Growth tips 30 seconds to business enlightenment.

The new leadership

03-Mar-2011

While there’s much about leadership that remains constant over time, there are profound changes occurring in many industries, and the pace of change is only increasing.

Leaders need to display certain attributes to deal with these changes. This growth tip was inspired by an article that featured in the Management Excellence blog recently.

Some of these leadership attributes are timeless. Every leadership book emphasizes that great leaders possess the following “table stakes” attributes - regardless of the historical era:

• A positive outlook
• Able to motivate and inspire their people
• High degree of credibility – they know their stuff
• Show confidence in the face of adversity and ambiguity
• Earn the respect of their people
• Care about the development of their people
• Able to have the tough conversations where necessary
• Authentic – they walk their talk
• Willing to stand up for what is right
• Take command and make the big decisions

However, here some new attributes that might need to be added to this list:

Agility.

Whilst it is inspirational and motivational to have lofty long-term goals and a grand vision for the future, the environment is changing rapidly.  The new leader must be agile and nimble.  Your strategy should focus on the medium to short term; looking out 3-5 years (at most), choosing the key strategic moves to position yourself for success in the future.  In the near term, you should focus on no more than 3 current strategic priorities that will move you in the desired direction.  Sometimes these priorities may take the form of short-term experiments – and not all of them will succeed.  Accept this fact.

Strategic plans should be updated every quarter.  Think of each quarter as a series of sprints.  Plan, execute, review your progress (what went well, what didn’t?), review your 3-5 year strategy (does it still make sense in light of the changing environment?).  Make adjustments if necessary.  Then plan your next sprint.

General Eisenhower once said, “In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” Nothing goes exactly as it was written down in the plan. However, the leaders who have the discipline to plan, review, and plan again every quarter – will learn faster, and be better prepared to cope with the changing environment.

Focus.

A lot of activity without it being focused on a clear strategic direction is just “busyness.”  People might be working hard, but their effort is pointless unless it is moving you in the direction of your chosen strategic priorities.  Unlike the historic leader who prescribed what actions to take, the new leader develops teams who can identify the right actions to move the strategy forward. You still have the deciding vote – but your leadership role is to keep people focused and moving in the right direction - and holding them accountable for results, rather than prescribing what to do, or how to do it.

Project Management.

Leaders now need to be great project managers.  In an increasingly globalized and digitized world – the traditional borders of time, geography and culture have become blurred.  The new leader must learn how to bring together and manage temporary teams.  Assemble the best people to drive each project - wherever in the world they may reside. Some team members may not even report to you directly in the normal course of their business, but they are accountable to the project team for results.

Some project teams will choose their own leaders, namely, “Who is the best possible person to drive the execution of this project?”  Become comfortable with the concept that you may be a leader in some teams, and a follower in others.


The new leadership.  Are you up for it?

---