Leadership post covid lockdown: moving from "I" to "We" and other questions

"Really great questions, and coaches who ask them... these are a few of my favorite things"

A question from Michael in a conversation earlier this week sparked this episode. How do we as coaches work with others to generate great ideas and help them turn that into viable action? Through Innotivity of course. As a bonus Michael coaches me in less than 10 minutes on a real live issue I'm grappling with. Unexpected and totally worth it! You can watch the video version on YouTube here.

There is a giveaway from the Innotivity Institute that you want to take up now. It's towards Giving Tuesday on the 1st of December. Here's some info from Innotivity and a link to register for that.

"HELP ENTREPRENEURS GROW and celebrate “Giving Tuesday” with our interactive and participatory masterclass HOW TO DANCE WITH UNCERTAINTY (for 90 mins on Dec 1 at 6 PM SAST).

The experience will help you transform your anxiety about uncertainty into an up-leveling life tool. You'll take a challenge you're currently struggling with due to uncertainty and find innovative and creative ways to overcome it. Most excitingly, you’ll learn to welcome--and then DANCE with uncertainty - instead of trying to turn it into certainty. After all, both are imaginary. 
As a thank you for your participation and generosity, anyone who attends the full seminar will get FREE access to our Innovation Explosion training (a $347 value). But the training will be given not to YOU, but in your name to a young entrepreneur who can’t afford it. You will be tagged and thanked publicly for this generous blessing. It’s your chance to give away something of such high value without having to part with anything!"

This episode on #food was a delight to record. 

"Wakanda is not only a whimsical dream. What can we create for the generations that will come after us?"

My guest is Uzo Bailey Ayogu CTO of Nigerian Agritech startup RELEAF.  Uzo knows his business and tells great stories. As he says, stories are powerful for shifting mindsets and narratives, which in turn change behaviour.  As Uzo told story after story of the first few years growing RELEAF as a business, my hope grew. Grew for their business for sure, but also for Nigeria. We need more young people who will "come home and see what they can do" like Uzo and his business partners Isaiah UDOTONG (CEO) and Ikenna NZEWI (COO). 

As I listened to his stories of investing, growing, learning, and doing agribusiness in Nigeria, I was struck by how much grace and goodwill covers what must have been a steep and tough learning curve. And this, more than anything else makes me hopeful about RELEAF and confident that they will see this through to the long term. 

In this episode we explore:
Why Food? 3:29
The RELEAF back story 6:37
"Go and see the land" operating principle 7:33, 10:44
There's always a swindler, "shine your eye" 12:11
Sustainable linked economy 15:10
At the end of the day, it's about making strong relationships 19:06
When the factory wins, the community wins 22:35
Advice to young bucks who want to do this too: "the risk is in not taking the risk"  25:45
Partnerships, relationships and building longevity  32:13
Local is lekker: localized industrialization 35:04
Quality, tech-based R&D 40:10
Western saviours and other things that will not work 43:04
Short-termism, mindset, and narrative shifts 44:57
There have been wildly successful and rich black nations 50:12

In wrapping up the series, I have three conversations to share. 

The first is with Mrs. Titi Akisanya. A highly experienced coach and recently outgoing President of the International Coaching Federation in Nigeria. We discuss gaslighting. Yes. Gaslighting from marketers and advertisers and how this isn't a positive coping strategy. We share what some positive strategies might be for easing (back) into life through COVID 19 and post lockdown. "Never let a good crisis go to waste". There are opportunities to be had, even in the midst of economic and physical lockdown. PS: there's a reason why this episode was special to me. Listen to find out. https://www.buzzsprout.com/988609/4471658-a-coach-s-approach-to-re-entry-post-covid-19-lockdown.mp3?blob_id=17532521&download=true

The second was a follow-up conversation with Roy Gluckman about COVID 19. It seems like forever ago we had this conversation. This is how I know time is different right now. We discuss what Diversity and Inclusion need from HR and Business leaders as we ease back into the workplace. "Being privileged is not always the same as feeling privileged". An important concept to contend with as we become more awake to issues of systemic racism. Listen here. https://www.buzzsprout.com/988609/4475663-what-could-inclusion-mean-for-orgs-as-lockdown-is-eased.mp3?blob_id=17557697&download=true

The third is with Ralf Schneider. Ralf and I asked ourselves what the questions leaders need to consider in moving from the "I" and operating and an obsession on self-achievement, to the "WE" and collaborative achievement. We believe this is what relational leadership requires and this is what Next Generation Leadership is about. There is inside work and outside work that leaders need to do to innovate and not just improvise through COVID 19. Thinking through what questions to ask is probably one of their most important tasks. https://www.buzzsprout.com/988609/4606370-leadership-post-covid-lockdown-moving-from-i-to-we-and-other-questions.mp3?blob_id=18175427&download=true

My conversation with Ralf just as lockdown started to ease was around what questions we should be asking ourselves as leaders of systems and organizations. As I said to Ralf, this isn't about alchemy for answers. Rather, it's a review of what some of the useful questions are that leaders could be asking to build collective success in this rapidly changing world. 

