One of the biggest insights I have gained so far this year is the importance of collective intelligence and what it means for our world, for leaders, and for teams in organizations.
Recently we have seen our world undergo an extreme challenge in dealing with the onset of Covid-19. We have been challenged with our ability to respond and adapt to the new normal that we are creating. This challenge has occurred on many levels and we have been forced to make difficult decisions with many unknowns. The disruption caused by Covid-19 has also forced us to reflect on what we can do to have more foresight and preparedness in advance of the next wave of massive disruption – whatever that may be.
Through this crisis, leaders have been forced to work in new ways across teams, regions, organizations, geographies and collaboratively with all stakeholder groups including those with disparate interests. While this ability is not new, it has been newly tested and has been found to be critical to those teams and organizations that have been sustainable during this situation.
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We are witnessing a collaboration of efforts in scientific research,technology, worldwide distribution of PPE, levels of government,competitive businesses, neighboring communities, and individual relationships. We have also seen many examples of gaps in leadership, ineffective distribution channels and a lack of critical infrastructure, but that does not discount the deeper level at which we are leveraging collective intelligence and collective abilities.
This is important for leaders to observe and reflect on.
- How well does your team and organization collaborate and harness their collective intelligence to better serve their stakeholders?
- What are you leaving on the table because you do not understand how to create win/win across key stakeholder groups?
- What skills do you need to further develop to help you better leverage your collective DNA and bring that to market?
Leadership is evolving. New leadership styles have been formed and are forming. The next stage is transformative leadership: where we leverage our collective wisdom and knowledge to solve 21st Century world problems.
I encourage you to take the time to reflect. If you are interested in utilizing a coach, or leadership training to better equip your teams, now is a great time to do so.
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