A radical new approach for leaders – Nick Obolensky: Recalibrating Leadership for the VUCA Times  A radical new approach for leaders – Nick Obolensky

Leadership holds the power not only to change its possessor, the leader, and their reality, but also to change those whom they lead, that is, their followers. Yet, traditionally, leadership has been resilient by being determined and solid, almost rigid. That made it effective in the past when things were also fairly fixed and change was slow. Today, in fast-moving times we need a much more flexible approach, believes Nick Obolensky. Worldwide, he has been recognized as one of the rare leaders with the power of agile and adaptive leadership in transforming the world.  

Learning to Become a Better Leader 

Nick’s career in leadership has mainly been as a practitioner, both as a young British Army Major, a qualified Mountain Guide, Rescue Diver, Survival Instructor, a FTSE Director, as well as CEO of NGOs and start-ups. This practitioner experience has helped inform his career as an academic, researcher, consultant, coach, and author. All of these have provided both pivotal as well as reinforcing moments. Perhaps the earliest pivotal experience was in the Army as a green second lieutenant, where Nick quickly learned that his professional soldiers were more knowledgeable than him; so, his job as a leader was not to tell them what to do, but to ensure they had the means to do their jobs, as well as enable them to take the initiative and lead themselves. “I learned that knowing how to follow those you lead was as important as knowing how to lead those who follow.” This needs the personal ability to be agile and adaptive, realising when to lead and when to follow. Another pivotal moment as an FTSE Director was when Nick learned that everyone is a star; you just have to enable them to shine. And if they are not shining, your responsibility as a leader is to either remove the clouds (the barriers outside their control) or move them to a place (inside or outside the organisation) where they can shine. 

The Complex Adaptive Leadership Foundations 

Credited with founding Complex Adaptive Leadership (CAL), Nick shares that it is a deeply researched (over 20 years) approach that uniquely combines modern Western complexity science with ancient Chinese wisdom, enabling better and faster, more agile and adaptive results for less stress and resources in a Volatile Uncertain Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world. It uniquely enables dynamic self-organisation within a structured hierarchy. Many other approaches to self-organisation imply that it should REPLACE hierarchy. However, the CAL approach says both can co-exist and reinforce each other’s effectiveness. So self-organisation is not an organisational structural challenge but a mindset one. To help change that mindset the CALAgility System ® was designed. 

Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty 

The inspiration for the CALAgilty System ® was the need to help people, in a simple way, navigate a VUCA world more successfully and overcome the many paradoxes. “For example, our research shows that today most leaders know the problems but not the solutions.” This is a core issue. And for the most part, they know they do not know. In the old days, they turned to God; today, McKinsey. But they feel they cannot say they do not know because they are expected to know by their followers due to the old assumption of what leadership is all about (i.e., something done by leaders who know – that’s why they get the big bucks). However, for the most part, the followers actually, deep down, know the leaders do not know. So, leaders do not know, they know they do not know, but cannot say they do not know, because they feel they are expected to know by a whole load of people who know they do not know anyway! THAT creates a lot of stress, broken family relationships due to working too hard (e.g., emails on holidays, etc.), and sub-optimal results. “We need a new way,” believes Nick.  

The CALAgility System ® is the distillation and practical application based on the best-selling published research of CAL (“Complex Adaptive Leadership – Embracing Paradox and Uncertainty” 2nd edition). It provides practical maps to enable the navigation of VUCA and Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Unknowable (BANI) contexts. This highly agile and adaptive-enabling system has been proven many times around the world to achieve more flexibility, resilience, productivity, and engagement with less waste and less stress, and a better work/life balance. The system is proven to change behaviour, which is due to a changed mindset that emerges from a changed and more informed perception of how the world and complexity actually work. “The system is delivered by our delivery company brand, Agile Plus Leadership International Ltd.” 

The New Way and the first step 

Organizations today operate in increasingly volatile and uncertain environments. According to Nick, the traditional approach to strategy of Analysis-→Formulation→-Implementation is becoming less relevant as organisations need to be able to change faster than the typical strategy allows in a VUCA context. There are a few steps for leaders to navigate this practically. However, the first is to understand that the context of leadership has changed far faster than we can change the assumption that leadership is only done by leaders. It is not. Leadership needs to be an agile and adaptive dynamic that involves everyone in the organisation. Enabling self-led self-organisation is critical. Knowing when and how to let go, and when and how to get a grip, is also critical. So, the two approaches to strategy as described in the CAL book are both needed: the General Jomini traditional approach and the General Clausewitz ‘Coup d’oeil’ dynamic approach. When things are complicated, the traditional approach works; when complex, the dynamic approach is best.  BOTH are needed as the complicated and complex co-exist. 

The Difference 

When asked how adaptive leadership differs when applied at the executive level versus mid-management or team levels, Nick says that the question assumes leadership agility differs at differing levels. The short answer is that the same CALAgility System can be applied at any level, from front-line individual contributor up to the C suite. However, the productivity gains released and the extra time generated will be used in different ways by different people in different organisations at different levels. 

