CEO & Creative Director at iSynergy.io.
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The notion of unstoppable, ever-present change is the cornerstone of a new, blossoming leadership strategy: permanent beta leadership, a leadership style I have adopted and implemented after years of studying varying methods. The nomenclature itself is a bit of a swerve, as the word “permanent” alludes to an unchanging state. But this leadership style is all about adapting to the changing landscape of reality instead of navigating by the fixed and rigid map of tradition.
Permanent beta leadership is patient, not intolerant. It’s compassionate, not callous. It means being a good listener, not being a dictator. It means taking a democratic vs. totalitarian approach. It’s about being receptive, not occlusive. Permanent beta leaders are open-minded and not set in their ways.
When team members are encouraged and validated by leadership, it allows each part of the team to be vitalized and realize their own responsibilities. Having a feedback loop mobilizes a deep sense of cohesiveness within the company, giving the same effect as team-building exercises, but without the company t-shirts. At this level of communication, company decisions can be informed by the broadening scope of collective intelligence.
Leaders in permanent beta have their finger on the pulse of their team. When done right, the result is cohesive integrity, shared responsibility and holistic intimacy with company posture in the community and marketplace.
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Understanding The Moving Parts Of Permanent Beta Leadership
Philosophies are inherently idealistic: some behaviors produce less-than-ideal outcomes and so we imagine better ways. Philosophical ideas are helpful, but it’s not always easy to recondition behavior by ideals alone — we need to feel it. Fortunately, our bodies’ physical dynamics closely mirror the foundations of permanent beta leadership and help to illustrate their value.
So, what does that look like?
Unpretentious
When fencers duel, they fall into rhythm with each other’s movements. They establish a cadence by feeling out and responding to their opponent’s position and velocity. In a way, they are trying to get their partner to trust them while they remain grounded in the intention to act. Therefore, if one’s intention to act disturbs the cadence, their intent is exposed.
This idea of cadence is what effective permanent beta leaders maintain with each team member. Their intention, or pretense, is surrendered for the sake of the seamless flow of the relationship. Just like with fencing, leadership must remain grounded in the responsibility to act, without allowing the pretense of action to interfere with the relationship.
Humble
For a body to move fluidly through space, the leadership of the conscious mind is given up to the body. After all, the body is far more practiced at moving itself. You don’t need to think about how to engage in a running sprint; your body knows precisely how. However, if the mind demands that the body moves according to purely intellectual sensibilities — because the mind is a know-it-all — we eventually end up with arthritis (or morally bankrupt policies).
In the same sense, beta leaders must understand that they can’t skillfully navigate a company on their own. Instead, the energy that would be used in an attempt to control everything is directed toward the working parts. The leader supports and responds to the expression of each member. Working with the flow of the organization has a better chance at success than attempting to stave the current.
Intuitive Animation
Some moments in life seem to demonstrate understanding beyond a linear paradigm, like when you finish a close friend’s sentence or catch a falling glass of water while brushing your teeth. The nonmystical explanation is simply that we can allow ourselves to be animated by an internal processor that is in constant relationship to our environment.
Permanent beta leadership facilitates this level of understanding within a company. Through appreciation and response to each team member’s function, their activity is validated, and they are encouraged to express themselves. Within the freedom of expression, their skills and responsibilities can be refined (note an emphasis on skillful and responsible expression).
At a fully integrated level of intuitive animation, each member of the company can sense the impact their function serves in local and global communities. They are able to catch the glass before it falls.
Considerate And Vulnerable
The practice of permanent beta leadership cultivates the awareness of interconnectedness — again, like team-building games, except less Twister.
At deep levels of intimacy with action and impact, individuals and companies are able to show compassion to themselves and their environment. This attitude of compassionate wisdom not only promotes the health and longevity of a company, but also nurtures its environment as if it were a vital part of itself. Just like how we can move our bodies to consider the vulnerabilities of our joints, the body of a company can operate in consideration of its unique vulnerabilities. When we know what hurts and what feels good, we can allow that kind of data to inform our actions in a team. In this way, the expression of the company is not inhibited by fear but liberated by honesty and responsibility.
It is humility that gives permanent beta leadership its power. Lao Tzu, a Zen philosopher, once said, “If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them.”
The transfer of energy from the mind to the body may require more energy upfront, but in time, permanent beta leadership enters a flow state. It’s what Zen folks call effortless effort: the harmony between all parts, working together.
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Author: Steve Cross, Forbes Councils Member
