I've been reading a lot recently about Leaders (Finally) coming to a Realization that "Something" is Broken in Today's Businesses.
It started with Complaints.
Lack of Innovation.
Lack of Team Cohesion.
Struggle to Develop Leaders.
Struggle to Train.
Productivity Problems.
The List goes On and On.
It has Recently (Finally) come to a point where Everything is Breaking Down so Badly where Leaders are "Just" Starting to Discuss and Accept the Problem More Openly.
The Model is Fundamentally Broken.
They "All" Exist as what I have called a Vicious Cycle of Leadership.
So, people are beginning to Question the Model.
Of the "Buzzwords" around this topic, what has been spoken about most has been "Founder Mode" and "Manager Mode".
What I Adore about this Concept is that it "Finally" is Recognizing that Things Must Change!
However, there is a Deeply Inherent Flaw in the Concept.
Albert Einstein said it Best.
"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them."
It's a Classic Bias we have as Humans.
What do We Do when we Discover Something Is Not Working?
Attempt to go Back!
If Manager Mode Does Not Work, then We Must "Go Back" to Founder Mode.
Except, Manager Mode was Created because Founder Mode was Not Sustainable.
The Entire Problem began because once you hit a certain Point, you just are not "Physically" Capable of doing the same things with a Larger Company that you did as a Small Company.
The Ironic Part is that when "This" Problem Recently Occurred, Founders went to an "Extremely" Old Model that had already Proven to have Major Issues.
"Manager Mode" is Something Leadership Development has been trying to Fix for Half a Century.
As they say, Insanity is Doing the Same Thing, Expecting a Different Result.
Or, in these cases, Using the Same Models and Expecting Different Results.
To Progress, We Need New Models.
What will the New Model be for the Future?
Sageship.
What is this?
Well, let's break it down.
Sage-Ship.
The Suffix "-Ship" has a few different meanings, of which "All" Apply.
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The State or Condition of Being Something
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The Position, Status, or Duties of Something
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Skill or Ability as Someone or Something
So, Sageship is the State of being a Sage, having the Position and Duty of being a Sage, and having the Skills and Abilities of a Sage.
But what is a Sage?
This is answered with the 8 Stages to a Quality Career.
A Sage is someone who is "Beyond" a Master.
When we look at the Models above, we see this overcomes one of the Issues of Manager Mode.
As it is described, part of "Manager Mode" is hiring people who are Great at what they Do, and Leaving them Alone to do it.
Another way to say this is Hiring "Masters".
The Problem of the Manager/Master though is that they are "Masters" of Today, but Not Tomorrow and the Future.
This is also Why we "See" People Continuously try to "Go Back".
The Master only "Knows" How to Go Back to Old Models.
The Sage is "Actively" Creating and Innovating the Future.
Constantly.
Consistently.
They Look at the Past, but only to Determine the Problems of the Past.
They Question the Norms of their Industry.
They Find Answers to What Others Ignore.
But, there is More to Sageship.
For Instance, why call it "Sageship" and Not "Sage Mode".
There are Two Reasons.
The First (Funny) Reason is Sage Mode is heavily used in a Popular Anime, so I Do Not want to Cause Confusion.
The Second (Important) Reason is "Mode" Implies something you "Turn On" and "Turn Off".
Like a Light Switch.
The Problem with this?
Authenticity.
If you Actively "Turn Off" Something, then you are Not "Being" It Throughout Life.
A Sage is Something to Strive for in "All" of your Life.
Sageship is the State of "Being" a Sage.
Constantly.
Consistently.
A "Founder" or "Manager" is Something you Turn On or Off as Needed.
For Long-Term Impact, you want to "Be" a Sage to those around You.
You want to be an Exemplar of Being a Sage.
We can next look at the Idea of Position and Status of Being a Sage.
A Sage, in the Context of Business, is someone that Others "Seek Out".
When Masters hit the end of their Knowledge, they Look for a Sage.
Then, when they are Ready, a Master will Seek "How" a Sage Looks at the World so that they, too, can become a Sage.
This is what many Business Leaders are Asking for Today.
A "Team" of People who are Creating and Innovating the Future - a Team of Sages.
However, when a "Manager", "Founder", or Leader is "Not" a Sage, the Masters will Not Seek Them.
Which is a Large Part of the Problem we see Today in Business.
Many Leaders are "Showing" they are "Less" than Today's Masters.
The True Masters are Not Stupid and Avoid these types of Leaders.
These Masters Quit.
They Seek Out Competitors.
They Become Entrepreneurs (Seeking their own Sageship).
