BCG: Generative Leaders
Featured article for this week's Brief
Read time: 2.5 min
Big Idea
Generative leaders who address issues holistically are needed, leading with their heads, hearts, and hands while emphasizing trust, collaboration, collective action, resource regeneration, and sustainability.
Top Thoughts
Leaders should be generative and aim to leave the world better than they found it by focusing on leading with the Head, Heart and Hands:
Head: Reimagining and reinventing business to benefit shareholders, employees, customers, society, and the world. Employ visionary strategy and forward-thinking, e.g., Francesco Starace, who realigned Enel Group to focus on renewable energy.
Heart: Inspiring and enriching people’s lives. Lead with empathy, care, and recognition, e.g. Satya Nadella focused on cultural transformation and purpose-driven leadership to reinvigorate Microsoft.
Hands: Executing, invigorating, and “supercharging” teams to promote teamwork and collaboration, e.g., Chinese companies like ByteDance and Alibaba.
Develop leaders and upskill and evolve leadership practices by reflecting on leadership styles, integrating real-time learning, and using continuous monitoring.
Leadership using competition, resource extraction, and individualistic approaches is outdated. Focus on collective, regenerative leadership styles that prioritize sustainability, consider the long-term impact on the planet, and focus on the collective good instead of individual gain.
“Teaming” is about achieving results through collective intelligence and collaboration. A successful team is characterized by trust, openness to conflict and constructive dialogue, commitment, and the ability to let diverse voices be heard.
"Lead with purpose" and surround yourself with like-minded people to build a team based on commitment, cohesion, mutual trust, and alignment with your goals and mission.
Take accountability and use a results-oriented approach towards giving to invest in sustainable philanthropic projects with measurable benefits delivered to beneficiaries.
Quick Quotes
"What we really need moving forward are leaders who are generative. Leaders who leave the world a better place than they found it and leaders who lead with their head, heart, and hands."
"(In an international survey) we asked them to rank across 18 aspects of generative leadership. What attributes are the most important? And you guessed it, the top four of the 18 attributes were all attributes of the heart."
"Gone are the days of thinking of leadership as individual; here it's very much a team sport."
"More than ever before, leadership is a collective art, and it requires the mobilization of personalities as diverse as they are complementary."
“Teaming is not about achieving consensus. It's about enriching your decision-making by making sure that you let the diverse voices that are represented in the team be heard.”
"The true measure of the team is that it achieves the results it is set to achieve and it does that on a consistent and ongoing basis."
"This is about Legacy and thinking forward about your legacy and what do you want to leave behind... for me, it's about giving more than you receive."
Actionable Advice
Embrace generative leadership - Adopt a generative leadership approach that focuses on leaving a lasting positive impact, make decisions that benefit shareholders, employees, the environment, and the broader community. Implement sustainable practices, promote corporate social responsibility, and focus on long-term value creation.
Prioritize leadership development - Invest in leadership development programs that integrate real-time learning experiences, continuous monitoring, and feedback mechanisms.
Invest in and support social projects - Leverage resources, networks, and influence to back initiatives that align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Investing in early-stage social entrepreneurs and sustainable projects, fosters a culture of responsibility and sustainability and positions the company at the forefront of positive societal change, gaining long-term value and goodwill.
Conduct DD on philantrophic projects - Carry out comprehensive research and analysis before committing to philanthropic projects. Choose projects based on their potential for sustainability and measurable benefits to make investments meaningful and impactful. Prioritize trust, transparency, and strategic project selection to ensure that resources directly benefit the intended causes or projects.
Source(s)
Hemerling, J. (2023). Spotlight on Generative Leadership. [Video]. Boston Consulting Group. (Link)
Humblot-Ferrero, M., Potier-Koninckx, F., & d’Erm, F. (2023, Jun 20). BCG x INSEAD Masterclass #9: Generative Leaders Let Go of Their Ego. [Youtube Video]. Boston Consulting Group. (Link)