Welcome back to Lesson 2 of Leadership for a digital world in the public service!

In this week's lesson, you'll learn about Connected: The Networked Mindset and discover the importance of being a connected leader in a digital future.

1. Watch an explanation of Connected: The Networked Mindset

In this video, you’ll learn about Connected: The Networked Mindset and discover the importance of being a connected leader in a digital future. (2 min)

No one person can know enough to make the best decision anymore. How and where we access intelligence and knowledge is changing and has to be as diverse and unbiased as possible. What we call ‘collective intelligence’ is the conscious intention by a modern leader to seek data, knowledge, and insight from as many places as possible. Leaders who are mature in the networked mindset take responsibility for the empowerment and enablement of this collective intelligence for others around them. When we are enabled and empowered we are able to act more effectively in real time - the exact moment of need.

So you can think of the networked leader much like a broker: someone who is focussed on brokering connections between people and people or people with other data sources.

The leader, mature in this principle, also recognises the need for diversity in terms of their own professional networks. Where domain expertise or level, sector or country, become secondary to like-mindedness around values and purpose, this also brings greater appetite for collaboration between perhaps governments and entrepreneurs or agencies with start ups. A richly diverse peer network can significantly impact the confidence and resilience of a modern leader.

2. Reflect on your own experience

Based on the brief descriptions above, where would you place your own maturity currently for this mindset?

The Networked Mindset:

  • Level 1: I'm aware of the networked mindset.
  • Level 2: I understand the networked mindset.
  • Level 3: I can evidence a networked mindset.
  • Level 4: I embody the networked mindset.

One thing to notice as a networked leader is how you approach collaboration and stakeholder management. The networked leader will always seek to understand deeply the value contribution of every party - and work towards everyone giving and receiving value. Diversity also plays a key part in this mindset - not just diversity in terms of culture, ethnicity, background or age, but cognitive diversity as well.

3. Use the suggestions and articles below to help you develop and nurture your Networked Mindset

Networked levels 1 & 2

Learn: Read In it together: the power of a professional development network (8 min)

Think: Review your current peer group structures, inside or outside of the workplace. How diverse are they?

Do: Sketch out your current peer group structure. Now, imagine what a new peer group might look like that isn't driven by expertise or by sector, but by purpose. Sketch out (in whatever way you'd like) how this group would look.

Networked levels 3 & 4

Learn: Read Making meetings matter (9 min)

Think: As a leader who is evidencing maturity in this mindset, it may be time for you to think about how you can integrate this mindset more into your day to day practice. One example might be through bringing external intelligence into meetings. Do you have a regular team meeting that has the same people and the same data included every time? How could you generate collective intelligence that is more diverse? How does this change the dynamic?

Do: In your next team meeting, think about who is in the room, and whether you need to bring in any new voices. You can find some ideas for bringing in others' voices in the article you read.

Picture credit: Unsplash

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