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At some point in your profession, you might fall into a rut and rely on outdated leadership approaches that are not adapted to the emerging challenges and dynamics you face in your organizations and industries. In other cases, a job change may introduce you to an unfamiliar organizational environment or industry, requiring you to quickly develop a set of competencies needed to succeed in your latest role.
These scenarios would require adapting to latest cultural norms, decision-making processes and operational dynamics – often with little implementation and development support. The failure rate for leaders attempting to overcome latest challenges is surprisingly high – as high as 40-50% in some industries.
If this sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. DDI Global Leadership ForecastBased on surveys of 1,827 human resources professionals and 13,695 leaders from 1,556 organizations around the world, only 12% of leaders rate themselves as effective in the five key leadership competencies covered in the study. Only 29% of respondents said their corporations train in these key skills. Meanwhile, SHRM Workplace learning and development trends report indicated that 55% of respondents imagine that they need additional training to be effective, and 75% of respondents imagine that the type and amount of coaching they need does not match what they receive.
These statistics reveal a significant gap when it involves leaders getting the support they must be effective. If these gaps persist, the impact on their careers, staff and organizations might be enormous. Fortunately, there could also be a solution that does not require completely changing the way your organization learns and grows, investing in a formal degree program, or even earning one other certification. This solution is: Play.
Of course, I do not mean just any type of fun, but “identity game”, a topic extensively researched by renowned leadership expert Herminia Ibarra, who has served on the faculties of London Business School, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School. Identity play describes it as experimenting with latest behaviors and approaches to find and refine people who fit your latest environment and challenges.
Using the identity game in leadership development
The identity game concept offers a dynamic and flexible solution for leaders trying to develop. Unlike identity work, which involves adapting to current expectations, identity play is about experimentation—trying on latest identities and exploring potential future selves without direct involvement. By engaging in identity play, leaders can push their boundaries and discover modern ways of leading.
An actual-life example of a leader engaging in the identity game comes from Ben Horowitz, co-founder of Andreessen Horowitz. In his book Difficult things about difficult thingsHorowitz explains how leaders must explore different elements of their identity to adapt to challenges. Horowitz himself engaged in an identity game, balancing two leadership identities: strategic thinker and process-oriented operator. These experiments allowed him to make complex decisions while providing operational clarity by delegating tasks to a COO with complementary strengths. The ability to experiment with these identities helped him lead more effectively by understanding his limitations and adapting accordingly.
Five steps to turning on the identity game
1. Create a protected space to experiment: Set up a protected space for experimentation, reminiscent of a special project, team exercise, or workshop. The focus ought to be on trying latest approaches reasonably than achieving immediate success. As a leader, model this by taking on latest challenges in these zones yourself.
2. Experiment with latest leadership roles: Identify one leadership behavior you must experiment with. This behavior mustn’t extend beyond the default approach to leadership. For example, if you are typically a hands-on manager, try stepping back to offer your team more autonomy. If you often take a reserved, analytical approach, try leading with more emotional involvement in some scenarios. Consider what works and what doesn’t, but allow yourself to be flexible and try again in different settings.
3. Look for diverse role models: Instead of sticking to one leadership archetype, explore different role models from different industries and leadership styles. Borrow elements from each that talk to you and create your personal leadership style through selective emulation. For example, analyze how different leaders deal with crises and experiment with these approaches in your organization.
4. Analyze failure as a learning experience: Take the standpoint that failure is a learning opportunity reasonably than something to be avoided. Ibarra noted that leaders who adopt such a “learning mode,” reasonably than focusing solely on results, are inclined to be more successful in the long term.
5. Reflect and adapt: Reflect on what you have learned and proceed the technique of identity play to unlock your leadership potential. After each identity play experiment, reflect on questions reminiscent of: What felt authentic to you? What was uncomfortable and why? Over time, you’ll develop a leadership style that is not only true to who you are, but also evolves to fulfill the needs of your organization and team.
Incorporating identity play into leadership development can be a game changer. It’s not about discarding what works, but about expanding your leadership toolkit. By experimenting with different elements of your leadership identity, you’ll turn into more flexible, authentic, and capable of cope with the complex demands you encounter in the workplace.