The Architecture of transformative leadership

The skills leaders need to understand to leave organizations better than they found them 

A good deal too many local leadership concepts are ignored for western paradigms in the teaching of African leaderhsip theory. But then again, todays African leadership scholarship rewards the practice of western theory. This, in itself, is not a bad thing if it was taught alongside African reserch deriving beneficial lessons for upcomming African leaders. This reserch helps leaders understand the underbelly of leadership that makes a difference in organizations and leaves them better than the leader finds them. It is a very basic lesson, ,but far too many leaders miss the mark on this. Many times leaving the organization in shambles.      

Download full research here;  The architecture of transformative leadership

Abstract

The emergence of a volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment in the 21st century challenged the efficacy of traditional leadership theory to ensure business success in turbulent times. This new reality prompted a scholarly search for new transformative leadership theory (TLT) to find ways to help leaders navigate turbulent conditions and equip managers to shepherd institutions to accomplish corporate goals in VUCA contexts. The study explored scholarly literature, business models, professional best practices and case study examples to identify suitable architecture to manage transformative change as a strategy to ensure institutional survival and success in turbulent environments. The results identified the five levels at which institutions can drive transformative change as; thematic focus, business transformation modelling, leading transformative change, values driven transformation and subterranean context. The study identifies five strategies to lead change, highlights twelve elements of TLT and casts the four roles of a transformative change leader as; chairman, strategos, manager and follower. According to the study, the transformative leader must; be courageous and confront the status quo, convince stakeholders and build consensus for change, chart a navigable path through turbulence to corporate goal horizons, and collaboratively share responsibility with followers to embed a desired transformative culture transformation in the institution. The author notes that such change disrupts redundant systems and may be resisted by its intended beneficiaries.    

The Man; the Prince, the Warrior & the Lover

 

The Man: the Prince, the Warrior & the Lover

Over the past few days I have encountered men both great and small.  Each in his own turf. Each in his own city. Inevitably all men are three. The Prince, The Warrior and the Lover. You will encounter the prince the first you will meet of him. He may present himself in all his shine and royalty. But if that is all you are looking for you will fail to see his true glory. Man, while set apart from all creation, among men may appear to be nobody. And even ignoble. But not too deep within, if you scratch the surface you will see a gleam of divinity. It can only be harnessed for its value. It may be in his voice. His gentle presentation of an issue or the character of his stance, or the way he polishes the shoes of the passerby. It is in the gleam in his eye and the princely manner in which he practices his craft. No, a man is a prince, whether, professor, president or pauper. You will see the same in each of them. Each a prince among men bearing a mien of dignity, self-respect and princely arrogance. Arrogance you say? Yes, arrogance I say. The arrogance that says - I know who I am and you cannot deny me – I am a prince over a kingdom.

The prince, in humility may not present all his credentials at once, but challenge him and you will release the warrior. The warrior fights to the death. Indeed, he prepares for it. He practices and relishes that day in which he will acquit himself as a man. He fights and fights and fights and will return every day of his life to fight again. He wakes up each morning and heads to work. He makes time to learn, to train and become better at what he must do, he is dedicated to his sport, his colleagues and loyal to his calling. The man will not be found not at his post. But when he is not at his post then he must practice the art of the warrior and prepare well for the next battle – to the death. He has no patience with the sloppy, lazy or complacent incompetence. His next battle may be his last, so he must make it his best. The man, the warrior is a sight to behold. To him trust, loyalty and sacrifice are not spare words in his cold room. They are living testimony of his dedication, commitment, courage. The warrior needs no dojo or permission to be his best. He needs no whistle or alarm clock to arise at 4 am to his task. The warrior is self-disciplined and has no problem representing his boss, his son or his daughter. In subordination is not his craft. Disloyalty is an anathema. If you are any of these then you must leave his presence.  His brothers, team mates, sisters, his captain, the army, the country depend on him to be himself. The protector of the things he values and cares for. Is he aggressive. Yes, for what he believes in he will be aggressive to the last drop of his own blood.  