If Unable, they Quiet Quit.
The Masters Bide their Time, Waiting for a "Sage" to Rise.
We are Watching this Play Out in Tech Today.
We are Seeing the Largest Exodus of Talent in Tech for the First Time in Decades.
Why?
The Masters See No Sages in Leadership.
The Larger Problem for Leaders?
Being a "True" Sage is something "Others" Bestow Upon You.
Masters must "Recognize" a Sage.
This is another Difference Between a Founder and Manager.
A Founder or Manager is a Title you can Put On Yourself.
You Do Not Even Need to be "Good" at them to Receive the Title.
Many Founders and Managers are actually Terrible Leaders.
Sage is Bestowed Upon You by those who "Recognize" You.
Others "Only" Recognize You when You "Are" Good.
If You Fail to get Recognized, You are No Sage.
What about the Skills and Abilities of a Sage?
Well, before we get into that, we should look at the Definitions of a Sage.
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One (such as a Profound Philosopher) Distinguished for Wisdom
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A Mature or Venerable Person of Sound Judgement
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An Herb, Salvia Officinalis, whose grayish-green leaves are used medicinally
These All become Important for Sageship.
A Sage must Demonstrate Wisdom and Sound Judgement.
The Skills and Abilities of a Sage are Focused on Helping Others using Wisdom and Sound Judgement.
This makes sense.
But "How" Does One Gain Wisdom and Sound Judgement?
If you say "Experience", then You are Wrong.
There are "Many" People with Experience who Lack "Both" Wisdom and Sound Judgement.
So what then?
Let's look at the Herb also known as "Sage".
What is Important About this Herb?
For our Purposes, it is a "Medicinal" Plant (Sage, from the Latin 'Salvus' or 'Good Health').
It "Heals".
This is actually the "Secret" to a Sage's Success.
They Too "Heal" as a Leader.
Why do Others Recognize a Sage?
The Sage "Shows" they Heal the Ecosystem they Exist within.
The Sage Understands Their Role in the Ecosystem.
The Sage Understands Others' Roles in the Ecosystem.
The Sage Guides their Ecosystem Towards Health.
In Business, this is what I call Designing a Regenerative Legacy.
The Sage Understands this...
"All Flourishing is Mutual."
A Leader is Unable to Flourish if their Entire Ecosystem is Sick.
So, the Sage uses their Skills and Abilities to Regenerate their Entire Ecosystem.
They Use their Wisdom to Actively Improve the Lives of Everyone Around Them.
The Sage Acts as a "Healer" to their Ecosystem.
The Sage has a "Duty" To Heal their Ecosystem.
This is Problematic for Leaders Today.
You Cannot "Give" what You Do Not "Have".
Most Leaders are "Extremely" Unhealthy - Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, Spiritually.
They cannot "Heal" their Ecosystem because they are Horribly Sick.
Which brings us to an Underlying Issue.
Burnout.
The Psychophysiological State where Human Bodies are "Literally" Tearing themselves Apart, causing Sickness, Up To Even Death.
80% of Employees are "Currently" in Burnout.
More are Expected.
Why?
Burnout itself is a Vicious Cycle.
Burnout literally "Spreads" like a Virus.
This is an aspect of what is known as "Neurocardiology".
So, Leaders are not only Facing their Own Burnout, but their Teams' and Organizations' Burnout Too.
Which causes Leaders to Make Extremely "Unwise" Decisions.
This too is a Psychological Aspect of Burnout.
Where are Humans "Most" Wise?
In Flow States.
What do Neuroscientists Consider the "Opposite" of Flow?
Burnout.
As Leaders and their Organizations Remain in Burnout, it Causes "More" Unwise Decisions, Causing "More" Burnout.
The Ecosystem gets More Sick.
The Masters Refuse to Recognize the Leaders.
There are No Sages.
Eventually, the Ecosystem Dies.
Which is Why We are Finding Ourselves in "This" Conversation Today.
Leaders are "Seeing" their Ecosystems Dying.
They are "Desperate" to Turn it Around.
But because of Extreme Burnout, Leaders are Turning to Old Models that Created the Problems in the First Place.
An Unwise Decision.
For Leaders to Succeed, they Need a New Model.
One that "Heals" Their Businesses of Burnout.
One where the Entire Business Ecosystem Flourishes.
One where Wisdom and Sound Judgement Thrive.
One where Leaders are Bestowed the Status of Sage by Masters.
One where Leaders Accept the Duties of Sages.
One where Leaders are Constantly and Consistently "Being" Sages.
Sageship.