The New Portrait Of Leadership: Misha Saidov Of The Institute of Metacognitive Programming (IMCP) On Which Legacy Ideas About Leadership Need To Be Discarded, And Which New Approaches To Leadership Should Be Embraced
An Interview with Karen Mangia
I don’t believe in traits. All research fails to predict the unlikeliest of leaders.
We are living in the Renaissance of Work. Just like great artists know that an empty canvas can become anything, great leaders know that an entire organization — and the people inside it — can become anything, too. Master Artists and Mastering the Art of Leadership draw from the same source: creation. In this series, we’ll meet masters who are creating the future of work and painting a portrait of lasting leadership. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Misha Saidov.
Misha Saidov is the CEO & Founder of The Institute of Metacognitive Programming (IMCP), a Canadian coaching company that has recently expanded to the US. With a 20+ years of experienceHe is a visionary entrepreneur, renowned coach, and a bestselling author recognized for pioneering Metacognitive Programming (MCP). Misha graduated the York University in Toronto, Canada, where he obtained his MBA at the Schulich School of Business.
In 2016 Misha founded a coaching platform that since then has become a global player and one of the most admired and fast-growing coaching organizations in the world. Misha’s guidance has transformed more than 50,000 lives. His expertise helps individuals break through barriers and achieve remarkable success in career and life. Misha’s approachable style and proven results make him a trusted mentor for anyone seeking personal and professional growth.
Thank you for joining us. Our readers would enjoy discovering something interesting about you. What are you in the middle of right now that you’re excited about personally or professionally?
I am creating a brand brand-new leadership course. I have been convinced that you cannot teach leadership for a while now. As an MBA graduate myself who took multiple courses on leadership, I know from my own experience that leadership is not taught, it can only be experienced. That’s why I creating a program that will allow students to become leaders without being taught leadership.
We all get by with a little help from our friends. Who is the leader that has influenced you the most, and how?
Different teachers, mentors, and leaders guided me at different stages of life. Many years ago, Byron Katie (and her student Brooke Castillo), with her books and her work, divided my life into “before and after”. They launched a series of events in my inner journey that led me to where I am today.
Sometimes our biggest mistakes lead to our biggest discoveries. What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made as a leader, and what did you discover as a result?
My biggest mistake was denying the truth of who I am in my twenties and building a successful corporate career instead of devoting myself to helping people. But these 12 years in corporations sharpened my skills and thinking powerfully. I have become much more efficient and clearer in what I am doing today.
How has your definition of leadership changed or evolved over time? What does it mean to be a leader now?
Back then, I used to think leaders were visionaries and servants of a bigger vision and mission. They have the power to convince others to join forces and lead them towards the vision. By default, this definition disqualifies the majority of people rity of people who do not have certain character traits. Today I think differently about it. Leaders are defined not by character traits, but by what I call “acts of leadership”. We all have been through situations that were highly stressful and could not be predicted. How we face the challenge has the power to turn us into leaders. We are leaders if we go through these events with integrity, sincerity, compassion, and courage.
Success is as often as much about what we stop as what we start. What is one legacy leadership behavior you stopped because you discovered it was no longer valuable or relevant?
My heroes were leaders like Steve Jobs and Jack Welsch when I was younger. They were tough, intense, and hard charging. I thought I should be like that to be a leader, and I tried to be like that for a while, but it was me and exhausting. What I discovered is that positive and kind attitude works as well if not better.
What is one lasting leadership behavior you started or are cultivating because you believe it is valuable or relevant?
Sincerity, authenticity and integrity are by far the most important leadership behaviours. Without them everything else just does not work.
What advice would you offer to other leaders who are stuck in past playbooks and patterns and may be having a hard time letting go of what made them successful in the past?
Your personality is your personal reality. When reality stops working for you, it is time to change your personality.
Many of our readers can relate to the challenge of leading people for the first time. What advice would you offer to new and emerging leaders?
Tell the truth, be optimistic, do what you said you would do, and work on something bigger than yourself.
Based on your experience or research, what are the top five traits effective leaders exemplify now? Please share a story or an example for each.
I don’t believe in traits. All research fails to predict the unlikeliest of leaders.
American Basketball Coach John Wooden said, “Make each day your masterpiece.” How do you embody that quote? We welcome a story or example.
I would like to offer a different quote by Madeline Albright: “ It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.”
I noticed in my work that I am unlikely to say anything new. I have no new words, but I managed to inspire so many people. So the question is how? And the answer is voice. People that follow you might have heard millions of times the ideas you are delivering, but this is the first time they are paying attention. It is not about what you say and what you do, it is about how you say it and how you do it.
What is the legacy you aspire to leave as a leader?
I am not interested in such a thing. Hopefully, when I die, the world will stay as beautiful as it was when I entered it.
How can our readers connect with you to continue the conversation?
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mishasaidov/
Website: https://imcp.org/contact-us/
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to experience a leadership master at work. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Karen Mangia is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world, sharing her thought leadership with over 10,000 organizations during the course of her career. As Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, she helps individuals and organizations define, design and deliver the future. Discover her proven strategies to access your own success in her fourth book Success from Anywhere and by connecting with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
