The French businesswoman Céline Schillinger published her book "Dare to Un-Lead: The art of relational leadership in a fragmented world," which was chosen for the Thinkers50 New Management Booklist of 2023, by drawing on her extensive and deep professional experience.
The French businesswoman Céline Schillinger provides a fresh perspective on effective and powerful leadership for any organisation looking to transform.
The Thinkers50 New Management Booklist of 2023 include her book "Dare to Un-Lead: The art of relational leadership in a fragmented world." She begins by pointing out that the workplace is no longer tailored to the concerns of the modern world.
Various studies indicate that it is a cause of disengagement, causing significant anxiety among workers and jeopardising the company's financial prospects.
The author specifically highlights the need to rethink leadership in light of modern collaborative work practices, since our current understanding of the role is no longer relevant.
In his book, the author does not provide a theoretical model to be followed exactly like a cooking recipe, but rather asks readers to consider what is no longer working and offers suggestions on how to radically change the task at hand using the power of the group.
To elucidate this point, Céline Schillinger organises the work around the three universal values—liberty, equality, and fraternity—that serve as France's motto. Thinking about these three values and striving to apply them to the corporate world can be a driving force for change, she adds, drawing on multiple instances and anecdotes from her professional experience.
Prioritising individual liberation and placing freedom back at the centre of the organization's management strategies is crucial.
This requires a type of emancipatory leadership that prioritises individual freedom above control and enables workers to break free from the inflexible organisational rules, escape the boxes that confine them, and take initiative and make decisions.
The book also challenges us to reconsider equality in the workplace. This isn't about downplaying people's diversity—that's a strength—because everyone can have a unique viewpoint on their industry. Instead, equality manifests itself in the growth of networks within the organisation that promote dedication, hard work, and group thought.
According to Céline Schillinger, "as organisational principles, networks enable new, very effective collective work practices." They are the circumstances of a leadership that spurns dominance and fosters peer leadership. At that point, the group takes the lead on the change rather than just one person.
Ultimately, the book emphasises how having more fraternity within the organisation may change people's lives as well as society's social fabric over time. According to Céline Schillinger, "Fraternity arises from a shared commitment to a common cause by implementing true corporate activism that allows the formation of communities of intention and impact."
Then, a powerful concept becomes apparent implicitly: if we are to use these principles to try to change the firm, we must adopt a new understanding of leadership that views power as emanating from the group rather than from an individual's charisma and qualities.