05/31/2011

Boundary Spanning:
Leading the Agency of Tomorrow

Bill Adams, M.S. Senior Faculty

Our mission is to advance the understanding, practice and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide.
CCL rated # 3 in Financial Times 2010 40 years of mission accomplishment Research-based models for individual and organizational leadership development >10,000 federal leaders attend CCL programs annually

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Global Reach
more than 120 countries 4 continents 21,000 leaders 3,000 organizations to think and act beyond the boundaries

Colorado Springs, CO

Greensboro, NC

San Diego, CA

Brussels, Belgium

Russia & CIS

Singapore

We are in a new world, using old tools.

-Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat

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We live in a VUCA World: Volatile Uncertain Complex Ambiguous

Volatility: Rate of Change

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I have 535 members on my Board of Directors.

SES, DoD

Uncertainty: Unclear about present and future outcomes

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And over 100 of those members just changed

Complexity: Multiplicity of Key Decision Factors

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91% of 205 Senior Leaders believe the challenges they face are more complex than 5 years ago.

Ambiguous: Lack of clarity about meaning

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The top 10 Organizations where College Seniors would like to work

2007 Google Walt Disney Apple Computer 2010 Google Ernst and Young PriceWaterhouseCoopers DeLoitte Walt Disney KPMG J.P. Morgan Apple Computer Goldman Sachs Nike
-Universum/Government Executive

State Department Peace Corps CIA

PriceWaterhouseCoopers Microsoft FBI Teach for America

We live in a VUCA World, and it will just get worse. The VUCA World will have both danger and opportunity. Leaders must learn new skills in order to make a better future.
-Bob Johansen, Leaders Make the Future

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Did You Know?

The Challenges Facing Government

Top business challenges facing government today:

1. Financial Pressure to cut costs

2. Constantly changing management team
Source: Bersin Talent Management Factbook 2009

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Top talent challenges facing government today: 1. Impending retirement of key workers (Tsunami/Generation Shift) 2. Gaps in leadership pipeline

Source: Bersin Talent Management Factbook 2009

Leadership in Government

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360 Benchmarks Data >16,000 Government Managers

Government Leader Strengths Putting people at ease Respecting Differences Quick Learners

Resourcefulness
Getting it done

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We asked the 16, 000 raters: Rank the 15 Leadership Competencies based upon their importance for success Rank the participant on their effectiveness using the 15 competencies

Government Agencies Importance for Success Rankings

Benchmarks Competencies Leading Employees Resourcefulness Straightforwardness and Composure Building and Mending Relationships Participative Management Decisiveness Change Management Doing Whatever it Takes Being a Quick Study Balance Between Personal Life and Work Self-Awareness Confronting Problem Employees Compassion and Sensitivity Putting People at Ease Differences Matter Career Management Importance for Success 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Rankings for Effectiveness 15 4 6 8 9 7 11 5 3 12 13 16 10 1 2 14

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Government Agencies Importance for Success Rankings

Benchmarks Competencies Importance for Success Rankings for Effectiveness

Leading Employees
Resourcefulness Straightforwardness and Composure Building and Mending Relationships

1
2 3 4

15
4 6 8

Participative Management
Decisiveness Change Management Doing Whatever it Takes Being a Quick Study Balance Between Personal Life and Work Self-Awareness Confronting Problem Employees Compassion and Sensitivity Putting People at Ease Differences Matter Career Management

5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

9
7 11 5 3 12 13 16 10 1 2 14

We asked the 16, 000 raters: Rate the participant on five derailment factors:
Problems with Interpersonal relationships Difficulty building or leading a team Difficulty changing or adapting Failure to meet business objectives Too narrow a functional orientation

Derailment: A manager who was fired, demoted, or did not reach their highest potential.

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The Most Likely Cause for Derailment:

Civilians: Too narrow a functional orientation

Military: Difficulty forming and leading teams

.

Further development is needed in three high-priority areas: leading employees managing change participative management

Source: Bersin High Impact Leadership Development 2009

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To avoid career derailment, government leaders need broad, cross-organizational experiences and opportunities for learning.

We will fail if we have Blackberry leaders.

-4 Star Army Commander

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The Need for New Leadership

The New Leadership

20th Century management principles were focused on controls, reducing ambiguity, and training the individual leader. 21st Century leadership principles are focused on the new VUCA territory of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, that define the playing field of organizational leadership solutions. Interdependence is essential to dealing with the complexity of rapidly evolving threats
2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

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Leadership Culture
Leadership is a collective activity Leadership emerges out of individual

knowledge and expertise

people in authority
are responsible for leadership What type of leadership culture do you need for leading effectively across boundaries?
2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Boundary Spanning Leadership

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

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BOUNDARIES
boundary 1.Something that indicates bounds or limits; a border or bounding line

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Question for Reflection

The Critical Gap

How important is it for leaders to work effectively across boundaries in your organization? How effective are leaders at working across boundaries in your organization?

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

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How important is it for you to collaborate effectively across boundaries?

How effective are you?

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

2009 Boundary Spanning study with 128 senior executives

What
is boundary spanning leadership?

Why
is it needed?

How
can leaders span boundaries?

What
are the implications for you?
2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

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FRONTIERS
boundary 2. Also called frontier. The location of the most advanced or newest activity in an area.

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Developing Leadership

STRATEGY TALENT CULTURE

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

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Leadership Strategy

Leading Employees Resourcefulness Composure Build/mend Relationships Participative Management

Putting people at ease Respecting Differences Quick Learners Resourcefulness Getting it done

What aspects of your agencys strategy require spanning boundaries, and how does your leadership strategy work in support of your agencys strategy?
2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

Leadership Talent

Vertical

Demographic

Stakeholder

Horizontal

Geographic

How are you developing leaders to work effectively across boundaries?

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

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What happens when you lead in a VUCA world?

Vision: Leaders seek to create a future Understanding: Stop, look, and listen Clarity: Make sense of the chaos Agility: Wirearchy over hierarchy

2010 Center for Creative Leadership. All Rights Reserved.

2009 Boundary Spanning study with 128 senior executives

CCL Government Team

Clemson Turregano, Ph.D., Director Bill Adams, Senior Faculty Tom Gaffney, Senior Manager Tracy Roberts, Federal Manager

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