If you get past the prince and the warrior, then you might get a glimpse of the lover. This is not the romance as many perceive. Rather, it is the giving of himself to and for those he has selected. It is in the purity of husband and wife that demands no show of might. It is both companionship and compassionate.  It is the tenderness he reserves and chooses to extends to those he does not have to prove himself to. It is the brief time he takes to meet and mate with his chosen ones before he returns to the fight. It is a deep joy and fulfilling dreams, celebrating victory and making people happy at the party. It is found in his love for nature. In the warmth of a bear hug at the bar with his buddies. The peace he finds at home, it is the counsel and comfort he is willing to take from his father, mother and friends that is so deep and precious. It is the protected secret he shares with only one. Is that man a lover? Make no mistake, there is no man that is, that does not love deeply. Woe to those who turn his love to hate and spurn that which could never be paid for. For a man’s love is his gift to humanity. The man, the prince, the warrior, the lover. Acknowledge these things in him and live peaceably with him, antagonize these things and you will release a violence so intense it will seem the night has never been or will never be.

Allan Bukusi

Did you know that you FUND your own Employment?

 

DO you realize the IMPACT of the FACT that you FUND your OWN employment? 

Most people do not realize that they are throwing away a valuable opporunity to create wealth in employment. Most of us often want to make money quickly through "get rich quick schemes" or simply "STEALING" in its various forms. I had the opportunity to explain that the only way to WEALTH is "WORK" on a talk show recently. Listen in and share the link with a Friend, Boss, Colleague and your Enemy. The discussion might save a person from getting sacked, help another get a career back on track, or better still - it might save a family from being consigned to POVERTY for another GENERATION!  

Tune in Next Week - 14th August, 0800-0900 hrs - East African Time. on #corporatehub Hope FM... We will talk a little bit more about the skills you need to avoid living in POVERTY on the JOB! and create personal wealth on the JOB?

Allan Bukusi

By the way, If you have read the book "How to Prosper in Employement / My first job / a House a Spouse and a Cow"  and you found it useful,  do leave a comment on the Youtube video... It might help someone else think seriously about their future career trajectory... 

...the business development curve

... lets talk about Strategic Business Development 

 

...the business development curve

The development of a business has three important phases. The first, is the entrepreneurial phase. The second, is the corporate or “incorporation phase. And third is the transformational growth phase. While there are no specific timelines given to each phase of business development. Each phase is preceded by some sort of “crisis” that if not addressed leads the decline of the business.

Ideally every business should and hopes to develop along the business development curve as a going, growing and continuing concern. However, business statistics indicate that this is just not the case. unless strategic interventions are made at specific points X and Y along a business trajectory the business will with time and up at B or C. business development has to be intentional, anticipated and designed.

Almost all businesses start at A with an enthusiastic entrepreneur with an innovative idea raising the sweat energy, capital and courage to venture into the unknown with a dream. This herculean initiative is often enough to launch the business off the ground and into the market place where some dreams survive longer than others. However, at some point the entrepreneurial energy begins to flag, even if it is by reason of the age and energy of the entrepreneur/dreamer. To survive “X” and move to the next phase, the enterprise need to pass on the dream to a corporation with structures systems and suitable administrative organization to sustain the enterprise. This requires a business in the entrepreneurial stage to transition to the corporate phase through “incorporation”. In this phase the entrepreneur may step away from the enterprise, share the dreams structure the business and let others run it. This has multiple benefits, not least, a well-earned rest and reward for the entrepreneur for his or her labor. However, in this stage the business also benefits from the injection of professionalism, branding and market loyalty, moderate growth and quality service guarantees. In the corporate phase bureaucracy and systems are introduced to manage operations. This is NOT a bad thing as some people assume. Though they are initially perceived as cumbersome, they actually make the business more efficient and expand its capacity to deliver quality services and survive “enterprise fatigue”. 

Nonetheless over time corporate momentum that allows a business to survive medium term challenges turns into corporate inertia as the organization loses organization sensitivity to changes happening around it. Interestingly, this sensitivity is what ignited business success in the market. In the corporate stage, there is always a temptation to think that we are the best and better than the rest, forgetting that the market and business environment is changing. This is when the business arrives at Y and must make critical strategic decisions involving major revisions to remain relevant and sustainable in the changing market over the long term otherwise it will end up at C instead of continuing to D. And, one might say the cycle begins again - after all business is a going concern. Sometimes this is called the “S” curve, but the crucial thing for every business then, is to appreciate where the business is at on the curve and take appropriate STATEGIC action at A, X and Y to ensure its continuity through to D.

Courtesy

SEAGEM SOLUTIONS

Strategic management consultancy

TRANSFORMING BUSINESSES EVERYWHERE...

info@seagms.co.ke  

Leadership Quote of the Day!

 

frustration...