Combining Two Paradigms 

Nick’s work integrates Western Complexity Science with ancient Chinese wisdom. He shares that these two paradigms complement each other in leadership. He explains, ‘Western Complexity Science’ looks at complex systems which are inherently self-organising, based on a few simple rules. Ancient Taoist wisdom talks about ‘wu wei’, which can be translated as the art of letting go, not forcing, going with the flow. Understanding how complexity works (something to be leveraged for advantage rather than overcome as a barrier), and using the principles of science can help self-organisation. This enables the Taoist approach of ‘wu wei’, which releases leaders to be more valuable and do more important things, as well as gain  better work/life balance and health.” 

The Key Adaptive Transformation Readiness Indicators 

There are some key indicators that an organization is ready—or not ready—for adaptive transformation, says Nick. “In our research across the world, most organisations have the eight key principles for adaptive transformation (as shown in the picture ahead).” However, the potential that those principles offer is not released due to old assumptions about what leadership is. “We find a repeating pattern that most leaders are too busy, do not know how to let go, and so depress performance and suppress potential.” Leaders today typically are not adaptive, responsive, effective, or enabling enough. 

The Linear and Non-linear Reasons for Failure 

Many transformation initiatives fail. Nick shares that there is a myriad of reasons why transformation initiatives fail, both linear and non-linear. The most common linear reason (as explained in his first book, “Practical Business Re-engineering – Tools and Techniques for Achieving Effective Change”) is too much time spent on WHAT the change will be and not enough time spent on HOW the change should happen. The most common non-linear reason is too much emphasis on specific measures and control rather than broad direction and enablement. 

A Dynamic System 

Nick further claims that the CALAgility System is not just a system of leadership. It is also a dynamic system of leadership and talent development. This includes programs of highly interactive workshops with supported post-workshop regular mindful reflection. “Our online programs get better results than face-to-face.” Both types of programs deliver >100% ROI mainly due to productivity gains by those going through the program and the increased level of team engagement and their resultant productivity as well. 

Fostering Flexibility 

Leaders can foster cross-functional collaboration and alignment in increasingly complex organizational structures. However, according to Nick, it takes time. The first step is to STOP doing stuff that is simply not needed in order to find the time to enable such cross-functional collaboration. The second step is also to well recognise the difference between the Simple, Complicated, and Complex, and to understand that alignment is needed in the first two, but MIS-alignment (as the science shows) is needed in the complex. Trying to get alignment across a complex system is a waste of time, as what is aligned and good for today may be bad for tomorrow. Cross-functional collaboration in a complex environment is more about understanding the connections that need to be enabled and supported, as well as the ability to quickly adapt in an agile way to others. Spending time away from one’s own team and with others across the organisation is a good habit to foster for leaders. 

The Evolving Role of Human Leadership in the Age of AI 

With AI increasingly influencing decision-making, Nick sees the role of human leadership evolving in many ways. He predicts that AI will enable different types of agents. So, leadership will include both human agents and AI agents. Leadership will evolve into a dynamic between the two, with human leadership ensuring that such a dynamic is effective. So, how best to get to grips with AI today? Nick advises to recognise AI technology is a new complex emergent phenomenon, so probe and experiment. In other words – Just Do IT (JFDI)! And if you don’t know where to start, go to AI, explain your job, and then ask for suggestions for how AI can help you. THAT is also a good example of ‘human leadership.’ At the more strategic level, clear safeguards need to be in place once the risks of AI are recognised. 

Creating Leadership of the Future, Today! 

Looking ahead, Nick envisions that truly exceptional leadership in the future will be when leadership is not just something done by leaders, but an agile and adaptive dynamic involving everyone across all levels of the organisation. How to prepare for that today? “The short answer is doing our CALAgility System program!” Failing that, here are a few key points from Nick: 

  1. Look at what you are currently doing, stop doing the stuff you know you don’t need to do, and start enabling your teams to take the lead to be self-organising, releasing you to do more valuable and important things for less stress and a better life.
  2. Never say “I don’t have time” – the only people whodon’thave time are dead. 
  3. Never say “I don’t have enough time” – that is an excuse for someone who has 60 seconds in the minute (the same as everyone else, so ‘enough’) but who does not know what to STOPso as tomake better choices. Before you act, STOP and THINK. 
  4. If you do not know the answers to the challenges facing the team/organisationand it is a complex context, relax! You do not need to know what the answers are, you just need to know how to engage the wholeorganisation to solve them – maybe just ‘ASK.’ 
  5. NEVER reply to CC mail, and do not read nor send emails out of hours, or on holiday (unless an absolute ship-sinking emergency) – to do otherwise is not leadership; it is busy and damaging ‘controlingship’ or ‘doingship’).