Leadership in the Present Moment: Super-Heroes Need Not Apply
As we start a new chapter of life and leadership in 2025 and the second half of the DLGP, I am aware of the complexity of leadership in our ever-changing world. Leadership is about context. While there is certainly timeless leadership wisdom, the field of leadership study has evolved significantly, with the recognition that what worked in the past will not always work in the present. There is a need for leadership wisdom in this present moment. Illuminaire: Bringing Life and Light to Leaders Across the World is the first volume of an annual leadership publication to address the current leadership challenges in our present context.
While there are multiple contributors to this publication, Karise Hutchinson is the creator and the cohesive voice throughout the journal. She writes, “I created Illuminaire to provide a platform to harness the collective wisdom from research and practice, bringing the science and strategy of leadership together through story and art.”[1] These might seem like strange disciplines to bring together, yet she does it beautifully and effectively in Illuminaire. Her rationale is that standing at the intersection of science, strategy and story provides us with a good leadership map as we navigate complex issues with no simple solution.[2] Her rationale for art, she writes, “Well, because art is not only a source of beauty; it can inspire and speak without words.”[3]
The journal is divided into four main sections. I was going to do an inspectional reading, but I found myself in an immersive experience that led to lots of notetaking and some syntopical thinking. The four sections are The Power of Influence, Healthy Leadership, Leading Transition, and Creative Leadership. These provide a comprehensive exploration of critical themes in contemporary leadership.
In this blog post, I will reflect on The Power of Influence and Creative Leadership and will explore how these are relevant to my research as I look forward to developing my project in the second half of the DLGP.
The Power of Influence
The most common definition of leadership is “leadership is influence.” However, Hutchinson writes, “There is a growing recognition that leadership is a collective process and the mutually dependent relationship between leaders and followers.”[4] This aligns with Northouse’s definition of leadership in Leadership: Theory and Practice. Northouse states, “Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.”[5](p.57) Leadership is not dependent on the leader alone, but the leader plays a key role in stewarding the leadership influence of the organization.
My research has also confirmed this through other sources such as Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change by Bill Joiner and Stephen Josephs, Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman, and The Starfish and the Spirit: Unleashing the Leadership Potential of Churches and Organizations by Rob Ford, Rob Wegner and Alan Hirsch. These sources and others, point toward leadership as a collective process and the leader as the one who can maximize the collective leadership influence of the organization through a more collaborative leadership approach.
The need for collaborative leadership skills is my research’s central theme. My NPO states: Many leaders in The Alliance Canada lack collaborative leadership skills, which stifles innovation and diminishes member empowerment for mission. My research has confirmed this as a problem to be solved in our denomination. As I have been researching, I have been looking for a way of communicating the mindset shift that needs to take place in a leader.
Hutchinson referenced the work of Wheatley and Frieze, describing leaders as hosts rather than heroes.[6] The perception of the leader as the “hero” rests on a false premise that a singular person can provide solutions for every problem.[7] In contrast, hosts are leaders skilled at convening and facilitating environments where problems are solved by tapping into the collective genius of the group. She writes, “Hosting leaders seek to hear the voices of others and value their voices in the pursuit if change.” I found the metaphor of the leader as “host” to help describe what I have been reaching for and will further explore the writing of Wheatley and Frieze to see if this might become part of how I communicate the necessary mindset shift.
Now, let’s explore creative leadership and how this is relevant to my NPO.
Creative Leadership
Hutchinson delineates the difference between creative thinking and creative leadership. Leaders who are creative thinkers are those who can generate creative problem-solving ideas on their own. However, creative thinkers often struggle to lead creatively and thus fail to implement the change they envision. Imagining change requires creative thinking, but implementing change requires creative behaviour. If a leader is stuck in a heroic leadership paradigm, they will not be able to lead the change they imagine.[8]
Creative leadership is about breaking out of the mould of the expert, heroic leader. In essence, creative leadership is about leading groups through processes of identifying problems, generating creative solutions, evaluating ideas, and co-implementing the solution.[9]
In my workshops, I have discovered that, while leaders desire to be collaborative, they lack the understanding and skill to facilitate group processes. Most leaders tend to collaborate through conversations, but this has limited effectiveness because there is no clearly defined process, it doesn’t create a culture of inclusivity, and there are no clear rules for engagement. Process tools such as Appreciative Inquiry, the collaborative design process we use in the DLGP, and design sprints are ways leaders can engage the group. As I further my research, I will be exploring how I might be able to equip leaders in my context with some process tools to help them become better equipped to lead creatively with competence and confidence.
