“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
-John Quincy Adams
Leadership, few have innate qualities while few are incorporated over a course of time. The world is changing at a clock-speed rate, and leaders need to stay abreast of all the latest changes, technological developments, and global trends to make a mark. This story shall encapsulate 5 leadership skills of tomorrow.
Have you read the book “Thank You for Being Late” by Thomas Friedman? In the book, Friedman has described how companies are struggling with the complexities posed by the acceleration in globalization, technology, and planetary changes. Hence, to be able to cope up with the change, we need to redesign our approach and structures entirely.
In this transition in the workplace, leadership skills will be vital to success. The technologically evolving world will need leaders to adapt to the realities of the 4th Industrial revolution,
Some are born with the innate qualities of a leader. However, the leadership skills of the future workplace can be developed and honed, with a passion for doing so.
Here are a few skills leaders will need in tomorrow’s interconnected, fast-moving and technology-driven world:
Learning Agility
As Eric Hoffer said, “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.”
Powered by the constant stream of new technology and the expectations it has created, the speed of the market and workplaces will continue to accelerate. It is required by the leaders to be swift and effective in thinking, deciding and inspiring to keep up with the changing competitive demands. To succeed, one must respond to change gracefully with a learner’s mindset. Ask the following questions to know your learner’s agility:
- Do you rely on what you know or what you might learn?
- How easily do you drop your ego and accept you don’t know something?
- What are you naturally curious about?
Focused Attention
As much as technology is a boon, it is a bane as well. Phones ringing, calendar alerts, email notification popping up, news highlights flashing, continuous messaging – are all distractions.
Leaders these days are always on the run and fire-fighting mode. There is still an urgent matter after the other that needs immediate attention. Being more and more interconnected is becoming a constant source of distraction without clarity. This is leading to stress, lost productivity and ultimately burn out. To regain control, leaders need to focus their attention. Attention needs to be cultivated and grown like a muscle. The art lies in prioritizing works in a disciplined fashion and focus on the task at hand.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How well can you focus your attention?
- What are you doing today to cultivate and strengthen your attention? What could you be doing?
Lateral Thinking
Once Leonardo Dicaprio said, “Every next level of your life will demand a different you,”
If you keep doing something the same way, you will not get a different result. Copying an established method will not help you succeed in the fast-changing, technologically driven workplace. Leaders of the future need to connect the dots differently, the way it has not been connected before. Thanks to technology, logical jobs are already being automated. What makes humans different from machines is our creativity and ability to think.
Remember, possibilities are endless, someone needs to explore them.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How often do you let yourself play like a child?
- Where can you explore next? How does X relate to Y?
- What area of your life could use some fresh ideas?
Radical Interdependence
Companies have already started encouraging work environment where we need to work across the organization and not just think about our own department. They are being smarter and moving towards more selective collaborations. It is critical for a leader to have the ability to facilitate understanding and develop connections between people for effective collaboration. A leader who understands radical interdependence will expedite a shared vision and purpose for the group.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How do you feel about collaboration? Do you tend to go off and do work for yourself? Do you wait for the leader? Do you try to take charge?
- How well-networked are you currently?
- What would you need to do to build a stronger network?
Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is about understanding and working with chaos and complexity. It is about seeing the invisible string that is connecting every person, thing and place on the earth. Leaders of the future will always be required to understand how parts fit within a convoluted whole and look for the interconnectedness of elements and issues within a system. The leaders need an in-depth understanding of the entire company, its various moving parts, and how each factor impacts the rest.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What impact do you want to have on the people around you?
- How closely aligned are your actions with this desired impact?
- What can you do to understand the system around you better?
The leaders of the future are required to dig within themselves to look for qualities that will help them to propel into a more inclusive, sustainable and prosperous future. The skills mentioned above will help you traverse the noise of change by having a broader perspective and willingness to learn from others while pondering creatively about the future.Read more: Interactive Marketing in India: 5 Important Trends for the Future
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