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LIFESCIENCELEADER.COM MARCH 2014 LEADERSHIP LESSONS insights 78 Contact Frauke Schorr at frauke@centeredleadershipinstitute.com . ask, "What is needed right now?" and only then do a directional check, "Does this align with our overall goals?" Leading From The Head Vs. Head-Gut Alignment In the business world in gen- eral, and especially in a culture that is heavily rooted in logic and science, decisions are often solely made from a rational standpoint based on hard evi- dence. Centered Leaders say, "Decision making is certainly important from logic. But it is also important from your gut. Often logic gives you the answer, but your gut makes you stop and analyze deeper. For best decisions, head and gut need to be aligned." Clarity Of Personal Strengths And Passions & Leveraging Others To Offset Limitations Successful leaders in the study had a high level of clarity about what they are good at, what they care about, what gets their energy moving, as well as their weaknesses. They consciously position themselves to leverage their team mem- bers' talents, knowledge, and interests to complement their own skills and create sustainable success. Adopting thinking patterns of highly successful leaders can help pharmaceuti- cal and biotech leaders to model more efficient ways to deal with an increas- ingly fast-paced environment for them- selves and their teams. Reviewing your own thoughts and beliefs, and adopting proven successful ones as needed, are powerful steps toward change. Change is inevitable. Leaders cannot just demand it from the organization, they have to embrace it for themselves to truly lead. L Frauke Schorr, Ph.D., is founder and prin- cipal at the Centered Leadership Institute, a f rm that helps leaders and teams gain high performance skills. She can be reached at frauke@centeredleadershipinstitute.com . F R A U K E S C H O R R , P h . D . 3 4 2 he life sciences world has enjoyed many decades of solid success, manifested in a culture of a fairly stable, predictable environment. Unfortunately, pace and predictability in the industry are changing significantly, challenging also the typical work culture. We are looking at leaders within companies to change the communication culture among their teams to become more efficient and agile in decision-making processes, exchang- ing information, and moving things for- ward at an increased pace. This is a challenging endeavor, as lead- ers often grew within the industry and found comfort with established ways. The most powerful step toward cultural change, however, is for leaders to change their own behaviors. We conducted an eight-year study based on observation and interviews of successful entrepreneurs and lead- ers. The study showed specific thinking habits that are indicators for the suc- cess of these people. It has been said that "Successful people are simply those with successful habits." Understanding the success patterns of others helps us to review and start applying the same thinking habits ourselves. The insights from this research, coined as "Centered Leadership" principles, may give leaders in the life sciences sector a new mental and behavioral approach for their orga- nizations: Expertise Vs. Curiosity When a large number of highly educated people work together, it can often create a culture of demon- strating expertise rather than displaying curiosity and a willingness to grow and stretch. Centered Leaders ask: "What can we learn, and what else is possible?" rath- er than "What can I teach?" Attachment To Outcome Vs. Present-Moment Focus In a very science-oriented envi- ronment it is not unusual to focus on the end goal and try to draw a line toward the outcome. Yet, in a fast-changing environ- ment, this can lead to missed opportuni- ties. Centered Leaders in the study first Power- Thinking 4 POWER-THINKING STRATEGIES OF CENTERED LEADERS By F. Schorr 1 T 4 Strategies Of Centered Leaders 0 3 1 4 _ L e a d e r s h i p _ L e s s o n s . i n d d 1 0314_Leadership_Lessons.indd 1 2 / 1 9 / 2 0 1 4 2 : 4 8 : 2 6 P M 2/19/2014 2:48:26 PM