Implement hosted a Leadership Unconference on November 25, 2020, and is planning another on May 1, 2023.
The idea began as I mulled over leadership styles, the changes that people are saying they want in a post covid world, and how people are reacting to leaders in the public sphere.
I get a real sense that many people are no longer happy to accept the way things have been, but at the same time, views around what is acceptable and what is not, are becoming increasingly polarised.
How could I have a wide ranging conversation about leadership in a changing world, and develop some conclusions that could inform my work and the work of others as we navigate our way back to “normal”?
The idea of an unconference was born!
So, what is an unconference?
An unconference is a participant led discussion, centred around the theme of the event, but of specific topics raised by the participants. It is a facilitated, structured process to create a very organic day for participants. The best explanation I can come up with for those who have never been to one, is that it replicates the feeling you have at a formal conference when you come back and say that the best learning was the networking over a cuppa or drinks.
I am observing lots of people telling me what the “new normal” is going to be- but the truth is they really don’t know. We all have a feeling about the future that is based on our own view of the world – I would like to create a forum of diverse people, and diverse views, in a safe place to air those views, and come up with come conclusions about a leadership model for the future.
Of course there are core truths of leadership that we will continue to teach, but how will those be applied in a world where some people are fearful, where more people want to work from home, where our world has shrunk to our own borders.
We began this discussion in 2020 – let’s develop solutions in 2023.
