'Upbringing, Family and Leader Behavior' (Re-writing your Leadership Code) - Shlomo Ben-Hur

Nature versus Nurture? The oldest debate in the world is about the question if we have free will (my take on this: It is probably useful for yourself and others to pretend you have one), the second oldest about nature (DNA) versus nurture (Upbringing). In my perception, it is not a question of Nature versus Nurture but of nature and nurture. I am a strong believer in the 'Big Five' and a strong believer (as well as an 'Expert by experience') in the role that upbringing and family structure play in our development as leaders. However, given the fact that we cannot change our DNA, that makes our need to analyze the impact our upbringing and family structure played in our development more important than ever. The best book I ever read about this topic was 'Re-writing your Leadership Code' by Shlomo Ben-Hur and Nik Kinley. This book posits that our core instincts originate in childhood, creating neural pathways that act like the code of our internal operating system (OS). This OS determines how we process events, make choices, interact with others, and influence our teams. While professional composure usually masks these deep-seated traits, high-pressure situations strip away that filter and reveal our true reactions. Ultimately, leading through crisis exposes both the strengths and flaws of our fundamental character. I recently had the pleasure of having a conversation with Shlomo about this book. In our conversation, we discussed: 00:00 The Leadership Code 05:58 The importance of Self-Awareness for Leaders 10:39 How Leaders can increase their Self-Awareness 15:56 Three critical capabilities for Leaders 28:10 The Big Themes: Free Will and Nature versus Nurture 30:45 Childhood Traumas and Executive Coaching 32:58 Rewriting our code? Rewriting your Leadership Code: https://www.imd.org/research-knowledg... ► About Shlomo Ben-Hur Shlomo Ben-Hur is a Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD with over 20 years of executive experience, including Vice President of Leadership Development at BP and Chief Learning Officer at DaimlerChrysler. As an organizational psychologist, he advises CEOs, boards, and global leadership teams on people strategy, talent management, team capabilities, and organizational culture. At IMD, Ben-Hur directs the award-winning Organizational Learning in Action program and chairs the Chief Learning Officers Circle, bringing together HR and learning executives to address industry challenges. His research focuses on enabling organizations to learn faster than competitors and positioning corporate learning strategically. A prolific author published in Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and Financial Times, his book Leadership OS compares leadership to a computer operating system. It argues that modern leadership success relies on creating optimal environments and developing talent to maximize performance across the organization. ► About me Dirk Verburg is an Executive Coach based in Zurich, Switzerland. His work focusses on one mission: to align the personal mastery of his clients with their organization’s most critical strategic goals. Dirk ensures the success of his clients through a unique, integrated approach that drives tangible, measurable results. His operating principles are defined by Empathy, Confidentiality, Data-Driven Insight, and Partnership. The reason for his success as an Executive Coach is his ability to combine deep business acumen, gathered across diverse industries and functions, with evidence-based behavioral science. He works across the globe, in three languages (English, German, and Dutch), both virtually and face-to-face. Typical topcis his clients approach him with are: Transitioning To New Roles Relationships & Alignment with leaders, teams, and other stakeholders Personal Development Dirk has 30+ years of Business Experience in Executive and Consultancy roles in a range of different industries, including the ICT, Airline, Oil&Gas, Medical Devices, Financial Services, Engineering, and Professional Services industry. Organizations, he worked for and with include AT&T, PA Consulting Group, Shell, Swiss Re, Covidien (Medtronic), Credit Suisse, The Global Fund, and The Adecco Group.