In the Quiet Leadership work, which looks at leadership in the smallest of actions, i introduced the idea of the ‘Organisation as Ecosystem’. It’s a way of looking at our interconnection, as well as our interdependency. Really it’s a way of considering scale, from ‘self’ into ‘system’, and how we can possibly hope to effect change in the largest of things, when we ourselves, individually, can do so little.
Specifically it talks about the local - our tribal and social structures, the part of the landscape that we care for, and it does so with a humility to recognise that all of us both enhance and degrade that system. Nobody floats above it: we all breathe in and breathe out.
I’ve enjoyed building out this aspect of Social Leadership over the last couple of years: it expands on that core work, which considers how we lead at the intersection of systems, but also on the ‘Landscape of Communities’ research, which considers the complex nature of our systems of belief and belonging (and how we can facilitate and enable them). I feel increasingly confident that there is a depth to this work now, through a few of the books, and programmes, which is why i have felt ready to tackle the new book on ‘Togetherness - Otherness’.
When i released ‘The Humble Leader’ late last year, i described the work as fragile, in that it’s purely a guided reflection. But it has been well received, and i think people have managed to make it their own. The book uses a lot of space for that purpose.
So, Togetherness - Otherness will follow on as a second ‘guided reflection’, but with a few changes.
For this new work i will bring in a range of voices: soon i will start to ask people to contribute a line or two about their own personal experiences of being together, and of being made ‘the other’.
I’m still playing with the structure, but the book itself will split in half, with the front exploring ‘togetherness’ and the back the idea of the ‘other’. They will meet somewhere in the middle.
I have not yet decided on the imagery for this work: it will either follow the Humble Leader in having line drawn ink illustration, or it may use digital imagery of ice and rock. I’m playing with both. Broadly speaking i hope to have this book published in Q4 this year, but that will depend upon a few factors!
Generative AI and the Evolution of Learning
One of those factors is Generative AI: i have made good progress this week with a short Emergency Guidebook on this topic. I aim to have the writing finished in three weeks, and will work on illustrations and publication immediately after that. Over the next few weeks i will share more around the structure of this book.
So it’s a busy time for writing, alongside a flurry of events, all of which can squeeze out the quality time to think.
Breathing
Our Organisations are entities of busyness - we are rarely rewarded for finishing early and having time on our hands.
It’s worth finishing the week by considering balance: what have you achieved this week, and what can you leave behind.
If you are interested in this exploration of balance and pace in your leadership, remember that Social Leadership Daily will give you sixty seconds a day to pause, breathe, reflect, and act, within your evolving practice.
Best wishes
Julian
Self & System… & Being Busy