In this episode we discuss:
New world, same humans 2:00
A key question for leadership, how do you newly re-engage 7:14
Band-aiding and re-trenching isn't the answer 10:42
Asking the right questions is the leader's biggest work right now 12:40
Leaders stepping out of internal crisis mode 18:33
Alpha personas will not sustain what leadership needs now, vulnerability required 23:55
What drives leaders? 
    - Tension between personal achievement and the collective 30: 41
    -  Play lead violin or conduct a beautiful piece of music? 33:56
What are my boundaries and from what place is that informed? 37:18
As a leader, am I giving myself the space for silent reflection? 39:08
Inner independence: a practical not mystical exercise 40:53
Covid might help us learn what to cultivate (the inner and outer work)  43:35
 

First, let me apologize for the cracking sounds in this episode. I tried hard to get rid of it in editing. In the end, I had to make a choice between discarding the recording or going with it. #learninganddoing

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The question in my head, which spurred this episode is this, as people go back to work in formal workspaces, what does inclusion need right now in this time of crisis? If we were speaking to the leader, that is the leader of a particular system, whether it's HR as a system, managing people, or CE or GM, what would we tell them that inclusion needs right now? In this crisis as we move from levels 5 to 4, to 3 to 2? Will we ever get to 1? Life as it was???

In this episode we discuss
Job Security 12:00
Switching on consciousness as a leader 15:24
Financial Security 16:00
"I can be privileged without feeling privileged" 21:47
Being privileged: safer, familiar, valuable, likable 23:00
Contract of ignorance 26:42
Cues around languaging and systemic inclusion: support for leaders 30:34
Leadership really needs to create 'emotional' space 31:45
Social justice = sustainable social value 36:18
Access to emotional support in the workplace 40:48
Progress over perfection   42:45
The leaders who are exceptionally good at telling the story, win the hearts of the people 49:41
Cultures of survival replicate ugliness 53:33 

I have the pleasure of a special guest with me. Special because she's my auntie. Yes, she is. Anyone who's African knows that an auntie is not only your mother or your father's sister but any female who's dear to you and older than you. And so this is my auntie Mrs. Titilayo Akisanya. I'm so pleased to have her speak with us.

She in her own right is a powerhouse. She's a coach of coaches and the outgoing President of the International Coaching Federation in Nigeria. She is also CEO of Teta Alpha Consults https://www.thetaalphaconsults.com This, after years of senior corporate experience with global firms and consulting houses. 

I've invited my auntie Titi to Africa's Leading Voices to have a coaching conversation about what coming out of lockdown means to our being, as we go into "business as usual". How conscious are we of how we're feeling about it all? Are we coping? 

I'm asking these questions because if we're not conscious about the strategies we're using to cope with this, we will be gaslighted. We will be fed distraction. We will be made to feel that we should get over it already get back. It's business as usual, we're back to normal. Yay. It wasn't really that bad. It wasn't really a big deal. And you start to question your own sanity, like, didn't I just go through that? Am I not feeling stressed about this? But okay, if everyone's telling you to get over it, then I should. Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should listen to what your mind, your heart, your body's telling you. Pay more attention to it. 

In this episode we cover: 
Resilience and psychological safety 11:54
Evident non-health struggles popping up in Africa 14:23
Mindfulness  16:38
Paying attention 25:23
Fixed vs. Growth Mindsets 27:58
Be wary of the African "grin and bear it" maxim 38:32
EQ and self-awareness 40:32

My guest this week is Jaco Fourie. Jaco who is a Coach colleague is possibly the closest type to a mystic I've ever encountered in my life. He is currently traveling on the back roads of South Africa in a tiny van, facilitating a journey of transformation for individuals, teams, and communities.

Equipping and co-creating transformative conversations and coaching with these change agents and pioneers which translate into action in their communities. According to Jaco, along the way, strangers become friends and getting lost means finding a new way. 

In this #wellbeing episode we explore the idea that to make any meaningful contributions to any cause or issue, you first have to deal with, and prepare yourself. We discuss:
meaningful contributions require self-care 5:06
closing the gap between intent and practice 9:27
the three foundations to self-care 10:02
our brains and our mental states 14:00
we are all grieving loss right now 16:12
spirituality and connection to purpose 18:44
the importance of comfort 20:03
the movies we watch and out 5-year-old selves 25:00
fear and our need to survive 31:00
sensing and presencing  32:02
agency and choosing 35:34
relatedness with others 37:40
taking on too much responsibility 39:12 
taking on too little responsibility  42:50
allowing the future emerge 44:00
the sacredness of silence 46:40
our disclaimer 53:42
THE INVITATION - a wellbeing meditation 57:44

They say Nero fiddled while Rome burned. I think it's because he had become so complacent he couldn't react, but also that he had narrowed his ability to "see to care".  

