Think Like a Leader
Dr Who is back. Broadcast since 1963, the time-travelling doctor zooms around space and time, regenerating from time to time in a very different form on each occasion. But perhaps we should think of the best leaders being time-travellers – having the ability to learn from the past, work with people and systems in the ‘here and now’, and always be thinking ahead into the future.
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Feel Like a Leader
There are of course many days where getting through the ‘here and now’ feels like an achievement in itself. And understanding what is happening on these days is critical, because it will inform your actions to come. It is easy to be so feelings-driven that you miss the lessons you are learning.
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Act Like a Leader
Do your colleagues and customers see in you a leader who understands how your organisation got to where it is, how it is operating just now, and where it is going? This is the essence of leadership. You won’t have a Tardis, but you will be working hard to be someone who knows that understanding time will make them a better leader.
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The weekly ‘Go Radio Business Show with Hunter and Haughey’ is one of my favourite listens. Scottish focused, they address the issues facing the business leaders of today. But their show time travels! They look back at historic Scottish business leaders, address contemporary issues and look ahead to new ways of doing business.
This episode looks at an iconic Scottish business – The Malcolm Group.
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'The world changes daily . . . turning on its axis people are born and people die, and life goes on. Occasionally a person who accomplishes greatness is born. Whether it’s nature or nurture, this person has a different flair and the ability to reach out and influence others through their sheer presence and charisma.
Whether this talent is used for good is often debated, but they possess the qualities to become great leaders.
Who are the world’s greatest leaders?'
iThinkers HQ have settled on those below for their top four but don’t want pinned down on an order! Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi.
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A funny short video where the time travelling leader meets the pandemic. You might laugh...!
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A hundred years ago many cities across Scotland had trams. Then it seemed a good idea to get rid of them. And then a bit later, it seemed a good idea to bring them back! In some ways trams seem timeless – at least in the modern industrial age. Here the Edinburgh tram is at Ingliston, linking the airport to the city centre.
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Felt Time. The Psychology of How We Perceive Time by Marc Wittmann, published by MIT Press in 2016.
How much do you think about time? It can be a philosophical rabbit hole, but taking a pragmatic view of it can help make you a better leader.
Psychological researcher Marc Wittmann surveys scientific findings on the subjective experience of time. He focuses on such questions as: How long is a present moment? Why does time appear to move faster and slower in different situations? Wittmann suggests that a future bias offers material benefits, but savouring the present makes life meaningful.
He also says that individuals orient primarily either toward the future or the present. Which way do you orientate?
And one of the benefits of thinking about time? “The greater the store of lived experience – that is, the more emotional colouration and variety one’s life has – the longer one’s lifetime seems, subjectively.”
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...without a little reflection, there is no Insight Added.
"You've got to always go back in time if you want to move forward."
Snoop Dogg
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Lead well
Graham and Lesley
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