answer the call

Organisations that allow strategy to evolve at the frontline need frontline leaders who can lead, own and execute strategy. Let’s stay away from loaded labels like entrepreneur or intrapreneur. Frontline leaders don’t need magical qualifications or even natural talent. All that’s needed is a willingness to take ownership of a problem and rise to the challenge of solving it. They’re the kind of people who raise their hands when volunteers are needed. They are not afraid to get their hands dirty; they understand the job to be done, and accountability comes from within.

In adaptive organisations, degrees or qualifications are no longer entry tickets to positions of status that would otherwise be unattainable. Your MBA or any other qualification is only valuable insofar as it can serve you. Perhaps some of the things you’ve learnt, while earning a degree, will help you master a challenge when you choose to lead and own a project or initiative. But if you don’t have the qualification, you can still learn. We live in a world where all the knowledge we need is at our fingertips. Lots of people have qualifications, but not many will raise their hands when asked to take on a task where the path is unclear and the outcome uncertain.

Adaptive organisations don’t need more degrees; they need motivated people who will gladly volunteer and answer the call to action.