Conclusion:
As I close, I am again reminded that leadership is changing, and it continually requires leaders to grow, adapt, and change their leadership approaches. I am grateful to be part of this learning community at Portland Seminary. The words of the poem, Living Leadership by Charlotte Finlay, express my gratitude and my sense as we officially enter the second half of our program. Finlay describes leadership as a living thing that grows and develops organically in a community with others on a similar but different journey. She concludes her poem:
Expressed like an artist’s first strokes of print on a canvas.
Part of something bigger still to be,
But not yet…finished.
As much of the process as in the display.
Here we become and are still becoming.
And possibility brims and beckons,
In the unfolding journey of living leadership.[10]
[1][1] Hutchinson, Karise. “Welcome” Illuminaire, Volume 1 (December 2024):10.
[2] Hutchinson, Karise. 10
[3] Hutchinson, Karise. 10
[4] Hutchinson, Karise, “Leadership and the Influence of Power”, Illuminaire, Volume 1 (December 2024): 18
[5] Northhouse, Peter. Leadership: Theory and Practice. Ninth Edition. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, 2022. 57.
[6] Hutchinson, Karise, “Leadership and the Influence of Power”, Illuminaire, Volume 1 (December 2024): 20. See also the article found here for a more detailed explanation https://www.margaretwheatley.com/articles/Leadership-in-Age-of-Complexity.pdf.
[7] Hutchinson, Karise. 20.
[8] Hutchinson, Karise. “Leadership and Creative Innovation”. Illuminaire, Volume 1, (December 2024): 118.
[9][9] Hutchinson, Karise. 118
[10] Finaly, Charlotte. “Living Leadership”. Illuminaire, Volume 1, (December 2024): 138
About the Author
Graham English
I was born in Cape Town, South Africa 30 minutes from Table Mountain, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. My family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada where I spent my teen years, met Wendy, and got married. We now live on the Canadian prairies in northern Alberta. I think God has a sense of humour. I'm a follower of Jesus, work in leadership and church development, love my family and walk a lot.15 responses to “Leadership in the Present Moment: Super-Heroes Need Not Apply”
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Graham,
Great job connecting this book to your NPO and current research. Let’s say there was a completely fictitious leader, whom we shall call Glenn (with an e). Glenn has always been a leader who follows the hero model. If Glenn wants to become a host leader how does he go about doing that? Is there a pathway for Glenn to adapt his work?
Good question, Adam. I would say all of us start out as what might be called heroic leaders. The first step toward a acting as the host would be self-awareness. Heroic leaders have to have a “crisis” or “come to Jesus” moment in which they realize that their leadership is actually causing a bottleneck and unintentionally diminishing the team they serve. Once this happens, they can begin to adapt the way that they lead. There are specific practices associated with the move toward the leader as “host” that take intentional practice, self-awareness, feedback, and ongoing self-reflection.
Thanks for your review and thoughts, Graham. I’m definitely interested in this idea of leader as ‘host’ and how to create intentional spaces for the kinds of collaborative work necessary. What is emerging in your prototypes so far?
Ryan, leadership equipping for pastors would be the primary theme. Most pastoral leaders are not equipped in actual leadership. They have a theological education and receive minimal leadership development. We have people providing leadership at high levels with no frameworks, other than the heroic model.
Intentional leadership development in a supportive peer-to-peer, environment that provide the framework, experience, and coaching for ongoing leader development.
