'Weak leaders tend to jump the gun, strong ones pause to think'

Dr Oleg Konovalov, a business educator, consultant and C-suite coach
 
Dr Oleg Konovalov is a business educator, consultant and C-suite coach. He is also the author of The Fisherman’s Path To Leadership: 224 Lessons From The Wisdom Of Nature. In an interview with Forbes India, he draws upon his fishing experience to unlock the secret to successful leadership. Edited excerpts:    

Q. Could you let us a bit into the book’s back story?
Fishing is about connecting with nature. Humans are only a part of nature. We can’t create or invent anything smarter or better than nature does. It is an infinite source of learning. Every fishing trip is about asking questions: How can I expand my mindset? How can I become better as a leader and as a person? How do I lead people in challenging situations? I was always chasing the large fish that demanded opening my mind to a greater extent every time. Every fishing trip is a lesson in leadership, strategy, marketing and personal growth. This is about deep thinking, hard work and an enhanced mindset. Little thought, nothing caught. I wrote The Fisherman’s Path to Leadership intending to share my lessons as if I would be sharing them with my friends whilst sitting around a campfire.

Q. What’s the larger perspective you are trying to build through the fishing analogy? 
We will have driverless cars, but we will never have peopleless organisations. Nature helps us to remain human and to learn about others in an authentic environment. Living in an era of AI (artificial intelligence), we neglect the fact that no AI can beat or will ever change the emotions and feelings of a human that is connected with nature. We train AI to think like a human, but we can’t train AI to be emotional. Nature helps us to become better with every interaction. Nature is a source, not a resource. A moment of connection with nature leads to the realisation of our inner strengths. Whether in fishing or leadership, mastery is defined by the ability to learn, unlearn and learn again. It helped me to realise that fishing is a labour of love, and leadership is a labour of love. Love and care are my tackle to catch people’s hearts and minds.

Q. You write in the book: “Be a storm yourself that is stronger than forthcoming challenges.” Please elaborate.
We are living at a time of the highest pace of change humanity has ever faced. With even more changes coming as avalanches, we will face more challenges. Every challenge is a storm that either wipes us out as the victims or makes us stronger and enhances our capacity. We must be the storms ourselves, stronger than forthcoming challenges. You are either a leader who stands firm and does what must be done regardless of how tough circumstances are or you give up and let others fail. At the same time, being strong as a storm is a psychological skill that develops with experience. It doesn’t make you fearless but makes you experienced.  

Also read: 5 Tips for growing as a leader without burning yourself out

Q. What’s the relevance of intuition in the age of AI?
We are only humans, and our minds are full of illusions that come without hard thinking and disappear with the first clear thoughts about what underlies them. The reason is that the illusion is not attached to reality and only tricks the mind.

Intuition is something very different. It attaches our souls and unconscious minds to the universe and mobilises a superior inner consciousness that processes weak signals and connects seemingly unconnected dots that the brain, eyes, ears and other sensing centres absorb without us noticing. It helps our mind and soul to do optimisation in a much finer way than our logical brain does and far beyond the convenient solutions offered by AI. Intuition builds on experience and on an ability to analyse and process details asking counterintuitive questions and being prepared to accept inconvenient answers.

Q. What’s the trait most needed to navigate uncertainty? 
One of the greatest challenges when fishing in the Arctic is not the weather but mosquitoes. Legions of these vampires are everywhere. They can turn a person into a bundle of inflamed nerves. It’s impossible to fight every insect. But you have to find a way to protect yourself so you can move on with the day. If you can’t find a solution, you simply can’t continue fishing and enjoy nature. In terms of leadership, all businesses face a myriad of problems that, like mosquitoes, suck blood and energy from them. Having problems is normal unless they turn into deadly challenges.

Many people consider themselves ‘problem-solvers’. However, talking about problems only causes more problems. Great leaders talk about solutions. We have enough problem-solvers; we need more solution-finders. The main challenge for today’s businesses is the lack of vision that reflects long-term solutions for others.

Q. Why is it important for leaders to ‘pause’?
Success is not about choosing between options but a result of deep thinking. If you don’t have good options or opportunities, it doesn’t mean you should continue doing something wrong. Yet, corporate life hijacks our consciousness, clouds our minds, and even our ability to pause when needed, by pushing us non-stop. We desperately need lucid moments to calm down and have clarity before acting. Pausing is a sign of maturity and approaching something challenging by being conscious. We need to pause to get insights from the market reality. We need to pause to gain a bigger view of where and how we will go for success. We need to pause to free our minds for bigger thoughts and ultimate ideas. The ability to pause and knowing when to pause is a sign of a strong leader who cares about good preparation. Weak leaders tend to jump the gun; strong leaders pause to think.

Also read: Leadership should be a team sport

Q. What goes into a culture of productive teamwork?
At sea, everyone is at risk, and we aim to diminish the risk for each other. There are many cases where one fell overboard into the cold North Atlantic water having mere minutes to survive and his mates did everything possible, including jumping after him and saving his life by risking their own. Work on deep-sea trawlers is defined by roles, not job descriptions. We all have core duties and are responsible for everything we do on board and for others. This is about recognising the holistic nature of what we do together and mutual dependency.

In leadership, the role defines how people support each other and allows them to realise the impact of their work on others—colleagues, customers and the organisation as a whole. A job description is necessary, but it can restrict an employee’s vision of the inner life of an organisation as one single body. A culture of productive teamwork is built on understanding roles. Understanding one’s role allows a person to see beyond their desk to the organisation as a whole.

Q. Learning and listening—how crucial are these for future-ready leaders?
Listening is critical for developing open-mindedness, which is a property of all good leaders. No one can gain knowledge and information while talking. A leader must listen first to learn about and from others. Listening determines a leader's involvement in people and develops his awareness beyond himself. Listen to nature, and you will understand it. Listen to customers, and you will understand them. Listening precedes learning. It allows us to think more, feel and gain more, and give others what they need.