This is the working board from an IRG100 exercise on the Da Vinci growth CMO. Participants were put into pairs, each allocated one attitude, and asked to describe the leader who holds it.
Key findings
- Each attitude was probed with the same three questions: what such a CMO believes about the world around them, what they believe about themselves, and what behaviors they display.
- Nine attitudes were worked on in parallel, one per breakout room. They are courageous, curious, agile learner, connected, collaborative, servant leader, impact obsessed, speed, and inspiring storyteller.
- Courage was described through agency: believing in your own ability to change the world around you, and owning the narrative rather than accepting it.
- Curiosity was expressed as connecting out into the world with a constant need for creative context, and as learning by reading and listening.
How the groups described the attitudes
The agile learner group described a world that cannot be perfected, a growth mindset, and a willingness to learn from mistakes and try new things.
The collaborative group started from the belief that an idea can come from anywhere and that everyone has a voice, and from better outcomes resulting when multiple viewpoints are considered.
The servant leader group described wanting a place where people can contribute and improve the world, helping others to evolve, and putting others’ needs before their own.
The speed group recorded a tension rather than a virtue. Prioritization is described as key, alongside the observation that no executive ever says the organization is moving too fast.
Behaviors the board kept returning to
Across several attitudes, the same behaviors recur: active listening, asking questions and inviting contribution from everyone, and sharing.
Others describe how the leader holds the room. Challenging the status quo and embracing experimentation appear alongside creating a safe space and non-hierarchical working.
The inspiring storyteller group described being always at the audience’s stage, engaging and enhancing goals, and keeping the audience captive.
Scope and limitations
The source is an export of a collaborative whiteboard. Notes from nine parallel groups overlap in the extracted text, so individual contributions cannot always be attributed to the attitude they belong to.
Source
This page summarises Da Vinci Growth CMO Attitudes & Behaviors, by Institute for Real Growth, 2021-03-17.