Where did all the Leaders Go?

COVID has shone a light on so many things.

COVID and the black lives matter riots mark a crossroad in human history. The time to try, test and improve new fairer systems and frameworks is now. We need to grab the opportunity quickly or run the risk of heading towards more inequality, more distrust - and more violence. DISCLAIMER: This is #thinkingoutloud. There are more questions than answers and no click bait. If thats what you're looking for, there's nothing to see here.

I had a dream

When this drama started to unfold, I had a dream. Coronavirus could be the much needed global reset button. A unique moment in history: humans across the globe finally united in a fight against one shared enemy. 

In some ways it has been exactly that. The planet is thriving, skies are clear of white threads, birdsong stronger than ever. There has been a groundswell of "just do it" goodness from people over the past couple of months. Frontline.Live is just one of many, many manifestations of collaborative effort by entrepreneurs and change agents: powered by purpose, human ingenuity and shared visions of a fairer, safer future. I was honoured to work with 40+ volunteers and 10 partners who sat forward to make the impossible happen at speed. Shards of light through the murky confusion.

The Power of Stories

We are all facing challenges as we forge a path into uncertainty, not least senior leaders in global companies. Keeping remote teams motivated and energised, and making decisions, is a challenge at the best of times but now, with the endemic fear of uncertainty and the invisible looming foe, it's harder still. The "behavioural bible according to beep," decentralisation, empowerment and autonomy has never been so relevant.

I run DENs for corporate execs from all sorts of big companies to explore what leadership could mean in the future of work post COVID. They are oases of much needed inspiration and connection in a turbulent ocean of change. Getting the best out of people has always been about creating environments in which people can thrive, not just survive : environments based on respect and psychological safety.

The vulnerability and openness of powerful people at this time of profound change fills me with hope.

One of the things we explore in these dynamic online workshops is motivational force of storytelling. Our "Imaginal Leaders” (feel free to ask what that means) were invited to hone in on the storytelling architecture of MLK’s “I have a dream.” It is a work of timeless genius. The "North Star" is as clear as day. Every narrative device is harnessed to rally listeners to walk together towards a fairer future. Look at the framing.

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair […] even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”

How could any good American citizen disagree? This is a story that connects across difference. It is pure storytelling gold. MLK was a leader who understood what it takes to motivate broken, disheartened people towards positive collective activism. Every leader everywhere should take a leaf out of his book.

Furores of Twisted Fiction

Then there's the dark side: politics and media. We are submerged in a barrage of bad news and untruths. Pied Piper Politicians with their infantile simplicities flood our collective consciousness across myriad channels; toddler Trump with his “its them not me” finger pointing ( the polarisation and hate crimes fuelled)., nuclear testing and bleach cures, the tsunami of conspiracy theories and now the Dominic Cummings furore of twisted fiction. It all shines a laser light on a profound misalignment between truth, proof, political messaging and consequence (or lack thereof.) 

So what's new?

The bond between inhumanity, untruth and politics is certainly not. See Machiavelli. Academics have explored the increasingly complex interdependence between media and politics for decades. Essays like ’Lying in Politics’ as early as ’71 connected "mediatised" democracy, trust and social breakdown.

The murky relationship between truth and politics has been a familiar concept to the intelligentsia for a very long time. Media is subjective and has always been so. Nothing new there then.

The Truth is Out

Is the key difference that, in the age of democratised media, the “truths of untruth” can no longer be hidden, or retained within the walls of the higher echelons?

Levels of trust plummet while anger reaches new heights. No-one knows whats true and whats not. Global self-organised political protests have failed to drive change, leading to endemic disempowerment and disillusionment. Seeing no progress, post-democratic people are politically passive.

Worse still, retweeting, commenting and griping on facebook and WhatsApp groups, signing "click and you're in" petitions, makes the masses feel as if they are politically active. Something has to change. People need to believe that something, anything, is real. There is a mounting need for shared values, ethical frameworks, empowerment, critical thinking, constructive activism and progress at scale.

A Shared North Star

We understand more about how the human brain works every day. Massive and affordable data and pervasive technology allow us to understand social behaviours, interaction and interdependencies in unprecedented ways. We are more connected than ever.

We’ve got all the pieces of the puzzle to towards a sustainable, people-centred future. Is that laser light highlighting that democracy as we know it is fundamentally flawed? What could new systems look like that mitigate the irrationality and deep seated biases of humans. Not democracy, but empowered informed decentralisation. Systems that have never before been possible; people powered frameworks for the connected world.

Where are all the leaders?

We are at a unique and pivotal moment in the history of mankind. beep is an important part of the answer: a decentralised platform that unleashes the problem solving potential of people. But technology is an enabler, not a solution. 

Research shows that the most effective solutions are designed through multi-disciplinary, multi-generational, multi-frame collaboration. They are not forced upon, but come from citizens and communities.What stepping can we lay during these pivotal times that will show real and measurable progress towards a society based on trust, transparency, fairness and empathy? What can we do to free ourselves from “power-at-any-cost” pied piper politicians and the unbridled tyranny of click bait media.

I still have a dream. But to get to a new north star, one that works for people we need visionary, brave leaders who tell stories so strong that people are inspired and empowered to walk together in mass constructive activism towards a fairer future? To try, try again, fail, fail better..

What did you try, test and improve during the lockdown?