Becoming a Leader: Act First, Think Later

A few months ago I had the opportunity to take part in the 2019 Multi-Ethnic Leadership Development Institute cohort. This institute is one of many that the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) offers. Though this opportunity was a great source of inspiration for my leadership journey, this article does not focus on the experience itself. However, this article focuses on one of the leadership resources we were given – a book titled Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader by Herminia Ibarra. What follows is a brief excerpt along with some practical ways I have put her ideas and concepts into practice.

This work rests on the premise that acting like a leader will lead to opportunities to think more like a leader. This is done by increasing what Ibarra calls the “Outsight principle,” which holds that

the only way to think like a leader is to first act: to plunge yourself into new projects and activities, interact with very different kinds of people, and experiment with unfamiliar way fo getting things done.

In other words, the Outside Principle claims that one becomes a leader from the outside in. This principle asks those wanting to step into higher leadership capacities to redefine three major components of their life – their jobs, their networks, and themselves.

Redefining Your Job

Ibarra claimed that leadership is “aimed at creating change in what we do and how we do it,” which management, by contrast, is defined by “doing today’s work as efficiently and competently as possible within established goals, procedures, and organizational structures” (p. 36). (I have written about this in an article titled From Manager to Leader). She presses the reader who wants to grow in leadership capacities to think about devoting more time to four areas: 1) Bridging across diverse people and groups; 2) Envisioning new possibilities; 3) Engaging in the change process; 4) Embodying the change. Engaging in these areas will consequently help redefine one’s job by creating opportunities for new perspectives, experiences, and projects. In Ibarra’s own words

Envisioning the future is a much more dynamic, creative, and collaborative process of imagining a transformation in what an organization does and how it does it.

Upon my return, I have been much more intentional about looking at my role in the broader institutional plan. I then looked for ways to partner with departments on initiatives that create opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration. In the process, I have positioned myself to engage in the process of change for other offices. I have more eagerly and strategically embraced change, which my current role and office are the very embodiment of.

Redefining Your Network

As a consequence of reaching across departments and joining efforts in bringing about change, my network has expanded within the organization. However, Ibarra argues this is not enough. She describes three different kinds of networks – operational, personal, and strategic. The first concerns the people who we are dependent on to get our work done. The second is where family, friends, and those we trust for advice live. The last, argues Ibarra, “gives you connective advantage: the ability to marshal information, support, or other resources from one of your networks to obtain results in another” (p. 86). Ibarra claimed that

Effective leaders create and use networks to tap new ideas, connect to people in different worlds, and access radically different perspectives.

Upon my return, and through the discerning process of what is next in my professional journey, I began to see a gap in my strategic network. My desire to contribute to a specific academic field and body of literature has demanded I grow this network. Since then, I have reached out to those I consider thought leaders and valuable voices and have pursued groups and events that will help me grow my strategic network. Granted, this particular endeavor did not coincide specifically with my current role. But who said it had to be so?

Redefining Your Self

Naturally, the last point led me to experience the need to be more genuine with myself and my career aspirations. Ibarra describes two profiles that helped set the stage for how one may go about redefining themselves. The first, the Chameleon, or the people “who are naturally able and willing to adapt to the demands of a situation without feeling like a fake” (p. 123). The second, the true-to-selfer, which describes those who are “stuck to behaviors and styles that worked for them in the past” (p. 127). Ibarra claimed that

One of the most important motivators in any behavior is the belief that it is a fundamental expression of ourselves.

Hence, there exists a tension between our actions and how we perceived such actions to fit with our authentic self.

Ibarra does a great job of outlining the challenges of stepping into our professional identities with a greater sense of authenticity. Unfortunately, she does not undertake the challenges of the minority experience from a cultural/ethnic perspective. This left me thinking about how I could “be more playful with my self” amidst my cultural and ethnic identity. (I have written about the challenges and insecurities I have faced in an article titled Why I Wear a Suit Every Day: A Story of Vulnerability). I have since reached out to leaders I admire and respect to ask for their perspective from a cultural/ethnic minority and gender experience. Their insights into how they approach embodying leadership through their culture/ethnicity and gender have been inspirational, to say the least. There is a lot to be said about this but I will save it for another time.

Conclusion

In sum, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader is a valuable resource for leaders that feel the urge to step into leadership roles that challenge them beyond their current capacities. It is most appropriate to sum this article up in the words of Ibarra:

When you internalize a change, it becomes grounded – real and tangible – in your direct experience and is rooted in new self-definitions. The outsights become insights.

Best of luck, fellow emerging leaders!

References

Ibarra, H. (2015). Act like a leader, think like a leader. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.