An ILA Leadership Perspectives Webinar

Culturally Brilliant Leadership

Presenter: Claudette Rowley

Date: 14 March 2018

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With fewer than one third of CEOs understanding their organizational cultures (Deloitte Human Trends Reports, 2016), many leaders are leaving a source of untapped potential on the proverbial table — the invention, intelligence, and brilliance in their cultures.

Although the participation of people at all organizational levels is needed to evolve a culture, leaders need to guide the process. Culturally brilliant leadership entails a heightened level of self-awareness, a willingness to explore cultural blind spots, and a connection to the “right brain” of a culture — relational aspects such as connection, creativity, and vulnerability. This doesn’t mean we leave the left brain (the logical, linear part) behind; it means we seek a balance. Culturally brilliant leaders can use both sides of their brain for the benefit of their culture.

We can’t be courageous without being vulnerable, and this is where culturally brilliant leaders really shine. They understand that they must enter from the center. As leaders, they represent the hub of the organizational wheel. How the wheel turns is based in part on behavior, words, and interactions with other people. Brilliant cultures need leaders of learning rather than leaders of change. People change successfully when they learn new behaviors, increase self-awareness, and are emotionally congruent with the change at hand. Learning is the key to this evolution. Cultural change is iterative and belief-based, rather than task-oriented or procedural. The leaders set the stage by clearly exhibiting learnership: the willingness to listen, to be inclusive, and to discuss the discomfort and/or exhilaration of that growth at pivotal organizational moments.

During this interactive webinar, we will explore three main tenets of culturally brilliant leadership:

  • Listening to what you hear. Listen to the truth of people’s experience instead of what you want to hear, hope to hear, or wish you didn’t hear. Listen to learn and create psychological safety.
  • Leaving people in a place of learning. When interacting with people, how can a leader leave someone motivated and mobilized, instead of defensive and demoralized?
  • Conducting a cultural 360. This process helps leaders quickly learn about their culture, reveals their blind spots, and builds trust with organizational members.

Participants will leave the webinar with new tools, perspectives, and strategies they can apply right away to their leadership, followership, and workplace.

Learn More About This Topic

Cultural Brilliance™ Radio, Tune in Every 2nd and 4th Friday at 10AM PT.

Speaker Information

Claudette RowleyCultural Brilliance CEO, is a cultural design and change management consultant with a knack for building strategic plans and orchestrating organizational changes that boost business performance and increase employee engagement at the same time. For the past eighteen years, Claudette has consulted, trained, and coached executive leaders and management teams at Fortune 1000 companies, small businesses, and start-ups to create a pro-active and innovative workplace culture that delivers outstanding results throughout all areas of an organization. Claudette is the creator of the Cultural Brilliance System™, host of the globally syndicated radio show, Cultural Brilliance, and is the author of the upcoming book Cultural Brilliance: The DNA of Organizational Excellence (to be published in April 2019). She holds a Master’s degree from the University of Michigan, is a certified coach with International Coach Federation, and has trained in leading methodologies in organizational development, conflict resolution, mediation, the Predictable Success business life cycle model, and relationship systems. Claudette is also a certified partner with CultureTalk.

Learn more about Claudette and her radio show in one of ILA’s Podcast Playlist articles.

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