Advanced Leaders

Increasingly, leaders want:

1.       Not just to run an organization effectively, but to change the surrounding system as well.

2.       Not just improve hospital performance, but improve overall health.

3.       Not just fix troubled schools, but change patterns in communities that lead children to under-perform.

4.       Not just fix a problem, like a broken financial system, but change the culture.

Still, advanced leaders dance to their own tune.

1.       They find opportunities for change in the cracks in the system, in the white space where nothing is written.

2.       Rather than try to change the establishment all at once, they fill gaps, create new alliances, and forge new pathways. For example, Advanced leaders:

3.       Work in complex systems where authority is diffuse or divided.

4.       Break mental boundaries and challenge established patterns.

5.       They think not just outside the box but outside the building.

6.       They know that cities are not City Hall, health takes more than hospitals, and education is more than schools.

7.       Advanced leaders use the tools of the future. They don't want society's leftovers, or what I call spare change; they want the best and latest ideas and technology to make real change.

The surface has barely been scratched for the use of technology to improve society. Consider the potential for data analytics to spot disease outbreaks, mobile phones to monitor health, or interactive websites to bring personalized learning to disadvantaged areas.