These past few weeks have been fraught with heightened emotion, disbelief, empathy, sadness and outrage for me. I have no reaction left in me right now. And it's a conscious choice.  

I believe reaction is good as an initial Kickstarter, because it focuses attention and gets things started. But ultimately, it's unhelpful because it has the potential to separate me from my best thinking and true self. 

I remain convicted that all lives matter. And it's true that depending on where you are physically located in the world, some lives are more immediately at threat, and this must be highlighted. Even so all lives matter. The fundamental cry is for the intrinsic value in every life and in each life to be seen.  

Against the backdrop of all of this, it didn't make sense to bring out a podcast episode last week. It seemed a little trite in the face of all that going on. When I came across this social media movement hashtag The show must be paused on Tuesday it resonated. 
We need to stop and we need to think and we need to process. 

And yet... because words are how I show care, and it still doesn't quite feel it should be business as usual. I face a conundrum.  This post is an attempt to respond to that conundrum. 

This is an "UNEPISODE Episode". 

I have just one train of thought to share. No guests. Just me, sharing this singular idea with you.  Here it goes. 

If it is true, that our seeing directs our doing, I believe we all seriously need to question through what lenses we see the world right now.  May I invite you today to consider just one of these lenses?  Your "universe of obligation".  

My invitation to you today is to consider when and how you drew the lines of your own universe of obligation.  

And then the question is always of course. "So what are you going to do about it?"  

If you and I, and every other person who's really interested in a better Nigeria had the opportunity to reimagine a sovereign wealth fund, in other words leaving to our inheritors, a nation that is healthier, wealthier, and wiser in that we increase our applicable knowledge quotient; what would that look like? I'm looking to speak to all sorts of people who are doing interesting and or different things in Nigeria to get us there.

My first focus is on #food. Food security, agri-food business, farming. Everybody says agriculture is the next big thing in Nigeria. My question is do we know what we are really saying? I have to admit I didn't really. Until my conversation with my guest, Suleiman Dikwa.

Suleiman is many things, businessman, agro and food security activist, avid Africa champion, and long term investor in #projectNigeria. As National Coordinator Officer for the Agric Bureau in Nigeria, Suleiman advocates for a need to synergize the agro value chain in order to avoid looming food supply crises; especially during times of unrest such as with COVID 19.

My conversation with Suleiman was in his capacity as CEO of Green Sahara Farms www.greensaharafarms.com

Green Sahara Farms is driving the Green Sahara Revolution.  Actively empowering people and harnessing available resources through a social impact investment that establishes ethical, sustainable solutions which include communities and seeks to optimize agribusiness away from traditional patterns of thinking into more sustainable and profitable systems.

In this episode we explore:
The trap of Rarity: getting sucked into spending on what we don't need 3:29
Captial retention is a key thing 4:47
Unfreezing our mindsets in Africa for change readiness 7:01
Create economies of scale through collaboration  10:07
Economic clusters as a deliberate value chain strategy 13:05
Connect the dots, ...it's a potential $300B industry 20:59
Agro product beneficiation 23:00
A mindset change is probably more important than upgrading infrastructure 24:39
Debunking the myths about localized management of capital 26:52
Mentorship is key 34:54
The challenge when big money ignores the farmer in the equation 42:04

Some people just make the best conversation partners. My guest this week, Roy Gluckman, public speaker and CEO of Cohesion Collective, is one. Roy's work focuses on bridging the gap between leaders and the workforce to achieve a more diverse and inclusive workplace. I enjoy dialoguing with Roy Gluckman because of the quality of thoughtfulness and integrity with which he holds this work.

Roy's perspective of COVID 19 as a system revealer was refreshing. And..., it made a lot of sense to me. This isn't changing the status quo as such, nor is it bringing up new issues, it's really just showing up and showing us what already "is there".  The Emperor's naked and COVID 19 called it!

If we hold that this is indeed a system revealer, what will be revealed as we prepare for work-life post lockdown? How do we ensure that hardwon workplace inclusion gains aren't lost as we press forward? Will we immediately lean into the engines (of capitalism and industry) or, will we give ourselves the opportunity for pause and reflection. The collective we. 

In this episode, we explore:
Fear will not get us the outcome we want 2:30
Anarchy, change agent or systems reveal 4:50
It's actually about leadership  10:18
...and a lack of trust 12:23
Pressing the time out button for a quick chat   12:43
The "gift" of COVID? Spotlighted deep inequalities  17:58  
Flattening the inequality curve 20:24
South Africa's COVID 19 response, a case study in Leadership  24:48
Creating social cohesion in workspaces post lockdown  29:54
   - financial security   32:00
   - spaces for PTS healing 32:41
   - check-ins 33:16
Stabilizing health, reducing stress 38:13
Performance Management 39:40
Being kind to self 44:17
COVID 19 is a trial run, there's more to come 47:17