Foreword to Reimagining Leadership

Empowering Growth and Performance Through Purposeful Change and Constructive Culture.
Author: Elie DaherAs we face into the headwinds of many unprecedented and interconnected global challenges, every company and organization is having to discover how to do more, at higher quality with less resource. Organizations can either respond by driving harder and working longer, or by working smarter. Working smarter involves having an agile organization that can constantly adapt its strategy to the changing needs of its wider eco-system. But it is much easier to change one’s strategy than evolve the company’s culture. Peter Ducker famously said, “Culture will always eat your strategy for breakfast!” Trying to implement a new strategy without attending to what is required in developing the culture is like planting a new specimen plant without first preparing the soil and ensuring it has the right conditions to grow to enable it to flourish.

In our work enabling organizations and their leadership to transform, we also use another key phrase: “Leaders get the culture they collectively behave.” Therefore, we must constantly address the question: “What needs to shift in the collective leadership to role model the culture needed to deliver the new strategy?” Many organizations separate out the three areas of Strategy, Culture and Leadership, to their cost. They invite in a global consultancy to help them develop their new strategy, a boutique H.R. consultancy to help them with their culture and send their senior leaders off to business schools to develop their leadership. What is needed is for organizations to address these three areas of Strategic change, Culture change and Leadership Development in an integrated and systemic way, which recognises that each point of the Strategy, Culture, Leadership triangle, is dependent on the other two aspects. I have argued that HR, Strategy, training and development and transformation, can no longer sit in separate siloes, but need to be one integrated enterprise which I have named “The future-fit function”, which has a joint collective purpose of ensuring that the organization, its leadership, teams, structures, processes, partnerships and its people, are fit for what the future will require.

In my research and writing (Hawkins 2017, 2021, 2022) I have shown how most leadership development is actually leader development, developing 20th-century heroic leaders, rather than the collective and collaborative leadership that is needed for the 21st century. In today’s complex and interconnected world, if the only place the various challenges and differing stakeholder needs come together is the CEO, then the organization is not sustainable. It requires leadership teams where all members take joint responsibility for the whole organization and not just their function. It also requires senior teams to be as much, if not more, focussed on growing the capacity to play tomorrow’s game as they are focussed on more efficiently and effectively playing today’s game.

In this straightforward and practical book, Elie Daher provides clear frameworks and illustrations of how to lead and manage change, while also evolving the culture that is needed to make the change take root and be successful. His insights draw from a perspective that values collective and collaborative working, as well as respect and mutuality, which can provide valuable lessons for leaders in today's multigenerational and multicultural workplace. This approach emphasizes the importance of fostering collective and collaborative leadership, which is essential in today's complex and interconnected world. This book offers valuable guidance for any leader seeking to drive meaningful change and improve their organization's performance."

Hawkins, P. (2017) Tomorrow’s Leadership and the Necessary Revolution in Today’s Leadership Development. Henley Business School: Henley UK

Hawkins, P. (Fourth edition 2021) “Leadership Team Coaching: Developing Collective Transformational Leadership.” London: Kogan Page (translated into Spanish Chinese and Japanese)

Hawkins, P. (Edited) (third edition 2022) “Leadership Team Coaching in Practice.” London: Kogan Page (Translated into Chinese)

Professor Peter Hawkins Chairman of Renewal Associates, Emeritus Professor of Leadership Henley Business School, peter.hawkins@renewalassociates.co.uk.


Advance Reviews

"Dr. Daher presents research-based data that all global leaders need for their teams to flourish. Elie's book is critical to organizations wishing to build cross-cultural teams that are functional versus disruptive to the organization. It allows space for team members to be highly contributory as a result of blending cultures.

CB Bowman-Ottomanelli, MCEC, BCC, CMC, CVF, CVP, Founder & CEO Association of Corporate Executive Coaches (ACEC), CEO Courage Consulting


Elie Daher has written a book that answers the question – what’s new in leadership? Given the challenges of our teams in today’s working environment, I especially like his thoughts, comments, and suggestions on culture. A clear read and plenty of thoughtful insights and suggestions.

Howard MorganManaging Director at Leadership Research Institute


"The title Reimaging Leadership is the right title for this book. Learning “how to” develop such skills as: culture mapping, assessing digital readiness, using social systems frameworks, and flipping a negative culture into a positive one will make this book so worth it for professionals who want to lead in the future. We all have heard the theory that “culture eats strategy.” Read this book to prove that culture will nurture your strategy and help it thrive."

Frank Wagner, Co-founder and Co-creator, Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching®

Endorsement

“Whether you're a new leader or an experienced one, this book will give you the tools you need to build a successful team and company for the long term. In an age where quick-fix solutions are ubiquitous, Reimagining Leadership provides a refreshing alternative with a guide to targeting root issues and challenges to building a positive culture and empowering your team. A must read!”

Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is the Thinkers50 #1 Executive Coach and New York Times bestselling author of The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.

Dr. Elie Daher

Dr. Elie Daher is an accomplished senior-level executive with a track record of 35+ years of successful strategic and tactical leadership in both public and private organizations within the energy, education, and technology sectors. He is a visionary and creative, with a positive attitude and steadfast commitment to excellence. Elie has strong expertise in managing organizational change to achieve maximum results. He combines his entrepreneurial leadership style with highly effective planning, organizational, and communication skills as well as a solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving. Throughout his executive career, Elie has held various top executive and leadership positions, including CEO, Executive VP, CMO, Global VP of Strategy and Marketing, and Head of Consulting Division, among other roles, while working across four continents with both medium size and fortune 100 companies.

For more information, visit: www.reimaginingleadership.me.

linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram