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| Liz Mellon On the Guru Radar |
Before joining Duke, Mellon was
Professor of Organizational Behaviour at London Business School where she
directed the Senior Executive Programme, its flagship program for senior
executives. She has also been a visiting faculty member at the Indian School of
Business in Hyderabad. More recently she spearheaded the launch of Duke’s
executive education programmes in India. She is currently working on a new book
on coaching for leaders.
Check this interview with Liz on 50thinkers.com video and let me know what you think.
I thought Liz Mellon's thoughts were very interesting, easy to understand and common sense. Her analysis of leadership style was fascinating and yet basic. Her '5 ways to think like a leader' shows us that being unafraid and a reasoned risk taker who is comfortable with discomfort and complexity, is perhaps something that business leaders in N. Ireland could learn from. She talks about visionary leaders having an 'enhanced sense of responsibility, where they reflect and analyse on the past with an ability to change tomorrow.' And I like the 'little bit of mystery' that she summed up as 'Inner sense '. I wonder if I could find someone who fits into those categories.....oh yes ..my mum.
ReplyDeleteShe has been my inspiration, the reason why I strive for inner success. Her dogged determination of never settling until her objectives were fulfilled along with her great foresight, shaped my own character in many ways. However, her driven, entrepreneurial attitude, which was rare during 1960's & 70's N. Ireland and her ability to overcome adversity and fearing nothing in order to do the best for her family was remarkable. The burden of responsibility was heavy, but her strength of character bore through. And is someone that I can only aspire to be. She truly is a leader fit for the 21st Century, and is truly a women ahead of her time. But I suspect there are many other humble, undiscovered mothers with similar traits.
I too enjoyed this interview. As someone with a Reflective learning style, I am always interested in input where the thinking gets good press. Many articles focus on a leaders qualities and behaviour. She puts the focus firmly on how leaders think. Her book "Inside the Leader's Mind" is worth a read. The idea that the 5 steps are not a succession but a dance appeals as real life doesn't always follow linear patterns and a leader has to adapt and not ignore a changing landscape. She talks of knowing your own mindset. I think too often as managers as we develop more experience our behaviour becomes second nature and we can ease into complacency. Her idea of never losing a mindset to challenge and grow encourages me to be determined to reflect on my practice regularly to always try to understand why things went well or not so good, to honestly question and always take learning from the relection.
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