I really appreciated the class discussion last night about the Preface to the Second Edition (p. xvii) in which Peter Block talks about the authentic consultant. He describes authenticity in consulting not as the oxymoron that some of us who have been jaded by interactions with the "Expert" consultant recognize, but as a competitive advantage if not also a high risk strategy. There was also discussion about Block's assertion that many of us do not even know how to be authentic anymore, and whether that is true for us as a professional culture.
This reminded me about one of the many favorite topics that I've studied so far in graduate school. For MGMT 641: Organizational Management, I researched Authentic Leadership and spent some time in Bill George's book True North which I highly recommend as a lighter, practitioner-oriented reading related to this topic of authenticity. Looking back over my notes from the presentation made in class that semester, I found our definition of authentic leadership. "An Authentic Leader is a person that lives a life of integrity, and who is hopeful, optimistic, resilient, transparent, moral and ethical. An Authentic Leader is future-oriented and makes the development of others a priority. She is honest in relationship with others and most importantly, honest and true to self." I think that these last two points dovetail nicely with Schein's expression of what successful process consultation looks like.
First, about making the development of others a priority, Schein's "PC Model" practices double-loop, or generative, learning, to ensure that the client learns to learn. From page 19 of Process Consultation Revisited, "The expert and doctor models fix the problem; the goal of PC is to increase the client system's capacity for learning so that it can in the future fix its own problems."
I see that the second point of our definition, about honesty in relationship and with self, reflects Schein's Principle #3: Access Your Ignorance. A consultant who feigns omniscience does a huge disservice to themselves and the client. Every one in every consulting relationship always knows that it is not possible to know every thing, right? But, unless that fact is admitted to evidence and acknowledged by both parties, a consultant cannot practice authenticity and cannot inspire the clients to place trust in them.
The footnote on page 19 about Heifetz's adaptive leadership theory, encouraged me to continue thinking about using the process consultation model as a model for leadership. Adapting Schein's first five principles with help from Block, I'd suggest the following as an additional map for authentic leaders:
#1 Leadership requires flexibility in relationships from one minute to the next but it must also always be about helping and loving.
#2 Leadership is about being present with your team, understanding their realities and looking for data in each interaction.
#3 Leaders must seek to understand "more" than what is presented or asked. They must be wise enough to ask for more information.
#4 Leaders should not be the only ones providing answers and innovations. They must motivate and influence their team to participate in the review and the change and the growth.
#5 For leaders to be most effective, they must hold the team accountable for their issues, processes and systems.
Besides adapting it as a tool for leadership behavior, I think this process consultation model provides great guidance for me in future employee relations work. I can work all day long, every day to solve technical issues but the only enduring assistance I can provide is to help the employee to fix the problem for herself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi Rachel: I am interested in reading True North now that you have brought my attention to it. A brief search for it on Amazon and a look on Bill George's website has convinced me that I would find it joyful and helpful reading.
ReplyDeleteI find, as I think you do, the notion of authenticity as a leader to be a comforting one. I appreciate the additional 5 tenets you have proposed for development of authentic leadership. Nos. 1 and 2 speak to me loudly and are closely connected. In order to be flexible in relationships, and to always be loving and helpful, one must be present with oneself and with others; present in the moment and seeking reality with eyes wide open. I think that what you've added to the road map provides some deepening of what Schein presents to us.
I find it interesting with Block's book that he advocates a search for authenticity while also promoting the notion that there is a "right" way to consult--a methodology that represents a finely honed craft. He presents to us a practical, step by step guide for flawless consulting but our search to be authentic means that we may deviate from his guide, may enhance what he offers, may question or challenge his model. The search to be authentic means taking chances to make mistakes and learn from them, learn about ourselves in the process, and perhaps learn something different about consulting than Block has learned. Authentic means NOT being flawless but rather, being flawed. Don't you think that would be an interesting discussion to have?
Rachel, I read your blog earlier this week and wanted to reflect upon it for a few days before responding. I know you’ve probably put several things on hold just waiting to read my thoughts, so I apologize for the delay.
ReplyDeleteYour five leadership points have given me thoughts for refining the leadership competencies I wrote for the organization at which I work. They also provide a basis for conversations about observable behaviors that leaders are expected to consistently display. Here is a rough sketch of my ideas thus far:
• Flexibility – able to distill short-term and long-term observations of the environment/situation and respond with appropriate and accurate insight
• Giving through being present – practices empathy; able to interpret the words and actions of others in order to provide assistance and/or emotional support/guidance
• Wisdom – avoids drawing immediate conclusions or acting up generalizations; remains silent while reflecting in order to consider the impact of spoken words
• Allows others to display their knowledge – asks more often than tells; allows others to show their knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to be validated
• Accountability – holds self accountable as a role model; holds other accountable with patience and respect and not in a legalistic or self-righteous way
Wow – I’m glad I don’t have to impose these upon my daily behaviors and actions!
Hey Rachel! I wasn't sure how to respond specifically to your question about Carl Rogers on my own post so thought I would do it here. His last published book "A Way of Being" (1980) is quite good. I've also read some of his book "Freedom to Learn: A View of What Education Might Become". Dr. Carter assigned a chapter from it for our ADLT 601 course last Fall--"The Interpersonal Relationship in the Facilitation of Learning". That's what really got me wanting to learn more about his teaching philosophy. I would highly recommend checking him out if you're interested in the humanistic approach to adult education.
ReplyDelete