Leaders are facing tremendous uncertainty in today's business world. The question is, what does it take to successfully manage this uncertainty? Harvard Business School (HBS) professor Tony Mayo, faculty chair of the Leadership for Senior Executives program, has an answer: Leaders need to develop their "contextual intelligence" and the agility to step into several different roles. He explains more in this interview.
One of the biggest challenges that leaders are facing right now is how to deal with contextual shifts such as globalization, environmental changes, variations in trade policies, and evolving social norms. All of these factors are changing the landscape and creating a lot of uncertainty.
What we're trying to do in this program is give leaders the tools to combat that uncertainty and think through the different ways they can deliver on their strategy despite, or as a result of, what's going on in the external marketplace. Part of that is how you react to change and deal with the unknown. The other part is how you maximize talent in your organization. How do you leverage diversity, create innovation, and generate bottom-up and top-down ideas? How do you retain talent? As a leader, you have to motivate, inspire, and energize your team, because the success of the organization is a collective one, not an individual one. So, our focus is on how you create the context that enables people to bring out the best in themselves.
Contextual intelligence is comprised of three core elements: One, an understanding of the contextual landscape. For instance, what's going on in terms of government regulation, labor policies, demographic shifts, commercialization of technology, geopolitical issues, and social norms. How do these factors impact the competitive landscape for your organization? Two, an ability to shape the context or be shaped by it. Leaders who are contextually intelligent can either influence and shape the contextual factors that impact their organization, or they can capitalize on them to achieve success. Three, the ability to adapt and change over time. As the context changes, so too should one's leadership style and strategic approach. Contextually intelligent leaders are adaptable and versatile.
There are five roles that leaders need to take on to cope with uncertainty. The "leader as beacon" sets an organization's vision and direction through an understanding of the contextual landscape. The "leader as coach" inspires and motivates teams to deliver on that vision or mission. The "leader as innovator" explores new potential services or avenues of growth. The "leader as change agent" ensures that the organization adapts to inevitable internal and external challenges to sustain its relevance over time. And, finally, the "leader as architect" ensures that organizational design elements, including systems, structures, culture, and human resources, are aligned in service of the organization's mission.
The week will be structured to explore these different roles, and we will focus on one each day. We will take a deep dive into what it means to set direction, mobilize and inspire teams, align organizational structure, identify new opportunities, and ultimately lead change.
As part of the "leader as coach" module, executives will complete an assessment on their leadership style and participate in a feedback and coaching workshop. As part of the "leader as innovator" and "leader as change agent" modules, executives will participate in a workshop on design thinking. They will also work in small teams on a business challenge and use elements of design thinking—such as ideation, brainstorming, and prototyping—to create new solutions.
This program offers a blend of both organizational learning and individual learning. As a participant, you will explore macro-level strategic decisions while also considering micro-level factors, such as how you give feedback or your leadership experience. One of the core benefits of this program is that it convenes people from across the world with divergent perspectives and points of view. This breadth and depth of experience enriches the learning environment, especially as we explore issues of complexity and change.
The High Potentials Leadership Program is about your individual role as a leader and preparing yourself for the next level of leadership. It's for people who are taking on broader responsibilities and need to build their self-awareness and manage teams on a larger scale. The Leadership for Senior Executives program is focused on organizational leadership. Participants in this program are already at a senior level and running a division or department in an organization. They are seeking ways to improve their personal and organizational effectiveness.