Systemic leadership implies looking at the whole system (past / present / future) with discernment and compassion, so that as leaders we might address the repetitive dynamics that consume energy and make it more difficult for people to really focus on serving the reason for existence. Serving the purpose is what allows organizational systems to adapt to change and evolve toward their highest potential.
What are the practices of systemic leadership?
Prioritize the interest of the whole, not the interest of one group or another
Frequently people tend to bond within their group and develop a series of biases that protect that belonging. The signs for this in organizations are quite visible: we see managers “defending” teams in meetings, we notice that sometimes teams have a good opinion of their performance and think less of others in the organization, we observe how decision making processes — such as budget allocation, investment plans sometimes become turf wars that divide management teams. When this division becomes an implicit reality in the organization — politics and lobbying become a survival strategy. Managers then use their time, resources and energy playing the game, rather than supporting the flow of trust, innovation and growth that would nourish the whole organization.
When the field of consciousness is divided, leadership becomes more about maintaining a fragile balance between parties, than it is about guiding people towards the common direction for progress.
As a leader look out for patterns of “Us versus Them” and avoid colluding with opinions that protect belonging to a group while sabotaging the unity of the whole.
Have a good understanding of two very different forces ordering systems — power and love and their connection to the two innate instincts of all organic systems — survival and evolution
Remember that the pack order is a legacy of our past and that it serves the survival of the group by ordering people based on power or dominance. This was indeed useful in our long history of surviving as tribes in the harsh reality of a hostile environment — scarcity of food, wild animals, diseases, tribal wars and so on. Although in modern days that is still present in systems like the military, where command and control is really a reinforcement of dominance hierarchies, in the context of growth and innovation, the pack order is not very useful.
For organizations to flourish, people need a sense of stability. In organizations the systemic ordering principle of time creates a natural order based on when people joined the organization. This provides an inclusive and respectful reference system that allows everyone to hold a unique and legitimate place in the pack, one that does not require any “demonstration of power”.
As a leader look out for patterns of “Better than” (for eg. I will be a better boss than my predecessor) and avoid being seduced by the power that sort of thinking gives you.
When talking about the history of the organization, mentioning both the difficulties and the joys, both the people that contributed and stayed and the ones that contributed for a while and left is a good strategy to level the playing field and reduce the ego boosting “competition for dominance” — “who is better than who” in this organization.
Support an organizational culture with norms and rewards that are serving the Purpose, while creating a safe environment where people genuinely feel that they are part of a community
Look out for patterns of “We are like a family” or cynicism. Authentic human connection is vital for our ability to thrive together. When that is missing because we are treating ourselves as “human doings” or we are trying to mime human intimacy by repeating patterns from our family, motivation and drive are also missing.
When it comes to systemic leadership compassion is a radical acceptance of each person as they are. Whatever we do, we need to confirm that our humanity comes first. We cannot ask people to bring their unique gifts unless we fully welcome them as people. We cannot expect that they offer only what is needed, but then ask them to go the extra mile. Encourage rituals that invite people to maintain an alive human connection.
As a leader allow the truth to be spoken with no sense of regret or unspoken judgement (when we talk about the past in bad terms, it simply means we are still not over our expectations that if only …. (a person was better that they actually were, a context was different than it actually was, a resource would have been available), we would be in a better place than we are now). The opposite is also very much interfering with the ability to be present and perform, the opposite being the nostalgia of the “good old days” that feel warm and comforting in contrast with the present moment.
Regret and nostalgia have a similar effect — undermining the present moment by transmitting to the other people that it is not OK to accept the current reality as it is and make the best of it. When people get hooked into that dynamic, they unconsciously withhold fully being present and enjoying the current reality because their being called to stay loyal to something from the past.
As leaders we need to be able to speak the truth with no regret, resentment, nostalgia or judgement. Only then are we actually implicitly telling everyone that this organization is a safe place, where you and everyone else will be held and spoken of with respect.
Observe whether there is an implicit purpose that interferes with genuinely serving the Purpose
Observe what organizes people’s energy, what gets the most attention, what triggers emotional reactions, what is not talked about, so that you might understand whether there is an implicit purpose that interferes with genuinely serving the reason for existence.
Look out for “We talk about purpose, but it is actually about the money”; “We put customers in the middle”; “We put employees in the middle”. The reason for existence allows systems to organically evolve (healthy adaptation). When that is replaced by the customer’s agenda, profit or employees, it often leads to co-dependent patterns, power struggles and unhealthy adaptation.
What are the assumptions that serve systemic leadership?
Discernment — everything is information when seen in the systemic context. It is not good or bad. It just is the way it is.
Compassion — we are all doing the best we can in relation to the implicit reality that we are holding in our hearts and minds. We are human beings, not human doings.
Natural authority — nothing exists for itself, neither do we. It is not about me or the group. Whatever role I fulfill in the organization, that role is meant to serve the whole and the reason the organization exists.