Wicked Problems & Potential Blindspots
- Charlotte Gorse
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
As the academic year comes to a close, Vice Chancellors, CEOs and Founders of UKHE begin reflecting; how to spot potential blind spots and turn problems into opportunities to thrive in the next year. Our thoughts move to the McKinsey article ‘Seeing CEO blind spots’, from Carolyn Dewar, Malhotra and Scott Keller’s book A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership.
Wherever you may be in your role: early-, mid- or late-term, reflect on how differing phases align with potential risks and opportunities.
For those embarking on a new venture:
● Stepping into the role: the first couple of years of tenure allow you to set the tone going forward, aligning and mobilising teams to arrive at the intended destination.
For those currently in the long grass:
● Staying ahead while in the role: several years into the role, you'll likely prioritise shaping the long-term journey – thwart complacency – establish successive periods of intense activity and radical improvement, seeking to boost performance at every level.
For those thinking about legacy and seamless continuation:
● Sending it forward: recognise where both the Board and direct reports may have differing views, and seek to accommodate these. There is potential for growth here.
Reflect upon potential and common blind spots:
● Early in the role, leaders are often overzealous. In wanting to make significant (and lasting changes) to shift the culture, incoming leaders often underestimate the difficulty in aligning and mobilising staff to this end. Balance who you are and what you want with who the organisation needs you to be. Recognise the need to manage time and energy and adjust accordingly.
● When in the midst of your tenure, consider if you have lost initial boldness and creativity. Consider IBM’s Arvind Krishna’s words,
‘people get hung up on the success of old strategies, and then they refuse to acknowledge that times have changed, and new strategies are needed.’
A balancing act is essential, remain open to new ideas from others.
● And finally, try not to negate late-in-the-game developments. Avoid unnecessary risks to alleviate boredom but prevent a slowdown in growth.
From one CEO, Sam Hazen, of HCA Healthcare, self-imposed precarity is an invaluable driver of success:
‘I’m in my seventh year as CEO, and despite our success, I still feel like I’m behind. That creates an internal motor for me to do more to make a difference for society, to benchmark our performance against the best inside and outside of our industry, to structure my team better, and to continue my own development. It keeps the organisation moving, and it keeps me moving.’
Reconsider this year's mistakes. Those who create the most value aren't the ones who think they've figured it all out: they're the ones who stay hungry, and keep improving.
