LEARNING LINKS
New Leadership for a New World
by Janice Molloy

What a year it has been—from the Enron debacle and other corporate accounting scandals, to September 11 and the bravery shown by many in the face of the unthinkable, to the nail-biting rescue of the Quecreek miners this summer. Each of these critical moments casts light on the need for ethical, visionary, collaborative leadership in our organizations and in our world. The kind of leadership that happens when people come together to serve the common good. The kind of leadership missing when top executives focus more on the bottom line than on the line worker. The kind of leadership that brings out the best in every one of us, whatever our position, whatever our role.

In light of today's complex challenges, each of us has a vital contribution to make to the overall effort. Take the engineer in Pennsylvania who thought to pump warm compressed air into the mine where nine men were trapped, which prevented water from rising further and drowning them. Or the FBI employee who questioned her superiors' actions both before and after the World Trade Center bombings—and sparked much-needed reforms in the U.S. intelligence community. Every perspective or bit of information bears the thread of a new approach, an innovative solution, a piece of the overall puzzle. When one voice is lost, because it's squelched or neglected, we miss an opportunity to improve our outcomes.

What is the role of top leadership in this new paradigm? To passionately articulate a vision and collaborate with others to achieve it. For instance, Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker's never-ending optimism set the tone for the families, rescue workers, and media during the 77 hours that the Quecreek miners were trapped 240 feet underground. He consistently insisted that all nine would be saved. The governor inspired people to believe that a miracle was possible—and then got out of the way while the rescue team made it happen.

We all have a role to play in solving daunting problems and capitalizing on emerging opportunities. To be effective, though, we need to finds ways to overcome the barriers that divide us and to knit all of our skills and contributions together. Doing so may represent the biggest—and most rewarding—leadership challenge of all. Fortunately, we can tackle this challenge together.

Janice Molloy is content director at Pegasus
Communications, Inc.

FACE TO FACE
The Art of Breaking Through Complexity: An Interview with Mitch Litrofsky of the Breakthrough Group
by Kali Saposnick

One of the biggest challenges leaders face today is how to guide their employees through complex change. Despite being aware of the pressing need to remain innovative and competitive, most of us, no matter what our position in the organization, feel threatened when asked to shift the status quo and behave differently. According to Mitch Litrofsky, founder of the Breakthrough Group, a Chicago- based consulting group, one way to help people learn new ways to operate is through the arts. "We use the arts to support organizational learning," says Mitch. "Through theater and other storytelling formats, we hold up a mirror for participants to see the obstacles and barriers to effective communication, collaboration, and change."

Interactive Performance—A Catalyst for Conversation
According to Litrofsky, for people to work well together, they need to be able to talk authentically with each other about issues that matter. Interactive performance can serve as a catalyst for beginning such conversations; stories and role-playing provide a shared frame of reference that allows people to find commonalities. This approach can also help people build consensus. Mitch says, "If people can see their colleagues in more authentic ways, they can overcome their superficial impressions and build stronger relationships with each other."

For example, for one organization, actors from the Breakthrough Group simulated a conflict between management and labor union leaders who had reached a stalemate in contract negotiations. In a theater piece, representatives from the two sides were portrayed as deeply entrenched in their own set of interests and needs. Through a facilitated conversation after the performance, members of the organization were able to better understand each other's point of view, discover common goals, and reach positive outcomes, including mutual agreement on how to resolve the contract negotiations. At the end of the event, a labor leader revealed, "Before I came in here, I was all set to file grievances against management. Based on what I heard in this conversation, I'm dropping the claims."

Continue reading this article.

Mitch Litrofsky will be facilitating a "Breakthrough Cafe" during the Breakthrough Group's dramatic presentation at this year's conference. To learn more, go to the conference page.

NEW CONFERENCE FEATURE
Three Learning Paths: Leadership, Systems Thinking, and Organizational Learning

Learning paths are integrated, cohesive sequences of three sessions each that focus on building specific competencies. They are designed to (a) deliver value in each individual session and (b) create a synergistic deepening in your understanding and skill development if you participate in the entire path.

Focus on Leadership: Through Complexity to Results
facilitated by Glenna Gerard and Mitch Saunders

Whether crafting business strategies or leading people to create intended results, we face realities that are changing continually, quickly, and often unpredictably. Discover, embody, and implement unconventional leadership choices to help you respond to the profound dilemmas facing today's organizations. Experiment with new approaches for leading with impact, effectiveness, and grace.

Systems Thinking in Action
facilitated by Kristina Wile, Michael Goodman, David Peter Stroh, and Andrew Jones

Learn why systems thinking—seeing the underlying structures that drive our behavior—is a key management skill for the 21st century. Explore the vocabulary and tools of systems thinking and understand the leverage in computer modeling for exploring potential future scenarios and experimenting with how to intervene in the system.

Today's Organizational Learning: For Individuals, Teams, and Organizations
facilitated by Marilyn Paul, Joel Yanowitz, and Steve Ober

Explore the tools of organizational learning through three lenses: the individual, the team, and the organization. Discover how this powerful, integrated set of capabilities can enhance your own and your organization's overall effectiveness. Gain experience in institutionalizing a culture of learning by developing well-designed structures and processes.

To read more about the learning paths and the facilitators, go to our conference page.

FROM THE FIELD
What have your colleagues said about their Systems Thinking in Action Conference experience?

"This conference is one of the finest opportunities for renewal I experience each year. I've been able to carry back to our senior leadership team new insights into how our healthcare systems really work. As we've challenged old assumptions and tried to think systematically, definite shifts in our organization's thinking are occurring."
—Ron Potts, M.D., Kaiser Permanente of the Northwest

"Each year the conference enriches our repertoire of skills and directly impacts our work when we return. Thanks to you we used the World Café format for our professional development activities last fall; 500 people sat together to talk about and develop plans to enact our vision of a 'child-centered' district."
—Cheryl Compton, Ed.D., St. Charles, Missouri, School District

"The conference has been most effective when we go as a team; during meals and break times we talk about key concepts, identify how they might apply to our work, and create plans for implementing specific ideas. It has also opened up opportunities to partner with consultants who bring multicultural perspectives from around the globe."
—Kathleen Zurcher, W.K. Kellogg Foundation