Redefining leadership: Why you need “the white belt mind-set”
By Dr. Ehssan Abdallah
Ehssan Abdallah, the executive director of Adaptive Global shares why leaders need to be more humble and implement “white belt leadership” in their organisations.
Being a leader requires both discipline and humility – the ability to consistently pursue goals, push your limits, and being open to learn and fail, much like Mixed Martial Artists (MMA).
Unfortunately, the fear of failing, especially when someone is considered an expert in their field, often stops executives from learning from others. This is where Mixed Martial Artists can provide learning for executives.
The parallels between MMA and business
The world of Mixed Martial Arts has forever changed the nature of combat sports. It is multi-disciplinary and complex in nature and throws a range of variables at all practitioners, even if they are an expert in a particular field such as professional boxing or Olympic wrestling.
Hence, MMA practitioners require a degree of discipline and humility on par with any professional athlete.
This is driven by “white belt thinking”, which calls for established professionals to stay humble in the pursuit of mastering new arts – from the ground up – in order to compete at the highest levels of competition.
More poignantly, these ‘decathletes’ of combat sports provide lessons and parallels which can serve any modern-day leader dealing with organisational complexity and market unknowns.
For any world class CIO or CFO, success and progression are typically domain-driven and reinforces their worldview, which is ultimately inhibiting in today’s everchanging environment.
Embracing the “white belt mindset”
A white belt mindset entails the curiosity and humility to learn and fail, even as a recognised expert. It is underpinned by integrated and disciplined training, building on the original vocation of the MMA practitioner.
Similarly, the corporate world has seen a plethora of cross-training programmes addressing this specific problem, such as finance for non-financial executives, and more recently with digital acumen programmes.
This, unfortunately, is where the similarities to MMA integration and humility stop for most.
White belt leadership barriers
Most executives have an intrinsic fear of removing their “expert hat”. The thought of being put in a subject-matter chokehold by someone junior intimidates them.
Leaders must be willing to broaden their capabilities beyond their original black-belt mastery, whether it’s sharpening their commercial thinking, performance management, or talent management. Naturally, this must be driven by organisational objectives.
Subject to overcoming the first barrier, organisations must strategically identify what capabilities they require and who is likely to build and excel in these laterally across the enterprise.
Given its future focus, this is a highly complex undertaking but serves as a north star for all, provided progress is measured and aligned.
Sadly, many organisations are ill-equipped to enable their executive to build multi-disciplinary muscles. This leaves individuals as victims of their own competency.
Lastly, organisations look upon their capability building at the functional level rather than the enterprise level.
This incapacitates joint problem solving, collaboration, and information and experience sharing. To instil the white belt culture, organisations must have the right systems which encourages reflection and learning.
Here, an arena for exchange, experimentation, and what Jack Welch termed “boundarylessness” must be created between organisational assets such as data, people, processes, and incentives.
White belt leaders – let alone organisations – are not built overnight. Like any transformation, this must start at the top with leaders willing to embrace discomfort.
Given today’s challenges relating to mass resignation, supply chain constraints, inflationary pressures, and intergenerational capability transfer risks, thinking and operating in areas of managed discomfort can provide a safe landing ground for any leader.
Nevertheless, this requires an elevated level of reflection and willingness for leaders to challenge themselves in an unprecedented manner – one where pain and awkward falls are expected on the path leading to greater effectiveness, no matter what is thrown at them.