Introduction

• Definition of leadership
• Leadership
  • Leadership and effectiveness
  • Leadership qualities
  • Leadership functions

Characteristics

• Introduction
  • Identifying the leader
  • Trust
  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Foresight
  • Mutual attraction
  • Relationships
  • Support
  • Empowerment
  • Credibility
  • Winner mentality
  • Leadership expansion
• Influence
  • Introduction
  • Position
  • Leadership styles for learning
  • Who?
  • How?
  • Personal traits
  • Selling
• Confidence
  • Introduction
  • Development part 1
  • Development part 2
• Personality traits
  • Personality - general
  • Personality - action
  • Myers Briggs Type Indicator
  • Myers Briggs Type Indicator uses
  • FIRO B
  • OPQ
  • Pathology
  • Style spider
  • Style spider - choices
  • Leadership styles - adverse behaviour
• Motivation
  • Introduction
  • Douglas McGregor X and Y theory
  • Abraham Maslow
  • Frederick Herzberg
  • Key problems
  • People part 1
  • People part 2
• Be positive
  • Issues and action
  • Be clever
  • When in trouble
  • Project management
  • Change management
  • Communication
  • Self discipline
  • Change
  • Attitude

Strategy

• Long term
  • Long term investment
  • Direction and vision
  • Communication
• Strategy
  • Introduction
  • Selecting
  • Recording
  • Developing
  • The schedule plan
  • Overview
  • Part of leadership
• The vision
  • Introduction
  • Preparing
  • Personalities
  • General
  • Practicality
  • Stakeholders
• Change
  • Progress
  • Problems of change
  • Freeze to freedom

Personal development

• Introduction
  • Proactivity
  • Proactive behaviour
  • Personal direction
  • Personal direction - generating ideas
  • Skill development
  • Delegation
  • Values
• Time management
  • Prioritise
  • Prioritise - basics
  • Timing
• Problem solving
  • SWOT analysis
  • Forces
  • The problem
  • Insight
  • Insight development
  • Problem solving basics part 1
  • Problem solving basics part 2
• The three C's
  • Introduction
  • Action focus part 1
  • Action focus part 2
• The emerging leader
  • Emerging leaders
  • The boss
• Training
  • Introduction
  • Selection
  • Opportunity
  • Follow the leader
  • Follow the leader - adverse behaviour
  • Chess the middle game
  • Standards

General

• Communication
  • Open questions
  • Meetings
  • Agenda
• At the top
  • Letting go
  • Continuity
  • Top of the ladder
  • Loneliness at the top part 1
  • Loneliness at the top part 2
  • The Top team
• Structure
• Life transitions
• Balance
• Open questions
• Business
  • CEO
  • Chairman
  • Mergers and acquisitions
• Leaders and managers

The three Cs

Confusion, complexity and chaos

Any leader or manager will live with these three items.
Typical dictionary definitions are.

Confusion

Disorder, jumble; bewilderment, perplexity.

Complexity

Made up of various interconnected parts; something intricate.

Chaos

Complete disorder, utter confusion.

Most managers are usually seeking perfection in directing projects. All strategies are correct, planning is immaculate and no issues arise.
It is impossible to run a perfect project. No leaders or managers are perfect.

Part of the problem is that people may spend energy trying to eliminate all areas of confusion, complexity and chaos.
It can’t be done.
In fact there are many occasions when a little confusion, complexity and chaos are a good thing.

Confusion, complexity and chaos may manifest itself in many ways.

• It may be hard to settle on a solution with the problem forever at the front of your thoughts.
• There may be more to problems than meets the eye. More than one option may be viable.
• Disorder and confusion in processes can only be reduced by organisation.

However, extremes of disorder or organisation may not favour particular personalities.
If you are a person who naturally loves order you may find it hard to accept a high level of chaos and vice versa.

These traits are seen in monochronic and polychronic personalities.
The monochronic person is typically a ‘left side of the brain’ thinker with a logical approach to problems and organisation in the workplace.
On the other hand, the polychronic is more responsive to shapes and colours and a freer thinking process that doesn’t constrain ideas.

If a certain level of confusion, complexity and chaos is not tolerated then it is easy to miss out on processes that generate creative ideas, increase potential and improve performance.

Key points

Know yourself

Knowing your own preferences is vital. If you are a logical thinker that likes a firm decision being made then you may well be intolerant of more creative persons who you may see as prevaricators and time wasters. It is important to recognise the potential for new and perhaps better solutions for confusion, complexity and chaos that may occur.

Team performance

A recognition of the need for confusion, complexity and chaos will improve the performance of a team.
A template for team building was developed in 1965 by Tuckman, known as Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing.
These phases of team progress have been described in other ways by Scott-Peck.

Basically, people try to avoid confusion, complexity and chaos in teams by avoiding conflict and trying to maintain harmony.
People try to deny the existence of other personalities by avoiding issues.
The ultimate aim is to recognise these differences and build a team that is a community working together for a common purpose.

Denial is wasteful

If you use up your personal energy trying to cope with confusion, complexity and chaos you will reduce your own efficiency and that of the team as the quality of discussion and decision making may well suffer.

We have seen previously, that a limited view on a problem can lead to solutions based on current experience. This often means the same old solutions.
Confusion, complexity and chaos can help you see things in a different light. If you have a handful of stones they remain a group of stones.
If you cast them on the floor, and create chaos, you might then observe many patterns.

Self assurance

Knowing yourself will increase your awareness of such issues as confusion, complexity and chaos. The more you recognise these issues and deal with them and see the improved results, the more self assured and confident you will become. Instead of trying to fight and eliminate confusion, complexity and chaos you can manage it better with improved results.

People rarely perform at 100% of their potential at work. By accepting and working with confusion, complexity and chaos you release energies that have been caught up worrying about these aspects. This in turn allows you to focus on external issues and increase performance.

Personal preference

Some people will enjoy the challenge of chaos, confusion and complexity, others will find it extremely daunting.
Others will immediately recognise the value of chaos whilst others will always lose out by more rigid thinking.
Living with chaos when you are not relaxed about it, and can not see some of the benefits, can be a source of stress.