Heart-led leadership
Dr Paige Williams on thriving amidst disruption
Of the understanding that leaders are the most potent leverage point to enact a thriving system, Paige discusses the concept of ‘leadering’; a choice and a behaviour, not just an assigned role, and why a humanised, heart-led approach is critical in the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world in which we find ourselves.
Looking at how the human brain is wired and addressing whether it’s possible to teach for uncertainty, Paige explores ‘cognitive closure’, and why recognising people’s varying tolerance for uncertainty can help raise awareness and offer strategies to manage it in an organisational setting.
Paige confronts the common tension between commercial requirements and people’s needs within an organisation, with her philosophy of “the truth we need to hear with the love we need to heed it”. An approach involves thoughtfulness in how we ‘show up’, enabling trust to be built around a collective goal that improves accountability.
On the topic of learning initiatives in the current age, Paige considers how we can create safety so that people feel able to expand into the learning opportunity ahead of them. She shares her approach to fostering a culture of continuous learning that minimises perceived risk, with a learning loop of act, assess, apply, and the value of social learning as a more sticky form of learning.
How can you demonstrate heart-led leadership that is strategic to the organisation as a whole whilst ensuring people are empowered for change?
