session #3: Don Tapscott talking about Macrowikinomics & leadership

Landscapes of leadership session #3: Don Tapscott talking about Macrowikinomics and his understanding about new leadership paradigm.

"Future is to be achieved not predicted"

Enjoy! Interview with Prof Edgar Schein - "Helping & Leadership"

Why do crucial and vital items of information only get to decision makers too late or not at all? How can you ensure "upward und lateral communication" in your own context? What is "helping", what are the three roles of helping? What is "humble inquiry" in a leadership role and what do you achieve with it?













Edgar H. Schein, Professor emeritus of the Sloan School of Management / MIT, is one of the co-founders of organizational psychology and organizational development. Following his ethnological and socio-psychological studies and PhD in organizational psychology at Harvard, Schein developed the practice of process consultation and coaching. He is the author of numerous publications on process facilitation, analysis and development of organizational culture as well as career anchors.  Together with Warren Bennis and Chris Argyris he was a trainer at the National Training Lab and led a leadership research program for the US Army. From 1956 until 2004  he was professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Spread your wings and fly

The young albatross always flap, wiggle and move their wings. They are exercising. Exercising for the one day when they are going near the end of the cliff. And then, then take a leap and spread the wings and fly.

One story i would like to share captures very well, i think, what i am referring to-- and at the same time is a parable for many other things we can do:


This week i was at this birthday party of a dear friend. A friend who means a lot to me, has inspired me and reminds me every day to " shine a light". Frances Hesselbein, long time CEO of the girl scouts for America.

I had volunteered to contribute to the evening with something personal- to sing German lieder, Schubert, Beethoven...you know. What I did not know at the time was that there would be rather 140 people than the 20 I had anticipated. What I also did not know was that General Shinseki was giving a birthday speech shortly before I did. And what I did not know was that there would be no piano or band who would accompany me as the set up of the room did not allow for this.

So here i was- the albatros at the cliff. 
And i felt that the only way to go, was the way to go ahead -- and spread my wings, trusting that they would carry me.
I sang- For frances and " for my life". beethoven and brahms.

In the first piece by Beethoven, I experienced some glitch. A very difficult musical cliff to manoeuvre. Reflecting what to do- as much as you can if you are singing- i decided to pull ahead. Maybe some people would notice, some others would not. And there was no music after all, so even that glitch seemed somehow ok.

The second song- was brahmas lullaby " guten abend gute Nacht". 
I felt that there was just the room and one option- to perform, in the literal sense. 
And all of the sudden there it was: the stream of air and aerodynamic. 






And I flew.

I flew and sang in a way, i dare say with all humbleness, that i have never heard me sing before, nor ever thought i was able to do. 

I barely remember anything else as i also felt my leg trembling, so nervous i was. But then suddenly i heard the People in the room softly humming along. A clear breeze and air stream. It made me smile.


And i flew and flew and flew.
It was an amazing feeling to see that i could do something i never thought I could.


So what is it that drives me to writ this?
I guess it is the strong feeling of encouragement and transformational experience I was so fortunate to experience. 

THAT is what it is all about: yes, exercise and practice. But then one day when it is time, and some may refer to it as the call, trust your abilities and spread your wings and fly.

Trust your abilities and discover what you are here to do......
And take a leap and spread your wings and fly!