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For what is a leader responsible, and by whom and how is the leader held accountable?
In an earlier blog I answered this question from the perspective of the structures, processes and institutions outside the leader.
It’s also important to look at the leader’s beliefs about themselves, other people, and the world. In other words, the internal mental models they refer to when deciding what responsible leadership is, for what and how they hold themselves accountable.
Over the past few decades we’ve learnt a lot about how these internal models are formed, and how they change through a leader’s accumulated life experiences. We’ve learnt a lot about how to help a leader progress to ever-more global models.
In short, how they can internally develop themselves as globally responsible leaders.
Sadly none of this can be taught in a classical sense.So classical MBA programmes etc. cannot change anything here.
It can only be learnt through experiences. Experiences that are unpacked in dialogue with someone having a more globally responsible mental model. Leading slowly to the leader realising the limitations in their stance. Limitations in how they see themselves, other people and the world.
By seeing the limitations and in dialogue discovering other models, they can grow, and acquire a more nuanced, globally responsible world view.
I’ve found the writings of Elliot Jacques, Kegan, Otto Laske, Don Beck and Ken Wilber to be good starting points to learn more about how to transform my mental models as a leader.