INsight/ Leading like Water

Manila, 30 September 2021 — Are you leading in silos or leading like water?

Story

It happened in 2021. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause suffering and uncertainty around the world, many thought leaders are looking ahead. Among them is Apichai Sunchindah, a veteran advisor to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). His posts in Notes from Home: Re-imagining Southeast Asia post-COVID offer food for thought about where humanity is heading, and about what is holding us back from making headway with better solutions. 

Talking about the pandemic and the climate crisis with its widespread impact, Apichai calls for a “renaissance to do things differently” in a cross-sectoral and inclusive manner. The problem is, he explains, that governments and industry, indeed “our whole social structure,” is still compartmentalized and operating in silos. While the issues confronting society have to be handled in a way that he describes as integrated, inter-sectoral, humble, nimble, and agile, what still happens is that “each of the different pillars are basically doing their own things. They carry out their work in the traditional sense.”

Elsewhere in the world, thought leaders are also re-imagining the future. In Europe, they are trying to make sense of the changes in the political landscape after elections in the Netherlands and Germany. Anglosaxon analysts, in particular, are concerned that an increasing trend of political fragmentation will create more silos and make states harder to govern. Should we expect even more fragmentation in the future? I wonder if something else is at play. Could it be that these new trends are actually showing us something of the renaissance that Apichai is calling for?

Challenge

Let’s do a little mental exercise. Imagine the executives of government agencies and companies getting together in a meeting. Or the heads of political parties working on forming a coalition government. When we see them speak to the media, there is often a backdrop showing their organization or political party. And even without those symbols, it is easy to mentally identify which ‘silo’ or ‘pillar’ they stand for. Are you with me so far?

Now let’s imagine that these same heads are in the swimming pool, teaming up together for a game of water polo or practicing synchronized swimming. All of them are wearing identical swimming outfits and headgear. Can you visualize this in your mind’s eye? Suddenly, it is harder to identify who is who. In fact, it is close to impossible. And we can no longer see which silos they represent. 

Upon reflection, then, part of the reason why our world remains stuck in silo thinking is that we hold on to this mindset ourselves. It’s how we see the world. And this is constantly reaffirmed by news channels and social media who see the world in the same way. These media interpret any change in the context of these silos, which means the past, not the future. It is our own fixation with silos that keeps us stuck. We see them because we are reluctant to see the world in a new way. Silo thinking makes it harder to see new changes. And, in that way, it prevents us from creating the renaissance of change that Apichai is re-imagining in his notes. 

Question

As leaders, we like to practice a habit of asking ourselves a number of meta-questions. What is happening in this situation? What is really happening, under the surface? And why does that matter? As we look closer at the world around us, we can observe lots of shifts taking place in our societies, for example in the priorities of Gen Y, and now Gen Z. Yet many of the silos created earlier are still in place, at least in our mind’s eye. 

Our story today is about thought leaders re-imagining our future. As leaders ourselves, we need to see beyond the silos that are painted for us by the media and our own mindset. In fact, the pandemic and the climate crisis can introduce a renaissance of new thinking, as Apichai hinted in his notes. And today, we can already see how young leaders in countries around the world are driving a change in mindsets and politics from the bottom up. This wave of change reminds me of the leaders we visualized in the water of the swimming pool, where the silo identities had disappeared and a sense of collective leadership had emerged.

The renaissance of leadership we need to solve our crises may, in fact, be close than we think. I chose to call it Leading like Water, in a metaphor for the ancient Dao philosophy that saw a Watercourse Way for life and leadership. More collective and collaborative. Less ego, more eco. Not against nature, but building a better world with nature, of which we humans are an integral part. And, nowadays, using the wave of new technologies to connect us in new ways that keep evolving. My question to you is: are you still leading in silos, or are you already part of the 21st-century renaissance of Leading like Water?