1. www.leadership-studies.com A Yearning for the Vast and Endless Sea: From Competence to Purpose in Leadership Development Richard Bolden Presentation for the RAF Leadership Centre conference: “Air Force Leadership – Changing Culture?” RAF Museum, Hendon, 18-19 July 2007

2. “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” Antoine de St. Exupery (1900-1944) “The Wisdom of the Sands”

3. The obsession with competencies http://www.assessmentspecialists.com/competency.html

4. The obsession with competencies ●Leadership and management competencies are perceived to offer: – A framework for effective behaviour – Objectivity and consistency of approach – Evidence-based assessment – A developmental framework – A way of communicating what is important

5. The obsession with competencies ●But they tend to: – Focus on present rather than future capabilities – Promote observable behaviours in preference to relations, ethics and emotions – Conflate assessment & development priorities – Promote ‘leaders’ as the source of ‘leadership’ – Underestimate the importance of context – Take a ‘deficit’ rather than ‘strengths’ approach

6. Competing accounts of leadership ●Comparison of l&m frameworks with accounts from practicing managers: – Personal values and vision absent in a third of the competency frameworks analysed – Trust, ethics, inspiration, adaptability, flexibility and resilience absent in two thirds – Personal beliefs, moral courage, humility, emotional intelligence, coping with complexity, personal reflection and work- life balance absent in over 80%. Bolden, 2005; Bolden and Gosling, 2006

7. WLT Reports (n=38)Competency Frameworks (n=29) Word/themeNumberPercentNumberPercent #trust3284.2%827.6% #reflect3078.9%310.3% courage2976.3%620.7% #belief2873.7%413.8% #follow*2668.4%00% #moral2668.4%26.9% #confidence2565.8%1034.5% #Aware2463.2%1034.5% #Inspiration2463.2%931.0% #Ethics2155.3%827.6% #honesty2155.3%620.7% #intellect2155.3%620.7% #Flexibility2052.6%827.6% Diversity1847.4%620.7% humility1847.4%13.5% #complexity1744.7%517.2% #listen1744.7%827.6% Work/life balance1744.7%26.9% #adapt1642.1%724.1% #emotion1642.1%413.8% #empathy1538.5%26.9% #intuition1128.2%13.5%

8. RAF Leadership Attributes ●Warfighter, courageous ●Emotionally intelligent ●Flexible and responsive ●Willing to take risks ●Mentally agile – physically robust ●Able to handle ambiguity ●Politically and globally astute ●Technologically competent ●Able to lead tomorrow’s recruit

9. The map is not the terrain René Magritte “The Treason of Images”, 1928-1929

10. The space in between Rachel Whiteread "House”, 1993 concrete, (destroyed)

11. Lessons and implications – Competencies are only a partial representation of management and leadership – As well as map reading skills leaders (and followers) need to learn ‘bushcraft’ - in changing and unpredictable situations instinct, intuition & improvisation count! “It is only with one’s heart that one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.” (Antoine de St. Exupery)

12. “One man may hit the mark, another blunder; but heed not to these distinctions. Only from the alliance of the one, working with and through the other, are great things born.” (Antoine de St. Exupery) Lessons and implications – To improve ‘leadership’ in organisations we need to extend our focus beyond just ‘leaders’ to wider relational and contextual factors – Competencies may be desirable but are not sufficient in of themselves to ensure success

13. “Language is the source of misunderstandings.” (Antoine de St. Exupery) Lessons and implications – The social world is largely constructed through the language we use – Competencies and other frameworks are important sources of vocabulary but may limit what is discussed

14. “You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.” (Antoine de St. Exupery) Lessons and implications – Our behaviour is driven from our values, identity and sense of purpose rather than vice versa – For enduring impact we need to connect individual, group and organisational aspirations

15. Structural/ Organisational IndividualSocial Contextual Developmental Organisational culture, formal networks, communication channels, opportunities for engagement Resources, rewards, progression Personal & professional identity, relationships Shared aims, values, purpose, goals Personal qualities, experience, role Systems, processes, practices Social identity, informal networks, partnerships, alliances Policy environment, location, size, disciplinary mix, etc. Individual, group and organisational development; integration with organisational systems; career pathway; changing needs and priorities Time The landscape of leadership Bolden, Petrov and Gosling, 2007

16. Developing leaders, leadership & organisations Adapted from Day, 2001 Human Capital Leader development Individuals Social Capital Leadership development Groups and relationships Organisational Capital Organisational development Systems and processes

17. An integrated approach to leadership development Bolden, 2006 DIRECTION SETTING STRUCTURE & PROCESSES LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT LEARNING TRANSFER EVALUATION & REVIEW Who am I & why am I here? Who are we & what do we want to achieve? DIALOGUE UNDERSTANDING SHARED PURPOSE Where do I want to be & how can I get there? Where does the power lie & what are the blocks to change? SYSTEMS ROLES FUNCTIONS How can I make sense of my experience? How can we facilitate engagement with leadership? LEARNING REFLECTION EXPERIMENTATION How can I make an impact within the system? How can this learning be embedded in the organisation? EMBEDDING EXPERIENCE ADAPTATION How can I continue to grow & develop? How can we improve on what we are doing? IMPACTS CHANGE

18. Some conclusions ●LD is more than developing leaders ●LD is an important forum for exploring values, identity and purpose ●LD can offer an initiating framework for collective sense making and action ●Collective capability emerges from a shared sense of purpose and identity ●Leadership and followership go hand in hand

19. Parting thoughts “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” (Antoine de St. Exupery) “Leadership is more a state of mind than a place in a hierarchy.” (Bill Clinton, 2006)

20. Contact details Richard Bolden Research Fellow Centre for Leadership Studies University of Exeter XfI Building, Rennes Drive Exeter EX4 4ST Tel: 01392 262579 Email: Richard.Bolden@exeter.ac.ukRichard.Bolden@exeter.ac.uk Web: www.leadership-studies.comwww.leadership-studies.com

21. References ●Bolden, R. (2005) The true face of leadership, European Business Forum, 21, 54-57. ●Bolden, R. (ed.) (2006) Leadership Development in Context, Leadership South West Research Report, University of Exeter ●Bolden, R. and Gosling, J. (2006) Leadership Competencies: time to change the tune? Leadership, 2(2), 147-163. ●Bolden, R. and Kirk, P. (2005) Leadership in Africa: Meanings, impacts and identities, Studying Leadership Conference, Lancaster University, 12-13 December. ●Bolden, R. and Kirk, P. (2006) Transforming Communities through Leadership Development: A Pan-African Example, British Academy of Management Conference, Belfast, 12-14 Sept. ●Bolden, R., Petrov, G. and Gosling, J. (2007) Developing Collective Leadership in Higher Education. Final report to the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education, May. ●Day, D. (2001) Leadership development: a review in context. Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 581-613.