IPPA, which represented the interests of independent film and television producers, it was once described by the Financial Times as "the most formidable lobbying organization in England." Returning to the states, Heffernan developed interactive multimedia products with Peter Lynch, Tom Peters, Standard & Poors and The Learning Company. She then joined CMGI where she ran, bought and sold leading Internet businesses, serving as chief executive officer for InfoMation, ZineZone and iCAST. She was named one of the Internet's “Top 100” by Silicon Alley Reporter, one of the “Top 25” by Streaming Media magazine and one of the “Top 100 Media Executives” by The Hollywood Reporter. Margaret teaches at the School of Management at the University of Bath and has been invited to speak at business schools around the world, including Harvard Business School, the Rotman School, London Business School and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. She has published six books including her most recent, timely and enlightening release, Uncharted: How to Navigate the Future, which has been named Financial Times “Best Book of the Year.”