#5 How to lead in the unknown?
With Dr. Nick Udall, CEO & co-founder of the Nowhere Group
In today's fast-paced business world, change may sometimes feel like our biggest enemy.
Just when we think we have found the most effective structures and visions for our organization, change comes unsolicited and forces us to rethink all our practices and values.
In this scenario, it's easy for leaders to feel uneasy in giving up control and jumping straight into newness. But as uncomfortable as it may be, change is in fact our best business partner.
In this exclusive new episode, FutureReady host Arne Kotting talks to transformative leadership expert Dr. Nick Udall, CEO and co-founder of the Nowhere Group, about how to lead in the unknown.
In this fascinating conversation, the two explore how leaders can catalyze organization-wide breakthroughs by embracing what Nick calls the "creativity roller coaster journey".
If you're curious to learn more about nowhere's work, check out their website. If you like what you’re hearing, please leave us a review. Or forward this show to someone who you think will love it.
This episode is presented by Arne Kötting, and was produced by Ana Luiza Loio. FutureReady music theme "Botanics" by Elizabells, and sound editing by Carsten Steffens.
02:39 Nick introduces himself and talks about how his background in product design led him into his current work with organizational change and creativity
05:42 About the apparent increase in speed and complexity in the business world throughout the past 20 years
08:03 The business risks of aiming towards a singular vision of the future, and the benefits of holding multiple visions instead
10:01 How nowhere's client issues and change management questions have been changing over the years
12:26 How nowhere develops practices to help organizations and ecosystems move into a "pull" model of performance instead of "push harder" one
14:50 The importance of slowing down to avoid organizational fatigue and preserve the organization's energy
17:20 Nick talks about the unique reflection and growth opportunities presented by the post-pandemic world
21:13 How leaders can lead the way for inspiring, psychologically safe workspaces - even by the way they carry themselves or enter a room
22:48 What are truly effective tools and techniques for collective innovation and breakthrough?
27:18 How to use design thinking to choreograph moments of breakthrough and transformation
28:57 On helping organizations to tap into their collective wisdom
31:20 About leading in the unknown and holding space for difference and diversity to flourish
34:59 Is leading in the unknown too much to ask from leaders?
37:36 The importance of practice in working with the unknown and harvesting moments of breakthrough
39:32 About the role of individual self-care (for leadership) in preserving collective energy
43:57 Why leaders should pay attention to their place and be more open to true collective thinking
46:30 On the role of HR professionals in shaping a creative and curious workplace culture
51:48 How a "message-based communication paradigm" is creating white noise in internal communications
56:06 On nowhere's ongoing transformation and shift to make its catalytic practices more widely available