2023 Look Ahead

In the past few years, there have been dramatic shifts in all areas of our lives. The only constant is change. Yet many of us working in and teaching leadership have craved just a moment or two of stability. In the midst of a global pandemic and its ongoing aftermath, our work in leadership education, training, and development remains challenging yet more important than ever. Last year’s PAUSE for Pedagogy theme focused on followership offering insights into navigating this near constant change from both the role of leading and of following.

Followership is not the antithesis of leading, and followers should not step back, trust the process, and forego challenging their leaders when needed. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that both roles must be robust and equally important to maintain the healthy functioning of the leadership system which, as Kellerman (2016) so eloquently explains includes leaders, followers, and context. Followers must embrace their role in order to influence and engage their leaders and to spark imaginative opportunities that may have not been seen before.

In our August 2022 PAUSE, “Changing Agendas: Rethinking Followership to Improve Leadership Meetings,” Linda Kligman, President of the International Institute for Restorative Practices, shared some of the hidden gems of disruption. Linda’s article focused on the shift to online meetings where she emphasized that not only have “online meetings allowed us to invite more people than our conference room could have ever held,” but allowed her to recognize the “key importance of the leadership-followership paradigm.” Online meetings turned top-down directives to people who weren’t previously present into communication that flowed from multiple directions.

Moreover, Linda underscored the importance of context, noting that while “there were still reports and information sharing… the main purpose of meeting together was to learn from others, increase the number and variety of perspectives, and embrace reciprocity.” Online meetings allowed for fuller participation that resulted in “more acceptance and support of the outcomes.” The forced shift to online meetings resulted in a more relational and reciprocal facilitation of ideas that might never have been realized within the confines and restrictions of board rooms and meeting room space limitations. The paradigm shift to a virtual world of connectedness created better processes that might not have been realized for many years without the impetus of the global pandemic. Leaning in and finding the balance, achieving a generative point, and reaching the optimal point of connectedness are cornerstones of the leader and follower relationship (Hurwitz & Hurwitz, 2015).

This year’s Pause for Pedagogy series also saw a renewed emphasis on perspectives outside of academia. With the immense support of our Pause for Pedagogy intern Lyndee Phillips, our author roster now includes colleagues from industry as well as students. Engaging with diverse perspectives mirrors our goal of doing similar work in our classrooms and in our own professional development. The inclusion of firsthand views of the learning process and insights into the impact of classroom education in professional life after graduation expands the scope of how we reflect on leadership education. Placing an emphasis on the application of learned materials can create a segway for leader learning and innovation.

In 2023, the Pause for Pedagogy series is looking to get back to basics, highlighting the new and future normal of pairing our foundational leadership pedagogy with flexibility and agility. What might this mean? The need for near constant innovation has produced insightful, important additions to our pedagogy, but do we now find ourselves working to innovate for the sake of something new rather than based on any careful consideration? Returning to our foundational understandings of leadership pedagogy and bringing with us new, critical interrogations of the what, why, and how of what we do, may help us reevaluate what matters and ask: Why did we always do it that way? What aspects of this knowledge or practice should remain foundational to our teaching? How are you leading by being more mindful of inclusivity and collaboration? By reflecting on, “Now What?”, we can put into practice the lessons we have learned and perhaps even find time and space to reflect on these lessons together.

How have you begun to go back to basics in your own leadership pedagogy? How have you embraced new perspectives and insights that have been generated by recent enormous and far-reaching disruptions? We invite you to submit a proposal for our 2023 series. Additional details and contact information are available in our 2023 Call for Proposals available here: https://intersections.ilamembers.org/member-benefit-access/interface/pause-for-pedagogy/2023-call-for-proposals-leadership-education

References

Hurwitz, M., & Hurwitz, S. (2015). Leadership is Half the Story: A Fresh Look at Followership, Leadership, and Collaboration (Rotman-utp Publishing) (Reprint). Rotman-UTP Publishing.

Kellerman, Barbara. (2016). Leadership-It's a System, Not a Person! Daedalus 145.3 (Summer): 83-94.