WEAK leadership is WORSE than bad leadership. Nonetheless, in all circumstances LEADERSHIP is ESSENTIAL. No organization, no one can do without it! Good leadership gives direction, energizes purpose and generates results. Bad leadership takes an arrogant, more often ignorant, position, gives poor direction, blames others and enables others to do the same. People know where the good and the bad leader stands and take action accordingly. However, a WEAK leader confuses everybody. A weak leader is absent, directionless, visionless and clueless in decision making. And, is the root cause of the worst pandemic an organization can find itself in - pandemic for pandemonium.

Salo.

Great Employees do things differently

 

Good employees work hard, Great employees employ themselves.

Allan Bukusi

The Poverty of Research in Africa?

 

The Poverty of Research in Africa

I recently attended a workshop urging and equipping lecturers to conduct research and publish their findings. The mood in the room was, “Oh please don’t take us back there, we passed our exams and got our certificates! We don't need to go through that pain again? We are not complaining we earn enough to survive - just leave us be!”. The outstanding issues were not only the lack of enthusiasm and motivation to write, research and publish, but the significant lack of confidence and capacity to do so. Nonetheless, statistics show that Africa produces less than 1% of modern global research output! If research is equivalent to innovation, then Africa is indeed poor. This caused me to reflect on why “research” so poorly cast in the attitudes of so many would be researchers. Many students view the writing of their research thesis or dissertation as the last barrier between them and graduating with a masters of doctorate degree. The purpose of research is clearly cast as a requirement for graduation. Once the nightmare is passed and the deed is done, the results are put on the shelf. Many a graduate and lecturer will have nothing more to do with either the shelf or the research. Of course university poverty and the poverty of the prevailing socio-economic circumstances also contribute to the problem. If lecturers can earn a salary by certification, let it be. So how do we get our cream of our scholars to write original papers?

One of the reasons that research has such a lowly output in Africa is because it is thrust upon bewildered students and supervisors in post graduate courses with no premonition of its reality all through their education up until their second degree. In their second degree it is introduced as a new subject and at the doctoral level it is assumed that (by now) you really should know how to do it. While the problems of poor supervision, lack of resources, student dropout rates and academic impediments to the process are well known (in Kenya the Commission for University Education CUE, has pointed them out numerously alongside many other independent publications), corrective measures to right these issues can only be described as, “too little too late”. It is only after poor enrollments in the light of rising graduate dropouts and extended terms of registry do university administrations venture to look at the problem from a financial standpoint.

But what exactly is research and why is it necessary? Research is the ability to methodically investigate the universe. It is the competence to resolve environmental paradoxes, explore and exploit hidden opportunities, create new understanding of issues and circumstances and synthesize solutions to the myriad challenges of human existence. It calls for discipline, diligence and determination without a promise of expected outcomes. Research requires the development and maturity of the capacity of curiosity, investigation, experimentation, exploration, problem solving, analysis, comparison, the courage to venture and the will to search for and create new knowledge (sometimes counter what is known) and knowhow to resolve complex and persistent life challenges. These are NOT skills you suddenly HAVE at the registration desk of a doctoral program. These skills and competencies need to have been ingrained, explained, promoted and valued long before one thinks of enrolling in a postgraduate program.

However, education systems and programming in Africa simply do not provide for the appreciation of new knowledge and know how. Knowledge in is a locked box. Nursery, Primary and secondary school programs are closed knowledge systems designed to ensure selective breeding by elimination of those who cannot recall what is in the box. Error is defined as thinking outside the box or failure to think inside the box. Students are simply not allowed to think differently. To venture a different opinion from the teacher (who obtained that opinion from his teacher) is to fail the exam! So to suddenly ask a student, who has successfully subscribed to rote learning for two decades, to think freely or independently, is to explode his worldview of himself and knowledge and deflate his confidence in the light of its presentation and interpretations of himself and the universe as logos, ethos and pathos!

Seeds of research need to be planted early and require the early, middle and long rains to obtain a good harvest late in the year. In other words, the conceptualization of theoretical and applied research and the seeds and practice of research and research methods need to begin in nursery school to inspire belief in the process of open exploration of knowledge and experimentation in primary and secondary school to develop student confidence to participate in, conduct and teach research at university. The poverty of research is hardly an institutional problem it is a systemic challenge that needs to be addressed right from the fundamental design and formulation of the purpose of education as a strategic reserve of national development. Not everyone needs to become a researcher, but everyone needs to know how to go about it to better their own circumstances.

Allan Bukusi