Connectedness in Leadership

A recent Harvard Business Publishing blog discussed the idea of connectedness. In aikido, connectedness is an essential element in executing a throw. Without a heightened awareness of your partner, it is difficult to throw effortlessly. This serves as an excellent metaphor for successful leadership in the corporate world. After all, what aikido students are exploring is how to lead their partners, with minimum effort and maximum effectiveness.

The Harvard Business discussion suggests that the picture of a lonely CEO is also one of a leader who is disconnected from his employees, perhaps too shielded by his staff from the realities of his company. And, this operating structure is outmoded. What is needed in this day and age is a connected CEO.

“ In the modern business world, where matrix-based structures are replacing hierarchies and partnership models are replacing competition, communication and networking are emerging as the key skills for leaders. Social acumen and engagement are critical for leaders if they are to engage, inspire and retain their people. It is no longer acceptable or reasonable for leaders to complain it is lonely at the top. If leaders are lonely, they are not doing their job properly.”

To develop connectedness in the business world, one skill that is suggested is that of ‘social acumen’. Introduced in the book Leaders at all Levels by Ram Charan, social acumen allows leaders to build networks and avoid becoming isolated at the top. Someone with a high social acumen knows how to build strong, powerful networks within a company and extending beyond the company to include customers, suppliers, regulators, politicians, and various interest groups. The relationships in these networks are enduring because they are built on trust, and that trust allows information to flow both ways, exposing the leader to new ideas and different ways to see things.

And, how to cultivate social acumen and connectedness in the business world? If we apply what we know from aikido, the mind/body skill of centering is central. An aikido practitioner increases their awareness of their relationship with their partner by deepening their ability to center. To the extent then that a CEO or manager can cultivate centeredness, it follows that they will be in a better place to develop the networks of connectedness necessary for leadership in this modern world.

Judy Warner