Wayne Turmel talks leading change from within with Alexander Grashow, author of The Practice of Adaptive Leadership. We also look at what the Chicago Blackhawks can teach middle managers about taking care of the little things or your mulleted head will
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Alexander Grashow, co-author of The Practice of Adaptive Leadership
Show Notes
0:00 Welcome to show 201. Back to talking leadership. This show is dedicated to Dale Tallon, former GM of the Chicago Blackhawks and a sad lesson to all of us- do your paperwork.
3:33 The quote of the week is from Audre Lorde. Are you using the master’s tools to dismantle his or her house? How’s that working for you? By the way this is the first time in history Dale Tallon and Audre Lorde have been mentioned together. Just part of the charm of this show.
4:08 Welcome to Alexander Grashow, no stranger to grand ambition. His parents had more hope for him than mine had for me but I digress. What is Adaptive Leadership? Basically it’s how do you change businesses and people conduct their business? Can you actually evolve? As Darwin said, it’s evolve or die.
6:00 Here’s something you don’t want to hear- most systems are NOT dysfunctional, we get the processes we deserve. They get the results they are designed to get. Chew on that for a while.
9:49 I like to think of myself as the Steve Irwin of business people. Detached observation is the only way to really understand what’s going on and leaders need to listen and observe. This really applies to the politics of a situation- and there are ALWAYS politics.
14:30 Loyalty sounds like a grand thing, but understanding what people are loyal to and why is critical if you’re going to really assess a situation. Name your assumptions and make them plain. How do you test your assumptions without taking too much action too soon?
17:30 Finally a unique definition of leadership: disappointing your own people at a rate they can absorb. I’ll let him explain. Beware the Jerry McGuire moment.
21:39 How do you make conflict useful and productive instead of having it tear the team apart.? We have to get comfortable with productive conflict. Try to keep the conflict going 5 minutes longer than we’re comfortable.
24:00 Did you know YOU are a system? What is the part of you that contributes to the mess? What should you let go of?
Alexander’s Resources
His Book
His Leadership Housecall Blog
Mark Bittman’s cooking blog
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