The #1 barrier to self management
(This article originally appeared in french in Ouishare Magazine)
Is abolishing of hierarchy the secret to a flourishing and successful business? Individual egos, starting with the leader’s, often ruin the party. In order to give more power to its employees and really transform its business, a measure of letting go is essential, says Laurent Ledoux, former president of the Belgian Ministry of Mobility. The 52-year-old Belgian, a “transforming manager” close to Frédéric Laloux and Isaac Getz, recently launched Phusis, a cooperative that assists leaders of large groups in their transformation.
Hello Laurent, what assessment of the “liberation” of organisations throughout the world would you make today?
Laurent Ledoux : Even if awareness is developing, as shown by the growth of “collaborative” management from 3% to 8% of organisations between 2013 and 2016 (see The How Report), the road is still long.
The main barrier to a generalisation of these models lies in the leaders’ egos
Transitioning to a “liberated” (Getz) or “teal” (Laloux) type of organisation requires a process based on letting go, delegating, and opening up to employee participation and collective decision-making ; and this is not an easy task. This paradigm shift, which challenges traditional control and hierarchy, requires significant work on oneself. At Phusis, we only work with companies managed by people who have already engaged in a path of personal transformation.
What attitude defines enlightened leadership?
LL : In the Western view, inherited from the Greeks, the effectiveness of a strategy is based on setting a goal and then removing obstacles to reach this goal with the least possible resources. In the Chinese philosophy, effectiveness is understood in a very different way: it implies to let naturally-occuring effects prevail and lead to a result that can be suitable, with minimal intervention.
By working on themself, their fears, their anxieties, their desires and their self-esteem, the true leader can create harmony as well as the necessary conditions to bring out the best of people and organisations. Thanks to their empathy and lucidity, they know when and how to stand back, lead or follow. They have the ability to shift their focus and identify when an action is directed by individual or by collective intent. In some cases, the leader is the one who can best contribute to the advancement of the group and they must also know how to put themself forward.
Humans think of themselves as individuals separated from the rest of Nature, but this is only illusion
Few teams consist solely of people with a “Teal” level of consciousness (Opal ; cf Laloux). The leader must therefore start by assessing the level of consciousness they and their team are located at. This is to be able to optimise, step by step if necessary, the collective elevation towards higher levels of consciousness.
The different levels of consciousness (according to Ken Wilber) :
In which worldview does this new paradigm fit?
LL : The philosophical “tradition” to which I subscribe goes from pre-Socratics to Marcel Conche and includes Spinoza, Lao-Tseu, Omar Khayyam, Karlfried Durckheim… It can be summed up as follows : every human being or animal, every single thing is only the temporary and transient form Nature takes at a given point. Human beings think of themselves as individuals with an independent reality, separated from the rest of Nature, but this is only illusion. Our egos, our intellects overloaded with concerns, are often the source of this disconnection from others and from this “all of reality” that we call Nature (the “Phusis” of ancient Greeks).
Our ego is often the source of this disconnection from others and Nature
Integrating this vision as a leader means increasing your ability to let go and trust your employees. It is sometimes difficult to achieve this, but simply breathing consciously can help us reconnect with this inner peace as well as with others and Nature.
What about financial results and shareholder reporting?
LL : It is important to become aware that there is an ideology of shareholder value and a misuse of language that makes shareholders the owners of the company. Because profit and shareholder value are constraints, not goals.
The pursuit of profit maximisation blocks the alchemy of unity that allows groups to achieve extraordinary things, enabled by selfless commitment. And we realize the following paradox: as one pursues a truly nobler goal, profit generally grows more than expected. Nevertheless, this is not done mechanically and certainly, hence the need to “let go”.
Aiming for harmony and reaching, in addition, the target
As a leader, what kind of difficult decisions do you face?
LL: In spiral dynamics theory (according to Graves or Wilber), the Teal (Opal) level includes the other, lower levels. The “opal” leader knows how to integrate participation as well as competition, the direction, even aggressiveness.
The ability to play the whole palette of levels of consciousness is essential to be able to adapt to circumstances. This sometimes requires strong and non-participatory positions, to avoid soft consensus that does not move the group forward.
Some decisions may seem autocratic and it is important to accept it because this step is necessary to ensure a transformation path. This is especially true at the beginning because it is indeed very difficult to reverse this top hierarchy in a participatory / concerted manner. Spirits may not be or feel ready yet (from fear, or disbelief).
The “opal” leader knows how to integrate participation as well as competition, direction, even aggressiveness
For example, Ricardo Semler, an emblematic figure of this type of management, dismissed Semco’s whole management team when he inherited his father’s company. The manager’s spiritual progress, in my opinion, makes this harsh period easier to cross, both for the employees and for the manager himself.
What is the key for a manager on the path of transformation?
LL: Self-esteem (or peace according to Will Schulz) is the key because it helps to free oneself from the desire to please.
In my case, the philosophical reflection I conducted with Philosophy & Management, my initiation to Zen Buddhism and some readings (especially the works of Marcel Conche, Pierre Hadot, Michel Random, Jacques Casterman, Ronald Heifetz, Joseph Badaracco and so many others) have helped me to detach myself from the imperatives that you can feel when you are a manager. My personal and spiritual journey allowed me to face my fears a little more and to explore these concepts with the head or the spirit as well as with the body, the guts.
Acting without fear of failure or desire to succeed
All of these things have helped me progress in a healthier self-esteem: being happy to live the life I live. Acting simply according to what the situation requires, without being obsessed with the success or the end result. A wisdom that we can get near to but that we never permanently acquire.
Thanks to Fernanda, Hélène, Claudine and Mathilde for their help.
Learn more on : www.phusis-partners.com & https://philoma.org/
