Alchemists

Hey, I’m back. Been enjoying summer in NZ. Ready for a prudent 2009!

I went to a Human Synergistics workshop on Change early this week. A very  stimulating day. As always with HS. Thanks.

Anyway, some interesting information was presented on the Seven Transformations of Leadership. It’s reported in Harvard Business Review (April 2005 – D Rooke and WR Torbert).

The seven levels of leadership are:

1. Opportunist – who wins any way possible. The equivalent of the single celled organism floating in the primodial soup of leadership evolution. (Bernie)
   
2. Diplomat – who avoids conflict. Algae.
3. Expert – who rules by logic and expertise. Life crawls up the beach onto land.
4. Acheiver – who meets strategic goals. Chimps.
5. Individualist – who interweaves competing personal and company action logics. Homo sapiens
6. Strategist – who generates personal and organisational transformations. Homo leaderiens
7. Alchemist – generates social transformations. Enlightenment.

I liked the idea especially when influencing others at different levels to oneself. I think one of the positives to come out of the current economic turmoils, will be greater visibility for alchemists and social innovation.