insium's newsletter on leadership: June, 2017
Written by geoff Wednesday, 28 June 2017 00:00
In preparing for my presentation, "Leading with Courage," for the 5th World Congress of Positive Psychology in Montreal next month, I am reminded of quotes, videos, images, memories and more that have piqued my curiosity in courage.
Firstly, it was the study and subsequent design of the Authentic Leadership Program with colleagues that ignited my curiosity in courage. I came across "Radical Gratitude and other life lessons learned in Siberia" by Andrew Bienkowski and Mary Akers. The following quote from this book – “It takes courage to be your most authentic self when others all around you are acting and pretending to be what they think is expected of them” – not only sparked my curiosity but also that of many program participants, leading to robust exploration and debate of authenticity in context of the work environment in which one works – including the impact of organisational design, dynamics and politics to lead with authenticity.
insium's newsletter on leadership: May, 2017
Written by geoff Wednesday, 10 May 2017 00:00
A Reflection
I recently had the opportunity to share the work that insium does with Imogen Kroker. I very much enjoyed and learned much from the time we spent together. This is her reflection ...
On the weekend, we experienced the grandeur of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra with the MSO Chorus, the National Boys Choir of Australia and an amazing baritone in John Longmuir, soprano Eva Kong, and tenor Warwick Fyfe. With the direction of Conductor, Long Yu, the performance of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff (1895-1982) was exhilarating, energetic and passionate.
Book-ended with "Fortune, Empress of the World," the entire performance brought me great joy. I sat on the edge of my seat for much of the performance, totally mesmerised by the music and the voices. Overall, the musicians and the performance of Carmina Burana that they created was magnificent. In detail, noticing which instrument produced which specific sound, noticing how sounds were created, and noticing the commitment of the musicians was delighting.
Prior to the performance of Carmina Burana, the MSO and the MSO Chorus performed Daphnis and Chloe: Suite No.2 by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). In addition to the joy in the moment, this experience also had me reminiscing and savouring fond memories, such as Sunday afternoons watching black and white movies straight out of Hollywood as a family, and our Grade 6 excursion to see "Fantasia" by Walt Disney. I'm not even sure that the music was the same, but this classic music brought back very fond, joyful memories nonetheless.
And most joyful of all ... I experienced this performance with the person I love most. In this experience, I have created a new memory which I can continue to savour into the future. I am truly grateful to Geoff for organising this night out.
Just writing this blog has me smiling, savouring and feeling joy again. What brings you joy?
P.S. And of course, who can forget the "classic" playfulness of the "Big Beer Ad." Still brings a smile to my face now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3GH7Pn_eA
Carmina Burana performed by the MSO, 2011: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuU908XJqy4
Daphnis & Chloe Suite No.2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGl9Qmgu7E
insium's newsletter on leadership: March, 2017
Written by geoff Tuesday, 21 March 2017 00:00
Leading with Courage
Last month's newsletter introduced the idea of Leading with Courage in a world that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous - the subject of my recent Master of Applied Positive Psychology Capstone paper. What follows is my recent submission to the International Positive Psychology Association, for consideration for presentation at their upcoming conference in Montreal in July.
insium's newsletter on leadership: January, 2017
Written by geoff Tuesday, 24 January 2017 00:00
Leading with Courage in a VUCA World
Sustaining organisational performance in an environment that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014) is challenging and falls to the leadership within an organisation. This environment has contributed to corporate scandals including that of Enron in 2001 and Lehman Brothers in 2008. Might the collapse of both of these organisations have been averted by a strong expression of courage by senior and executive employees? Might courage – defined as "an intentional constructive or moral action taken by an individual in the presence of perceived personal risk, fear and uncertainty of outcome (personal or organisational) in order to resolve or avert an organisational dilemma" – avert further global collapses?