Leadership Coachability Decline Requires Intentional Feedback Seeking

Key Quotes

"At the end of the day, I think in terms of leadership, I am a student of the game, continue to be fascinated and curious about it. What does it mean in our current era? What is still true? What's overblown? Where is it headed? I'm just continually curious."

Kevin Wilden expresses a continuous, active engagement with the concept of leadership. Wilden's approach is characterized by a persistent curiosity and a desire to understand leadership's evolving nature, rather than adhering to static definitions. This highlights a mindset of lifelong learning and adaptation in the field of leadership.

"One of the things I do as a professor at the university is I start my leadership course with a quiz and I say, 'What is the most important thing for a leader to do? Number one most important thing.' In my mind, it is your number one job is to develop other leaders, and that is something I picked up during that era and then I carry on."

Kevin Wilden emphasizes a core principle of leadership development: the responsibility to cultivate future leaders. Wilden's perspective suggests that a leader's primary function is not solely to manage or direct, but to actively foster the growth and capabilities of others. This principle is presented as a foundational element carried forward from earlier experiences.

"So back to your point, yeah, so they got smug or complacent or self-satisfied or whatever, didn't keep an edge, I guess, that was still needed. That became the research I'm now currently doing and what I call coachability because what I found was I went back and I looked at their personnel records, interviewed people, what happened because these were really talented people. For that segment, what I found was on their last 360 of record, they were rated 30% lower on one question: 'Does this leader seek and respond to feedback?'"

Kevin Wilden identifies a critical factor in leadership decline: a lack of receptiveness to feedback, which he terms "coachability." Wilden's research indicates that even highly talented individuals can falter when they stop actively seeking and responding to feedback. This suggests that a leader's willingness to engage with constructive criticism is paramount to sustained success and avoiding complacency.

"My first edition of Getting Things Done was really targeted to the fast-track professional because they were the ones hitting with being hit with the tsunami of all the stuff and all that whatever and the hungriest to stay on top of their game and so forth. What changed was not the methodology, what changed was the audience. In 2001, maybe 10% of the organization needed GTD. In 2015, 95% of the organization needs it because leaders don't have the time to handhold."

David Allen explains how the audience for his Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology has evolved significantly. Allen notes that while the core principles of GTD remain constant, the increasing demands on professionals mean that a much larger percentage of the workforce now requires these organizational tools. This shift underscores the growing need for self-management and efficiency in modern work environments.

"The other thing I'm reminded of is one of the courses for my, my more early career people is the notion about when you transition to middle management beyond, one of the transitions you got to make both mindset and living your calendar is it's not just what you know anymore, it's what your network knows. And I think the same thing applies. It's not just the work you can do, it's the work your ecosystem can do, your talent ecosystem can do that's going to matter."

Kevin Wilden highlights a crucial shift in professional development, particularly for those moving into middle management. Wilden emphasizes that success is no longer solely dependent on individual knowledge or capabilities but increasingly relies on the collective knowledge and capacity of one's network and "talent ecosystem." This suggests a move towards collaborative and networked approaches to achieving goals.

"I think it would start with that notion about, you know, take a pause from time to time, sometimes big chunks, sometimes small chunks, and remind yourself of your purpose. What am I here for? What am I trying to do? You know, what would make it a good day for me, for others? And then be more intentional about how you want to show up that day."

Kevin Wilden advises individuals to incorporate regular pauses for reflection on their purpose and intentions. Wilden suggests that by taking time to consider what constitutes a good day and how one wishes to contribute, individuals can become more deliberate in their actions and interactions. This practice encourages a more mindful and purposeful approach to daily work and life.