Graham,
I too struggle at times to do a simple inspectional reading of some of the material. I find it so interesting that catch myself reading more than I had planned.
You write ” Imagining change requires creative thinking, but implementing change requires creative behaviour.” For you personally, which do you find easier to do, think creatively or lead creatively?
Jeff, thinking creatively is definitely easier for me. Acting/leading creatively requires working with people and drawing out the best in them both individually and collectively. This is one of the most challenging things, yet important things a leader does.
Graham, You capture me with the title. While reading your blog, I thought of several people I know. They are amazingly gifted individuals but have very little people skills or ability to collaborate. Because of their incredible skill and resilience, they are quickly placed in leadership positions, and it is often devastating for those they lead. What advice would you give those under these types of leaders who do not yet have the skills to adequately or creatively lead a team? How can organizations avoid these situations that I see regularly on teams overseas?
Kari, I’ll start with the second question first. We can avoid this by better equipping and also changing the cultural understanding of leadership. The leaders you describe have proficiency in leadership but have not been developed beyond a heroic form of leadership. They are leading at higher levels without being trained and developed.
How do you work with someone like this? It’s challenging, however, I believe in changing what you can change. We have to lead differently in the spaces that God has assigned to us. We model it and help those around us experience something different.
Hi Graham, I enjoyed reading your post.
Sorry for my loaded questions here.
1.What are the key differences between creative thinking and creative leadership, and how can leaders transition from merely generating ideas to effectively implementing change?
2. How can process tools like Appreciative Inquiry and design sprints enhance leaders’ ability to facilitate group processes and create a culture of inclusivity and collaboration?
Shela, as I understand it.
1. Creative thinking is largely a solo effort. The leader develops vision and provides solutions for the team to “buy into” and implement. Creative Acting is leading in such a way so that others are provided the opportunity to cocreate vision, codesign the soltion, and codeliver on the plan.
2. An open and clear process via the tools mentioned is important because it provides voice to stakeholders in the system, inviting them to part of the change. If people have been involved in creating something they are more likely to “own” the way forward. In may ways, these apply the coaching process to a group or organization.
Hi Graham,
I really enjoyed reading more about your NPO, it came alive for me. The reading also called forth trust/humility/transparency as necessary for effective leadership. What have you been discovering at the intersection of trust and collaboration?
Julie, definitely. The phrase “psychological safety” comes up a lot in my study. This is often misunderstood as “anything goes” or “lack of accountability”. However, this is more closely defined by Amy Edmundson in the Fearless Organization as, “the belief that the work environment is safe for interpersonal risk taking. The concept refers to the experience of feeling able to speak up with relevant ideas, questions, or concerns. Psychological safety is present when colleagues trust and respect each other and feel able – even obligated – to be candid.”
A key insight from her work is that psychological safety is not a personality difference (introvert/extrovert) but a workplace culture that leaders must cultivate.
Hi Graham, like others mentioned, it was nice to see the evolution of your NPO. Nice work. I also picked up on the nuance of leaders as hosts rather than heroes. My thoughts immediately go to the geo-political realm only because I recently read the results of a study that revealed how much politicians drive social behaviors.
Given the newly launched trade wars between the U.S. and Canada, what might a coffee conversation look like between Trump and Trudeau with you as the mediator?
Haha. Jenn, I think the challenge here is that collaboration seeks a win/win. Trump doesn’t seem to be looking at that kind of scenario. I’m not sure our PM knows how to collaborate either. He either enforces his will or capitulates.
If both parties could actually sit down to a collective conversation.
1. I would frame the work (defining a problem, opportunity, and rules of engagement)
2. discover the benefits of trade between Canada and the US, discover what obstacles are in the way right now
3. dream about what a great partnership could look like,
4. design a pathway to get there.
5. Deliver on our plan together
However, it takes participants willing to work together on mutual respect and honor. Not sure if this is the case at the moment.
Great post Graham, thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m wondering which parts of collaborative leadership you find work easily for you, and which are more like swimming upstream?