This end of the first decade of Century 21 is a time of searching more deeply for leadership skills that go beyond simple cookbook “become a great leader in one minute” solutions.

 

General Electric Chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt, offered some great suggestions in his speech at the West Point Distinguished Leader Series. What struck me was his comment that we “must become systems thinkers who are comfortable with ambiguity”. You can read the entire speech at the GE web site.

 

I find it refreshing that someone in Immelt’s position is underlining the ideas that systems’ thinking is critical at this juncture of history. I believe it is a vital aspect of understanding the essence of leadership and problem solving.

 

However, we spend little time learning to think in a systemic way. In my book, “Don’t Bring It to Work”,  there is a plea to move to systems’ thinking that I know would make a difference in how we relate to each other, to work challenges, and to the environment. So here is an excerpt from the book that I hope will stimulate thought about leadership, relationship, and connecting the dots of life.

 

              A system is a collection of parts integrated to accomplish an overall process. The key word here is “integrated”: systems are interactive; everything depends on everything else. For example, the way doctors and nurses behave in a hospital emergency room is a system. If the experienced head nurse calls in sick, all of a sudden there is a shift in how everyone works together, there is a systemic change. Add a patient who causes an uproar and again there will be a change in how everyone works together and how the patients are treated.

 

              Systems are found among work groups, families and even in our own biology. Chinese medicine is based on how all areas of the body work together and a cough, itching and poor sleep habits may well be part of the same illness. Even large networks of friends on web sites such as Facebook constitute a system.

 

              If systems are at the core of how we live, then how come books about workplace issues seldom talk about them? The answer is that business is still largely shaped by analytic thinking, an intellectual orientation marked by a tendency to understand living things not by looking at the organic wholes that they are, but by separating them into their component parts. Most business leaders aren’t trained to think systemically, but rather in dichotomies; when problems occur, we sort and judge, sort and judge.

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg. After centuries of slumber, the older systems-oriented mode of thinking may well be making a comeback. It is what leadership education programs need now more than ever to help us solve the complex, ambiguous issues of this era. Thanks to Jeff Immelt, perhaps we can begin more rigorous dialogues about how we are all connected and the fact that no one wins unless we all do.

Tags: Accountability, Behavioral Patterns, Boss, Business, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Consulting, Diversity, Education, Ethics, Executive Teams, Jeffrey Immelt, Leadership, Leadership development, leadership programs, Team Building, West Point, Workplace Relationships

This entry was posted on Monday, December 14th, 2009 at 3:29 pm and is filed under Accountability, Boss, Business, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Diversity, Economy, Ethics, Executive Teams, History, Human Resources, Leadership, Management, PatternAware, Patterns, Power, Team Building, Uncategorized, Workplace Relationships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.