I love systems. And I love systems for leadership even more. We want a reliable way of building leadership capability that inoculates against power abuse and tyranny.

How can we embrace new systems to bring leadership alive across the entire organisation? We need a systemic change in how we think about encouraging leadership. It starts with reimagining the geometry of an organization: from triangles we need to move to circles. Then working on expanding the power of the individual.

My guest for T-TOK (Tea Time in the Office Kitchen) is Paul McCarthy, author of The F.I.R.E.D. Leader and he is on a mission to reshape the conversation about ​​, and how we need to shift how we recruit, train, and practice leadership if we are to normalise disruption and survive the era of exponential change.

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Full shownotes are here.

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Why you should listen: how we visualise leadership shapes its outcomes

• We must focus on building the capability, autonomy, and delivery capacity of each person. This cellular approach fosters flexibility, responsiveness, and a collaborative spirit essential for modern leadership.

• Goretex solutions: Combining individual and collective accountability ensures comprehensive leadership development and system-wide success.

• How to normalise disruption instead of dysfunction

Questions Explored:

• What are the F.I.R.E.D. leadership attributes we need? (F – Fresh Thinking, I – Inquisitive Nature, R – Real and Accountable, E – Expressive and Challenging, )D – Direct and Transparent

• What gets in the way of open honest conversations?

• What are the systems that need to change?

Take action

Think about how you exercise power in your organisation: is it top down or bottom up or a mix?

How can you grow the abilities of the people around you?.

Key Moments

00:00 Welcome to the Future of Leadership

00:22 Introducing the Show's Format and Today's Topic

01:09 Planet Human: Contrasting Leadership Examples

03:16 Planet Zoe: Personal Updates and Upcoming Projects

05:54 Exploring Leadership Systems for the Future

10:40 Interview with Paul McCarthy: The Fired Leader

25:42 The Role of Fear in Leadership Games

27:20 The Cost of Leadership Turnover

27:58 Ego-Based Leadership and Its Consequences

28:44 Designing Future Organizations

30:20 Holacracy and Horizontal Leadership

32:19 Overcoming Leadership Challenges

33:00 From Fear to Awakening and Courage

37:11 The Fast Three Questions

42:28 Paul's Vision for Future Leaders

43:56 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

About Paul McCarthy

Paul McCarthy, author of "The Fired Leader." Paul has had a remarkable journey, having been fired from four senior executive roles, which led him to question and ultimately redefine leadership for the future. His insights into fresh thinking, inquisitiveness, being real and accountable, expressive and challenging, and being direct and transparent are invaluable. These qualities, encapsulated in the acronym FIRED, are pivotal for evolving leadership in modern organizations.

https://www.paulmacleadership.com/