Imagine you’re a lead engineer with a medium-sized IT company. Highly professional and committed, you always go the extra mile for your clients to provide them with the best possible solution. However, in your current project you’re explicitly required to respect the client’s budget which doesn’t allow for A-one software. How do you escape this dilemma?
Here’s a promising approach.
Gone are the days of linear problem-solving. Today’s challenges demand a more nuanced approach from companies – one that acknowledges the interconnectedness of seemingly contradictory forces.
In this blog post, we will explore the concept of both/and leadership, why it is essential for navigating the complexities of our modern world and how Adnovum embarked on a journey to support their leaders in this mindset change.
Both/and mindset
At its core, both/and leadership is about overcoming binary thinking and embracing complexity. It involves holding multiple perspectives simultaneously and integrating seemingly conflicting ideas. Instead of viewing the world in terms of either/or, both/and leaders see possibilities in both. For example: How do I balance productivity and exploration?
Why this mindset is essential
The mindset allows both/and leaders to foster cultures of innovation, collaboration, and resilience within their teams by embracing creative dissent.
Adnovum’s journey
Highly familiar with ambiguities, Adnovum discussed recurring challenges their leaders face at a Leadership Team retreat. This discussion was the starting point for creating a document which should help all our leaders embrace paradoxes.
The People & Organizational Development team then refined these challenges, grouped them into so-called polarity pairs, reviewed leadership literature and produced a first draft of our «Leadership Compass». This draft was sounded with various groups, such as Career Coaches from Zurich to Ho Chi Minh City, approved, and thus released. Going forward it will help our people take better decisions in complex situations.
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«We provide answers to how Adnovum leaders can develop high-performance teams, strengthen their own social skills and those of their team members, as well as create and maintain stability in a volatile environment.» Marco Petoia |
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The Leadership Compass is not the only support we give our leaders. In 2024, we also introduce a brand new Leadership Development program in collaboration with Lumturo, a Zurich-based provider of transformation and coaching services.
Their program «enables leaders to transfer their newly acquired skills and knowledge into performance. By providing in-depth knowledge, digital coaching tools, and solutions ready to be implemented, it results in both sustainable people development and speed», Managing Partner Marco Petoia explains. The multi-module offering is thus designed to equip individuals with the essential skills, insights, and strategies needed to excel in today's rapidly evolving business landscape.
How does this translate into real life?
Stay tuned for follow-up stories straight from the mouths of leaders but also voices from their direct reports to learn more about the concrete impact of the Leadership Compass and the Leadership Development program.
And while you're at it, take a moment to reflect: Do you embrace the paradox mindset needed for success?
Lumturo: development through foresight. Lumturo shapes the interaction between people, businesses, and technology with a forward-thinking approach.
They inspire and empower corporate, organizational and private clients to sustainably shape and implement their development path. Lumturo specializes in supporting (digital) transformation and employee development. This encompasses strategy development, organizational design, technology evaluation and cultural development. The Lumturo Academy digitalizes personnel development and training, further enhancing the company’s commitment to progress and innovation.