Introduction

Welcome to Connected Leadership. I hope you enjoy the read. This book has been several years in the writing, and yet it is intended to reflect the connected world in which we live and lead. We are immersed in a world where technology, the internet and social media are making news and customer feedback instantaneous, and where globalised markets and online retail are making location irrelevant to many. In this more connected world we need a new form of leadership that is in tune with these changes and able to create an agile organisation that can flex with the complexities and uncertainties around us. In this book I will describe what this form of leadership looks like and the type of organisation it creates.

It has been in the making for several years because during my doctoral research I was able to combine original research into changes in how large organisations operate with reflection on all the major theories of leadership that have been written about over the last 30 years or so. The resulting synthesis brings together in one framework insight from some of the world’s most eminent researchers and leaders so that you can use it in practice.

The word connected represents the type of leadership and the type of organisation that will flourish in this digital age. It means ‘conjoined, linked, related’, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.¹ It also suggests being open, receptive, giving, in tune with others and having potential for sharing and communication. As a leader I believe you make a choice every day about whether to be connected or disconnected, open or closed,² enabling or controlling. You will enjoy this book if your instinct is to connect. The world around is certainly connecting at a rate which is sometimes disarming, and yet at the same time we see the rise of IS in Syria and Iraq and religious and racial intolerance increasing, suggesting a widening dichotomy between open and closed societal developments.

How to use this book

Throughout the book you will find case studies of real companies, activities and reflective questions you can use, and questionnaires and checklists that give you more insight into your own particular circumstances. Please read the book and use the content as a practical experience, as a work book through which you can review your style of leadership and reflect on how you can use the content in the most practical way to benefit your business. I recommend that you read the book with your tablet or smartphone next to you so you can make notes for future reference as you think about the questions raised and the best way to use the content in your leadership role. In my experience most companies have some or all of the factors described in the book in some measure. It is often a case of deciding which factors are worthy of most attention in order to accelerate progress towards being truly connected.

Through the pages of this book I will describe what the connected company looks like, what connected leadership looks like, and how you can develop your own style into a more connected leadership approach. You may have come across some of the tips and techniques before, so please treat them as a reminder where this is the case. And please bear in mind that none of us is perfect, and I for one am not a perfectly connected leader by any means. The ideas and advice in this book are drawn from my research (and the research of many others more esteemed than I) plus experience of working with some of the world’s best companies over many years.

I use certain terms with the following meaning. The word ‘colleague’ refers to people in your company, not just your peers. I use the words ‘company’, ‘business’ and ‘organisation’ interchangeably, recognising that not all readers will come from a business context, but hoping that you will recognise that the content of this book is as relevant to public sector organisations and third sector organisations as it is to commercial businesses. I refer to ‘leaders’ as those who influence others, sometimes in a position of authority, but not exclusively. Leadership can be seen at all levels in your business, from the shop assistant who questions poor service and causes their colleagues to raise their standards to the chairman or chief executive who leads the board. I use the term ‘manager’ to refer to line managers in the business who are managing teams and outcomes, most of whom are not very senior, and many of whom are close to the front line in shops, contact centres, offices and production lines.

I address you as the reader often with the assumption that you are a leader in a senior position in your organisation. If you are, that’s great. If you are not at such a senior level, please adapt the content to your own context as it applies just as well to a team or a business unit.

In Chapters 1 to 3 I lay out what connected leadership means and, set it in the context of the rapidly changing world in which we operate and discuss why connectedness is the best way to navigate this volatile environment. At the end of Chapter 3 is a questionnaire you can use to diagnose where your organisation is currently on each of the five factors of connected leadership. You may also find it helpful to share the questionnaire with your colleagues in order to start a wider discussion about the themes in the book.

In Chapters 4 to 9 I explore each factor of connected leadership in turn, with hints and tips on how to put each into practice for yourself and in your business. In each chapter I look at the factor in terms of how it relates to leadership and how it relates to the organisation, so that it benefits both you at a personal level and your business as a whole. Case studies help to make it come alive as you see how other organisations have developed ways to accelerate their performance on each factor.

In Chapter 10 I discuss how to take the rest of your organisation with you on the connected journey, how to develop a plan and make changes happen in a joined-up way. In the last chapter I bring it all together and reflect on the wider political significance of connected leadership.

I hope that as you read this book you will gain fresh insights about connected leadership and be reminded of what makes you want to be a great leader, so that you can develop ways to enhance your effectiveness and that of your business. If you have any feedback or insights, please share them with me so I can build them into the next book. Thank you for reading and sharing this journey with me. I hope you enjoy.

Notes

1 Oxford English Dictionary, 7th edition (2012) Oxford: Oxford University Press.

2 Popper, K. R. (1945) The Open Society and its Enemies, Volumes 1 and 2, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.