Many leaders of professional organizations tell me something is missing. They have given everything to keep their organization going over the past few years, and are not sure they have much more left to give. When they look to colleagues for support, it is clear these feelings are widely shared.
Other things are missing too. The cultural glue that used to bind the organization together has been weakened by remote and hybrid working. Senior professionals are focused on clients and their teams, with no time to think about the culture or step up to their broader responsibilities as leaders.
This loosely coupled culture and depleted leadership are contributing to the current sense of dis-ease within many professional organizations. In my keynote speeches and advisory consultations with senior professionals, I draw on my research to understand what is missing in their organizations. Using these insights, I help them reinvigorate their culture and take responsibility for leading collectively.
Rebuilding collective culture
Culture represents an expression of how the needs of individuals are reconciled with the needs of the collective. Senior professionals must help create and sustain a collective culture so that their whole organization thrives and finds meaning in the new world of professional work.
The pandemic has prompted many professionals to re-evaluate their relationship with their organizations. After several years of remote and hybrid working, what are the beliefs and behaviours that still bind your community together?
Read moreRevitalising collegiality
While professionals are quick to invoke the concept of collegiality, they may struggle to define it. As my research shows, collegiality is about a lot more than mutual support. It is about equality among peers and cultural cohesion. When all three elements are strong, senior professionals are committed to each other, making it easier to collaborate and lead collectively.
So collegiality is intensely practical and powerful. But it is also fragile. Professionals need to do more than invoke collegiality — they need actively to recommit to it. It is not simply about what unites you and what divides you. The most important question is: what are you prepared to do about it?
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Recognising the leadership ecosystem
Professionals are often reluctant to present themselves as leaders. They do not understand the leadership ecosystem within their organization and the role they play within it.
As my research shows, professionals’ leadership identities are subtle and fluid. Some direct energy inwards and some direct energy outwards. But all are integral to the effective functioning of the collective leadership ecosystem. What is your core leadership identity?
Read moreOther specialist subjects
Laura offers advisory consultations and keynote speeches which draw upon her 30 years of academic research to help professional organizations navigate their most pressing challenges. Here is a selection of the subjects she covers.
Power of partnership
Realizing the individual and collective potential within professional service firms.
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