How To Act And Think Like A Leader

What is even better than a really good book about leadership?

Answer: An updated edition of that book. And that's exactly what author and London Business School professor Herminia Ibarra has done with her 2015 global bestseller, Act Like A Leader, Think Like A Leader.

Among the updates are new examples and self-assessments.

Since the first edition's publishing, Ibarra explains that the world has changed and so must one's leadership skills and style. Similarly, "The importance of soft skills like listening, coaching and empowering others has been on the rise as organizations try to create more inclusive and productive work environments," shares Ibarra.

"Stepping up to play a bigger leadership role is not an event; it's a process that takes time before it pays off. It is a transition built from small changes," explains Ibarra.

Furthermore, and contrary to popular opinion, Ibarra argues that you have to act your way into a new type of leadership instead of thinking your way into it. And to do this, you need to develop and practice outsight (versus insight).

To do that, you should:

Redefine your job to make time for more strategic work and more work outside your function, unit and even organization.
Diversify your network so that you connect to and learn from a bigger range of stakeholders.
Get more playful with your sense of self so that you allow yourself to experiment with styles of behaving that go against your nature.

"Doing things -- rather than simply thinking about them -- will increase your outsight on what leadership is all about," explains Ibarra.

Here are three ways to do things at your office tomorrow:

Sign up for one new project, task-force, professional association or extracurricular professional activity that takes you a bit outside your usual area of expertise.
Reach out to three people in your company you always wanted to get to know and ask them for lunch or coffee.
Identify two people whose leadership you admire and start watching them closely. What do they do especially well? Try to adopt some of what they do.

And, when you diversify your network, Ibarra explains that you will be using networking as an essential leadership tool by:

Sensing trends and seeing opportunities
Building ties to opinion leaders and talent in diverse areas
Working collaboratively across boundaries to create more value
Avoiding groupthink
Generating breakthrough ideas
Obtaining career opportunities

Also, to act like a leader, Ibarra recommends you:

Let go of performance goals that can diminish how much we're willing to risk in the service of learning.
Allocate less time to what you do best to devote more time to learning other things that are also important.

Herminia Ibarra

Today, Ibarra shares this update:

Question: When you wrote your book in 2015 did you think you would ultimately publish an updated edition? Why or why not?

Ibarra: I’ve never thought that far along, frankly. What happened was that writing Act Like a Leader sparked some new research for me, on how leaders lead change, especially digital transformation and the cultural change that requires a style of leadership that more and more aspiring leaders were trying to develop and their organizations to inculcate.

Reflecting on those new strands alongside the whole debate on leadership skills for the age of AI made both me and my publisher want to put out an updated edition.

Thanks to the book's publisher for sending me a copy of the book.

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