The outsight principal: becoming a better leader from the outside in

Ibarra, H (2015) The outsight principal: becoming a better leader from the outside in. Leader to Leader, 2015 (78). pp. 37-42. ISSN 1087-8149

Abstract

Ibarra has found that gaining authenticity requires doing “new and different things and interacting with new and different people.” This “fresh, external perspective” is what she has termed “outsight.” The construct is particularly critical in leading innovation, a notoriously difficult endeavor. She encourages leaders to discover the breadth and diversity of their network; how connected they are to non‐obvious sources of people and information, that your connections are not just people who know each other; and how dynamic and future‐oriented their connections are. “We start by doing,” she writes, “we reflect on our experiences, and we rethink ourselves. And we grow.”