course, allowing it to remain strong and stable even in times of crisis. According to
this approach managers have a protective function, preventing problems rather than
solving them.
Mintzberg sees the urgent need for managers to liberate themselves “from all the
fuss about management techniques and great men, and turn to a deeper understand-
ing. We need more thoughtful managers, who are involved more extensively in
processes and procedures” (Mintzberg 1999). The requirements of good leadership
and the fundamental needs and interests of employees and customers, he feels, are
timeless.
I consider this approach both groundbreaking and effective. In companies and
leadership seminars alike, there is too much hot air, too much showbiz and too
much hectic energy. Yet knowledge, quiet reflection and selfless service for the
good of a common cause are what we need. To me leading also means serving,
being humble, and being able to step back in situations where your employees know
best. Executives should learn to listen to their own instincts in order to sense the
moods of others, to empathize and see the bigger picture, instead of only awaiting
their grand entrance.
The Five Managerial Mindsets
Based on this desire for much less “ado about nothing” and more well-considered
behavior, and based on his own practical experience working with managers, Henry
Mintzberg developed the concept of the five managerial mindsets (see Gosling and
Mintzberg 2004, pp. 46–59).
The point of departure for this approach is the following premise: managers’
daily work is often complex and confusing. In order to find their way and overcome
the mounting demands placed on them, they must master five different ways of
approaching problems – or mindsets – and be able to combine them to create the
“big picture.” It is not Mintzberg’s goal to preach the “one, true” way of dealing
with problems; instead he recommends that they orient their thinking on five core
points: analysis, action, reflection, cooperation and being worldly.
Taken together, these aspects provide a framework opening new perspectives
and allowing managers to better interpret the world (within the company and beyond)
around them. Each mindset has its own focus or goal. The reflective mindset deals
with managing your own ego; the analytic mindset examines the management of
organizations. The collaborative mindset is based on the management of relation-
ships, the worldly mindset on the management of contexts, and the action mindset
on managing changes.
- The reflective mindset
Today’s decision-makers attend seminars in droves. These seminars tend to have
the ambiance of an adventure vacation or survival camp. Mintzberg argues that
managers do not need this type of atmosphere in order to develop. Likewise a
boot camp is not needed, because boot camps only teach people to March and
54 2 Occupation or Calling: What Makes for Good Leadership?