David Gurteen is an independent knowledge management consultant and founder of the Gurteen Knowledge Community. He has run hundreds of Knowledge Cafés globally over the past 15 years. Gurteen realized the extraordinary power of conversation and is now writing a book on Conversational Leadership. Conversational Leadership involves recognizing the power of face-to-face conversation and adopting a conversational approach to how we live and work together. It is a response to the complex, unpredictable, and messy state of our hyperconnected world today.

1. Mr. David Gurteen
Keynote speaker, writer, conversational facilitator and coach
Founder of the Gurteen Knowledge Community

2. David Gurteen
• Independent KM consultant last 25 years
• Run 100s of Knowledge Cafés globally for last 15 years
• Realized the extraordinary power of conversation
• Writing a blook on Conversational Leadership
• Teaching the concepts

3. The mind isn’t a
vessel to be
filled, it’s a fire
to be kindled
Plutarch 46-120 AD
Greek Historian

4. conversational-leadership.net

5. What’s the problem?
What is Conversational Leadership
in response to?

6. Our world is a mess
At all levels
personal, family, business, societal, global
depression, divorce, disruption, polarization,
global warming

7. Our world is
hyperconnected
The Digital Economy
Internet and World Wide Web
Global financial system
Supply chains and distribution channels
Electricity, gas and water supplies
International travel & transport

8. Our world is complex
Massive connectivity has led to a complex VUCA world
Volatile, Unpredictable, Confusing, Ambiguous
Complex is not the same as complicated
World is inherently unpredictable
Unintended/unforeseen consequences

9. We are complex
Human beings bodies and brains
The way we interact is complex
Anthro-complexity
The we interact with our technical systems is complex
Socio-technical systems

10. Our old ways of thinking
& working are failing
Complexity has led to an inherently unpredictable world
But we still try to plan and control things as though it was
We don’t understand the world
We don’t understand ourselves, our biases & our limitations

11. The Outcome
The mess we are in!

12. The Response
Conversational Leadership

13. Conversational Leadership is about
recognizing the extraordinary but
underutilized power of face-to-face
conversation and adopting a conversational
approach to the way in which we live and
work together.

14. Why
conversation?
In a complex world …
• We need to make sense of things in
order to make better decisions
• We need to build stronger relationships
and work together better
• We need to learn together
• We do this through conversation

15. Why
leadership?
In a complex world …
• One person does not have all the
answers
• Everyone needs to lead
• We need to work together

16. Principles

17. Take Responsibility
We need to take ownership & responsibility for change
whether in our jobs, our personal lives or society at large
If we wait for others it could be a long wait
No permission needed
No resources needed

18. Become a Leader
We all need to become leaders
In response to complexity we need more leaders
If you have influence, and a passion, you are a potential leader
Anyone who chooses, can take responsibility & lead

19. Converse
We need to talk more and improve our conversational skills
Listen more
Speak up
Engage in dialogue
Adopt conversational methods

20. Embrace Complexity
We need to understand complexity & its implications
The difference between complicated and complex
The unpredictability of complex systems
Anthro-complexity
Neuroscience and psychology
Cynefin framework

21. Build Community
We need to care more about each other
Organizations are a community of human beings
not a collection of human resources
Respect and trust one another
Build stronger relationships

22. Getting Started Conversational
Leadership

23. It’s a personal commitment
• It is for everyone, not just senior managers and executives
• It is not an OD or HR or change initiative
• It is something you choose to do as an individual
• It’s a journey
• It does not require permission
• Not just about organizational life, but family, community, society

24. Learn
• Subscribe to my blook (multi-media,
massively linked to supporting material)
• Join LinkedIn Conversational Leaders
forum
• Subscribe to RSS blog feeds of key
people

25. Experiment
• Practice conversational habits
• Practice conversational methods
• Run Knowledge Cafés

26. Some Conversational Habits
Converse more
Listen more
Connect more
Involve more people in your conversations
Involve different people in your conversations
Turn one-way communication into conversations

27. Converse more
Start talking and interacting with other people more
Deepen relationships
Simple, no permission required
It is not even too important what you talk about!

28. Not important what
you talk about
Alex Pentland, Director MIT Human Dynamics Lab
Sociometric badges
“The most important predictor of success in a group is the amount of
social interaction - regardless of what is talked about! “
April 2012 Harvard Business Review

29. Listen more
Nancy Kline, Time to Think
Listening is not a passive act, it is very powerful action
“If I can be profoundly interested in what you think and what you will think
next and where you will go with your thinking, you will generate ideas and
insights and ways forward that you wouldn’t do without this attention.”

30. Converse
•What conversation are
you or your organization
not having that you should
be having and how do you
initiate it?

31. conversational-leadership.net

32. Conversation is king.
Content is just something
to talk about.
Cory Doctorow

33. Questions?

34. David Gurteen
• Independent KM consultant last 25 years
• Run 100s of Knowledge Cafés globally for last 15 years
• Realized the extraordinary power of conversation
• Writing a blook on Conversational Leadership
• Teaching the concepts
Thank you

35. An introduction to
Conversational
Leadership
Webinar
April 30, 2019
David Gurteen
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, England
Whatsapp
+44 7774 178 650
Email
david.gurteen@gurteen.com
License
CC BY-SA 2.0