cameron and green making-sense-of-change-management

The underpinning theorythey want to be freed up sufficiently to think in new ways. Bennis claimsthat you make your life your own by understanding it, and become yourown designer, rather than being designed by your own experience. Heitemizes four lessons of self-knowledge. These are:• One: be your own teacher. Leaders assume responsibility for theirown learning, and treat it as a route to self-knowledge and selfexpression.No one can teach them the lessons they need to learn.Stumbling blocks can be denial and blame.• Two: accept responsibility and blame no one. Do not expect otherpeople to take charge, or do things for you.• Three: you can learn anything you want to learn. Leadershipinvolves a kind of fearlessness, an optimism and a confidence.• Four: true understanding comes from reflecting on your experience.Leaders make reflection part of their daily life. An honest look at thepast prepares you for the future.Bennis also notes the potential benefits of leaders recalling their childhoodshonestly, reflecting on them, understanding them, and therebyovercoming the influence that childhood has on them. He quotesErikson, the famed psychoanalyst, who says that there are eight stagesof life each with an accompanying crisis (see Table 4.8). Erikson claimsthat the way in which we resolve the eight crises determines who wewill be. He also notes that we may get stuck at a particular stage if wedo not manage to solve the crisis satisfactorily. For instance many of usnever overcome the inner struggle between initiative and guilt, and sowe lack purpose.As a leader you may need to overcome some of the habits you developedat an early age, which will be challenging but rewarding. Usuallythis process is accomplished via coaching, counselling or therapydepending on how deep you want or need to go.Covey: the need for principle-centred leadershipSteve Covey is a writer and teacher who has had a tremendous effect onthe psyche of UK and US managers. His book Principle-Centred174