PART I UNREST 9
1 This isn’t working 11
1.1 Damn, it’s not working… 11
1.2 Why simplicity is no longer enough 12
1.3 Leadership in the context of a persistent reality: a systemic approach 15
2 My own journey 19
2.1 Then I put my systemic glasses on 20
2.2 Lessons learned: you don’t have to make the mistakes that I did 21
2.3 My image of people: how do I see them now? 22
2.4 My leadership: how do I do it? 24
PART II A DIFFERENT LOOK 25
3 The system 27
3.1 Systems thinking 27
3.2 Human perception 33
3.3 Looking at the dynamics differently 35
4 A closer look 43
4.1 The development of leadership 43
4.2 The systemic integration of leadership 48
4.3 Leadership in the system 57
PART III THE PREPARATIONPREPARATION 61
5 Explore 63
5.1 Do you play your role from outside or inside? 63
5.2 The here-and-now nature of the system 64
5.3 What you are doing when you act from a systems-thinking perspective 65
5.4 Action and reaction: learning to deal with patterns 70
5.5 The roadworthiness of your own system 71
6 Equipped 75
6.1 The three forces that act on the system 75
6.2 Every situation calls for the appropriate behaviour 78
6.3 Creating additional perspectives 81
PART IV ON YOUR WAY 85
7 Setting a course 87
7.1 When a “normal” systemic perspective is simply not enough 87
7.2 Diving suit on, check, diving mask on, check: dive, dive, dive! 88
7.3 Theory U 91
7.4 Deep dives in practice: three case studies 92
7.5 Conscious confrontation 96
8 Full speed ahead 101
8.1 Introduction 101
8.2 From leader to conductor: learning how to orchestrate energy 102
8.3 Your energy as a source of information 102
8.4 The energy of others 103
8.5 Managing your energy 105
8.6 Short circuit, the wrong number and the weakest link 108
8.7 Clearing bottlenecks 110
8.8 Movement and flow, two more working methods 113
9 The compass 119
9.1 Introduction 119
9.2 Hats on: different types of energy and their impact on the system 119
9.3 Hats on, hats off? 130
9.4 Using the systemic leadership compass in practice, in the workplace 133
9.5 Under pressure 137
9.6 Communication associated with each of the four hats 139
10 The outlook 145
10.1 Introduction 145
10.2 What if the system were to speak: synchronicity 146
10.3 Working on the maturity of your team 148
10.4 Systemic working in organisations and teams 153
10.5 Recognising patterns 157
10.6 How culture mirrors consciousness and needs 162
10.7 The perfect solution doesn’t exist: learning to work with dilemmas 166
