It is important to approach the new year with your team – gathering the “human system” around you to delve into what lies beneath and beyond – to a sense of hope, purpose and ambition, and develop a way of working together for the year ahead.

As we embark on a new year, a quarter of the way through the 21^st Century, it’s a natural time to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future.  However, all too often these days the future feels either too scary or confusing to make any plans or even hope.   At Xenergie, we advocate for pressing hard on the button of hope, for without spending more time thinking about the long term, or even the year ahead, we may find ourselves stumbling into the new year looking through the rear-view mirror.

What if there was a way to lead organisations in a way that created more resilient and adaptive teams, taking into account the complex, interconnected world in which we find ourselves? Welcome to Eco Leadership.

Leaders are struggling to keep pace with the increasing complexity of organisational management through traditional leadership models . As Systemic Change Leaders, our role in coaching and consulting organisational leaders to adopt modern leadership mindsets and techniques has never been more crucial.

With expectations on governance at an all-time high, it has never been more important for board members to be high performing and tuned in.  Whilst some of the more obvious performance points noted in guidelines for Boards – such as relevant experience, representation, non-competing interests, relatively few board directors are versed in the knowledge of “organisational shadow”, or it is dismissed in the category of "unmeasurable soft stuff". However, it's very measurable when it shows up and causes unwanted events. So how to work with it?

This month, Xenergie took an eye-opening trip to London to delve into the virtual world of leadership development. We had the unique opportunity to interact with virtual reality, immersing ourselves in a surprisingly lifelike environment where we chatted with an avatar that felt almost human. This experience sparked deep reflections on the future of work—what it means for businesses across all sectors and how organisations can prepare for the changes ahead.

The England football team made it to the Euros final this year, and they have been on a remarkable transformational journey over the last few years. Gareth Southgate, the former manager, has left an indelible mark on the sport with his unique, human-centric management style. His approach has not only improved the performance of the team but also significantly enhanced the players' overall experience.

Role Reflection helps leaders to develop a deeper understanding of their impact, their responses and areas for improvement. Above all it is about engaging with oneself as part of a "human system" of interconnected thoughts, processes and actions.

How often have you seen teams working within their “silos” and not really knowing what is happening across the organisation, or in the wider business ecosystem? The American Management Association report that 83% of executives observe silos in their organisations and 97% think it is having a negative impact on performance. So why do teams keep doing it?

As we emerge into a post-digital, post-pandemic world we have seen how hyper-connected our societies, industries and environments have become. The well known metaphor of the butterfly flapping its wings and causing a storm on the other side of the world has become painfully evident over the last year. Whether it is due to digital transformation, globalisation, the impact of climate change or the pandemic we see how everything is connected.

For teams to be sustainable with enduring impact they require trust, a common purpose, adaptability and connection to the ecosystem of which they are a part.

The corporate world is arguably in the greatest period of transformation. This revolution it is in, is largely one about how it “shows up”, and the choices available in how it responds to the events of our time. With the right kind of leadership skills, this revolution is also a period of opportunity. So, who are the leaders we are talking about, and what is the “it” we are referring to in the corporate world? Who is the “we” and who will drive this period of opportunity?

All around us are the very real signs that we are in a massive transformation, and people are at different stages of grasping the enormity of it. Gleicher’s Formula for change speaks to the fact that change is possible when people have a clear vision of the future. However, what happens when the future isn’t clear? Or is it that the picture we are being shown is simply too overwhelming?  

Advances in technology and the workplace transition from on-premise to remote, to now a hybrid of the two, promises disruption after disruption, but what does this mean for the organisation of the future? Beyond talk of digital human and driverless cars, how can humans relate to the future? Here are five things to bear in mind as your organisation prepares for future change.

The competitive race for innovation vs our ability to integrate continues to be one of humanity’s greatest dilemmas – many would argue we have not progressed in closing the gap because those who are at the cutting edge lack the patience and empathy for those at the lagging edge and vice versa.