Dr Reto Diezi demonstrated his connectivity skills at the recent European Appreciative Inquiry Network meeting by inviting, introducing and engaging new members. This sparked the idea of asking Reto to do the Connective Leadership monthly story, which he happily accepted.
When I saw your highly developed orange, entrepreneurial and result-oriented value system, I was tempted to associate it with your sportsmanship…
I understand your temptation, and also your next statement that the CLM profile is practically a snapshot and needs to be recognized by the person who filled it in. Having said that, I was a bit surprised to see that my orange was more dominant than my 'inclusive' colours of green (people first), yellow (thriving in complexity) and turquoise (wholeness). I was reassured by your feedback that the profile of this value system should also be read 'through' the most visible value to the next ones. In this case, my three 'inclusive' value systems together fully represent the person I want to be in the world.
How does this relate to a fair amount of Blue (systematic order)
I should note that when I completed the survey — and I wouldn't know why if you'd asked me — I subjected myself to a certain self-imposed discipline of consistently dividing the 10 points over three answers, in a 4-3-3 way. I now see that this looks like the strategy of a football team, and it might also explain my fair share of the blue value system, haha. So yes, I might do the test again, and then be completely free in my method of answering. And yes, this also highlights the fact that we should always ask about the circumstances, mood, and preferences of the person who has completed the Connective Leadership Mirror.
Can an asset manager be a connective leader?
It is true that for a part of my career I was one of the managers in an asset management organization, very financially oriented, of course. And I was perhaps a bit of an anomaly in that I led my team with the conviction that they knew how to do their job better than I did. I wasn't very obedient in delivering quarterly results in full, which sometimes led to a bit of a struggle with my boss. My reporting was more process and culture focused. I think my team delivered results as well as the other teams, including being happy in their daily work. By the time I left, I was very happy to see that HR had changed its approach to leadership development, with terms like connectivity, work-life and even mindfulness becoming part of the vocabulary. They wouldn't have done it if they hadn't seen the impact on results. And all of this has happened in just a few years. As I often said and still say: People like to perform. There's a lot of meaning in that word: performance. It covers sport, fun, togetherness, being on stage, results, and applause. It fits every company.
What gives you energy?
I love spending time with my three-year-old granddaughter. And I learn a lot, especially by watching and listening. Looking at her, I really begin to understand what Appreciative Inquiry is about: taking things, toys, games for what they are and enjoying the interplay. Trust the process. You don't have to finish the jigsaw puzzle before turning to the little tractor to move some things around. Play is process, process is play. In observing, there is deep listening, to her and to myself. I love being in this “third half” of my life, leaving behind some organizational duties and having even more space and energy to learn and develop. I can be at my best, even if, as a former sprinter, I cannot reach the times I achieved as a young athlete. As an honorary member of the Swiss athletics club, Leichtathletik Club Zürich, I am currently focusing some of my energy on connecting the dots, the people, and the money to help build a new sports hall. Who knows, maybe one day my granddaughter will train, coach or play there?
