Where is discernment in all this?

Leadership – Research - Living

Keynote address by

Mark T. Jones

Director Centre for Innovation Leadership Navigation (CILN), London

International Conference on Institutional Leadership and Learning & Teaching (ILLT)

London 14th-15th September 2015

It is certainly lonely out front

A job specifications that continually morphs

Statesperson General Police Officer Politician Accountant Politician Arbiter Ambassador Storyteller Administrator Peacekeeper Tactician

Price or Value?

In some quarters institutional leaders have been reduced to being mere bean counters, who at times are reminiscent of the cynic described by Lord Darlington in Oscar Wilde’s play Lady Windermere’s Fan (1893); as “a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

A key virtue

Definition of discernment according to the Oxford English Dictionary:

Discernment (noun) -“The ability to judge well”

Discernment should be the sole preserve of theologians

Synonymns:

judgement, taste, discrimination, refinement, cultivation, insight, subtlety, awareness, intelligence, perception, acumen, wisdom

In truth, discernment cannot be taught, but can be developed and

improved over time.

Discernment is invariably psychological and moral in nature.

Hermetically sealed institutions

Believe their own rhetoric Sit back on their laurels Lack foresight Have a complacent leadership Suffer from a collective myopia Stifle genuine discussion Fail to look as well as see Buy in to the prevailing

orthodoxy Are often arid and intimidating

working environments

Have we become institutionally myopic?

Do we seek to stifle dissent?

Appreciating ‘the Invisibles’

As things stand existing hierarchies, and leadership and management structures completely overlook and undervalue some personnel, who to all intents and purposes are ‘the Invisibles’.

Honing discernment

By being an autodidact and encouraging others to do the same.

Through heuristic learning.

By re-visiting ‘old quarries’.

Through developing an appreciation that wisdom in any form comes not just from formal education, qualifications and the world of work, but through seeking, stumbling and sallying forth.

Remain curious

Beware of Dr Google

The slew of information available to us presents a particular challenge, especially in regards to research and the winnowing process.

It is important to remember that Academia and research are as prone to fashion, fads and folly as any other field of human endeavour.

Our championing of discernment surely requires that we lead by example.

The role of lexicon and iconography

We frustrate or facilitate the path to discernment with the language that we choose to employ and the imagery that we surround ourselves with.

How often do we stand back and examine objectively the approach taken by both ourselves and our institution?

Stories, myths and ceremonies shape both our being, but can also act as a straight jacket that limits our room for manoeuvre.

If we fail to champion discernment how can we expect insight and sagacity to develop.

Context is king

Grant ourselves manumission

Some would have us believe that we must remain slaves to the prevailing orthodoxy.

Discernment not only empowers us to recognise (and possibly) challenge those who engage in sophistry, it also allows us to liberate ourselves as we travel along the path of life.

“You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Thank you for your attention

Feel free to contact me:

mark@ciln.orgmarktjones500@gmail.com

Twitter: marktjones500