John Worne on Eclectic Leadership: Humility, the High Wire, Hearing & Being Heard

Eclectic Leadership starts from a simple but demanding premise: that good

leadership does not come from a single tradition, culture or authority figure.

Instead, it emerges from a willingness to take in stimulus from many sources:

different cultures, disciplines, all organisational levels and varied personal

experiences. The challenge is to try, often imperfectly, to integrate them into a

shared way forward.

This is not a tidy process. It is often messy, often uncomfortable and rarely

without some internal or interpersonal conflict. But it reflects the reality of

modern organisations and modern lives.

At its best, Eclectic Leadership is not about controlling complexity, but about

living with it thoughtfully and humanely.

Three ideas sit at the heart of this approach for me: humility, the experience of

leadership as a highwire act, and the fundamental human need to be heard.

Humility

Modern leadership begins with humility. It means recognising that no-one ever

has all the answers. The pace of change, the diversity of contexts, and the range

of experiences and expertise within any organisation make that impossible.

Leaders who pretend otherwise may project certainty, but they rarely inspire

‘followership’ or trust.

Humility shows itself in curiosity: a genuine interest in how others see the

world, how they experience things, and what they believe could be improved. It

also shows itself in (as my son once said) ‘not making it all about you’.

Leadership in organisations is important, but leaders are only a small part of

what’s going on in most organisations. A sense of proportion - and sometimes a

sense of humour - helps with staying grounded and keeps egos at bay.

Above all, humility demands respect for others. Respect for people at all levels

of an organisation, and for the effort and experiences they bring - whether or not

it fits neatly into formal hierarchies or structures. In Eclectic Leadership,

authority is earned through this respect for others; indeed, it is fundamentally

enabled by it.

The High Wire

Leadership often feels like a highwire act. You are visible, exposed, and often

acutely aware that any misstep or misunderstanding could have consequences.

At times, it can feel as though everything could go wrong in a single moment.

This sense of vulnerability is real, because mistakes do have consequences. And

vulnerability is unavoidable, because however much you enable or achieve, you

always have to turn up and do it all again tomorrow.

But my personal experience suggests something reassuring too: most of the

time, everything doesn’t go wrong; and even when it does it’s usually

retrievable. You just take one step, then the next step, and then the next; fix one

problem and then another, and another. You also learn to trust your judgement

and see recurring patterns and learn how to forgive yourself - and just as

importantly, forgive the people around you when things do go wrong. Which

they always will.

And when you do have a highly visible fall - because everyone eventually does

- the answer is not to abandon the wire. You just have to accept and process the

pain, wrestle any demons of hurt and humiliation and get back on the job again.

Perhaps a little wiser, perhaps a little chastened and a little more self-aware, but

accepting the world as it is and moving forward. Eclectic Leadership accepts

failures as part and parcel of the human condition, not as the defining verdict.

Hearing, and Being Heard

The final element, for me, is hearing and being heard. Everybody wants to be

heard. This is a basic human reality. People carry different belief systems

shaped by culture, background, professional experience and different sectoral

norms. But everyone wants their beliefs, ideas and opinions to be heard.

If leaders do not make time to hear people, people will find other ways to make

themselves heard. Listening is therefore not a ‘soft skill’ or an optional extra; it

is an essential investment. To maintain any level of forward motion, however

that is defined means listening and accommodating other points of view;

because progress that doesn’t hear objections isn’t sustainable and soon

unravels.

There will be times when anyone in a position of leadership will, and must, hear

uncomfortable feedback; about what they should have done differently, or what

they got wrong. This isn’t always easy to hear, but Eclectic Leadership accepts

this as part of the role.

No leader ever does enough listening. It isn’t possible and there is never enough

time. But the intention to ‘hear’ others, consistently and visibly, is what builds

trust and a greater shared context. No human being ever really changes their

mind by being argued with or being proven wrong. The only thing which ever

changes minds is listening and sharing each other’s context.

In a complex world, Eclectic Leadership does not promise certainty. Nor can it assure success. What it offers instead is a toolkit for greater mutual respect, resilience and recognition of others.

This may not make leadership easier, but it makes it more open, inclusive and ultimately more sustainable for everyone. After all, as the proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go with others.”

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John Worne is the Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) UK. He is a friend, well-wisher & guide of the Eclectic Leadership Movement in his personal capacity. John authored this post for the recently concluded Co-design Eclectic Leadership Online Get Together, you can read the summary from the event here.