In our latest interview, we spoke to Jim Lawless. He was recently listed in The Official Best 20 Motivational Keynote Speakers in London, accredited for his high-energy speaking engagements and captivating personal stories. Jim sat down with us to provide advice for managers who want to become better leaders and offer his predictions for the future of work.
What advice can you give to managers and board executives on team leadership?
“I would say, on broad terms, if we’re trying to increase the resilience of a team and organisation, we’re trying to increase the speed, the ambition, the ability to take on new ideas. We want to innovate, to deploy artificial intelligence, whatever it may be, in a time when handing over ownership is becoming more and more important.
“So, my advice then for team leadership is to build psychological safety first and foremost because we need people who are truly present and willing to offer their ideas and challenge you, the leader, sitting around the table. So, inclusivity, psychological safety and clarity are always what we’re trying to do.
“What we also found very effective is inviting the team to build their own standards of excellence. When we interview teams before we start working with them, generally at C-suite level, even there, they don’t have standards of excellence in place. So, agreed behaviours that we’ve all signed up to, not because they’re nice, but because we believe that’s what’s needed to deliver the goal and inspire the organisation to deliver that objective.
“The last thing I’d add is to be very aware of your emotional regulation. That comes back to psychological safety, it comes back to inclusivity, it comes back to giving ownership. We’re moving away from the age where the loud, boisterous leader has any kudos in the organisation. So, unless you want to create tension that will have people pulling back and trying to second-guess you rather than come fully present, I would be very aware of your emotions and your emotional regulation.”
How does an organisation change its culture?
“How long have you got, and what’s the change? So, you can change it for the worst really quickly. Do some screaming, some shouting, those exec teams, old-fashioned C-suite teams where people sit outside waiting for their slots, and as each person comes out, they say, ‘you know what’s it like in there, how are they,’ you know?
“If your people are doing that outside a meeting, they’re not inspired by you, they’re not engaged by you, they’re scared of you. That’s not what we want. So, how do we begin to change that culture? It happens right from the top. I think the cultural change comes from role modelling. I mean asking questions more than giving answers, being curious, willing to take a chance on somebody’s idea.
“We’re beginning to push a cultural change if that’s what you’re looking for, a culture of ownership, of accountability, of innovation, of resilience. We’re giving, therefore, ownership over. That means we’re asking more questions than we’re giving answers. We’re building confidence, we’re creating clarity, and we’re giving a very distinct ownership for people to go and deliver.
“There’s a symmetry to that, of course, which is the people then need to be able to rise up and take that. That’s the journey of cultural change to me: the leaders move a little, the people move a little, the leaders move more, the people move more.”
In your opinion, what does the future of work look like?
“I think for the first time in human history, we’re inviting people, we need people to bring their whole selves to work. We need a level of enthusiasm, ownership, connection to their outputs. Giving people the opportunity to do their best work, helping them be clear on what that is, and then moving out of the way, is the future of work.
“I think there are some other very interesting things happening with different voices getting louder in the workplace, which as a futurist is incredibly exciting to see as we grow diversity and build genuine inclusivity. I think we are moving towards an age of much greater humility. The arrogant chief executive, country leader, GM team leader, can’t hold tremendous credibility at the moment.
“We must take input from different people. You know, I have two fabulous daughters, one’s 26 now, one’s nine – long story. My nine-year-old, even more than with my 26-year-old, I can see just how transformative their world is going to be.
“With my nine-year-old, I’m working on helping her develop a growth mindset, helping her love learning, helping her learn that she can achieve tremendous things if she puts in the grind. She can learn extraordinary things; and she is doing, even at her young age. I see that as a vital skill for the future of work.”
This exclusive interview with Jim Lawless was conducted by Jack Hayes.
