Leadership, consensus, and authority

Homework recap [3:30pm]
Speaker: Alistair Croll
Alistair holds a brief discussion on the homework assigned the previous session, using polling tools to summarize everyone's input.

Abundant times enable emergent thinking [3:40pm]
Speaker: Alistair Croll
Digital is an opportunity to change how we think.
The top-down model of thinking, then writing, then building paradigm is ingrained into modern society. Whether you're turning a script into a movie, or a spec into a product, we assume that a plan must happen before we act. The economics of twentieth-century mass production, standardization, and broadcast media reflect a Modernist way of thinking (defined as "a socially progressive trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment with the aid of practical experimentation, scientific knowledge, or technology.")
But this approach assumes that implementation is more expensive that planning: It's easier to change the spec than alter the finished product, or to rewrite the screenplay rather than re-shoot the scene. This assumption is often wrong in a world where circumstances change and make the plan obsolete, and where a more improvisational approach using fast, cheap tools can test many ideas concurrently and validate plans in real time.  Leaders need to know how each works, and when best to apply them.

What can we learn from tech leaders?  [3:50pm] 
Speaker: Chris Shipley

Take legitimate authority [4:25pm]
Speaker: Alistair Croll
 There's a time for consensus and collaboration, particularly if you want to create an inclusive workplace that incorporates diverse viewpoints. But there's also a time for unilateral action and authoritative leadership. Most teams recognize the need for a single voice in times of crisis or urgency, but will only truly follow a boss who has earned legitimacy, held accountable for their actions, and willing to give back power when the moment has passed. In this session, we'll look at when to be a boss and when to look for consensus, and how to maintain morale/authority throughout.

Homework and next steps [4:35pm] 
Speaker: 
Before welcoming our final guest, Alistair explains this session's homework: A reading, a video, and a podcast episode that we'll discuss briefly when we gather later this week.

How to change minds [4:40pm]
Speaker: David McRaney
We close with bestselling author David McRaney, whose book How Minds Change delves into the psychology of learning, brain plasticity, and novel thought. David delivered the closing keynote at FWD50 2022, but in this session, executives get an opportunity to have candid conversations directly with him, applying his insight to the challenges they're confronting in their daily jobs.

Note that this session will be extended as an option for those who want to spend more time with David.