“I enjoy using my experience to help leaders utilize new ways of thinking about their challenges and take a different perspective on their work role. My challenge is to be able to quickly grasp the key issues and then, using a holistic systems perspective, invite reflection on current practice and consider alternative actions.
The cornerstone of my work lies in Reflective Practice. This gives leaders the chance to reflect and build their own theory of action and work out ways to apply this in the future.
The rewards for me come from seeing leaders develop an awareness that they may not have had previously and seeing them apply this and get better outcomes for their organization and themselves.
Over the past few years I have seen two distinct trends in management thinking. One is driven by economic reality and we are seeing a trend towards “back to basics” driven by the fiscal climate. This can result in restructures, staff reduction and a focus on technology (often accompanied by a command and control mentality).
For leaders, the issue is to retain your organizational performance, strategy and culture throughout these processes. Any restructure causes uncertainty and a risk of loss of organizational knowledge. Leaders are under continuous pressure from their Boards to do more with less. So my role is to help them think through how they can review their structure and strategy and ensure alignment of the organization culture that underpins delivery of the strategy.
The second trend I see is around a shift to a non-traditional leadership model. As organisations become more facilitative and leader-follower integrated, we see a change in leadership styles. In the past we saw more acceptance of a leader who “calls the shots” but now it’s apparent this model is no longer effective.
Leaders need to be able to motivate their workforce to come on the journey with them. How does the leader mentally make that shift? What skills do they need? How can they evaluate their personal effectiveness? These issues are key for leaders who are looking to have a positive impact on their organization and their workforce, who are searching for a new way of interacting with the leadership model.”
Bill Andrew’s experience extends across line management and consulting with a wide range of organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand in a diverse range of industries including: Mining/resources, Science and Technology, Telecommunications and Transport, Infrastructure (Water and Energy), and Banking and finance and all levels of government. Bill leads our Delivery Team throughout Australia.
