It’s fairly
indisputable that a prospering company or organization wouldn’t be enjoying any
notable measure of success without highly effective leadership. Potent
leadership is, in fact, often a primary driver of business innovation,
development and growth overall.
Commanding a team, department or company at-large isn’t (or shouldn’t be) about
the prestige, accolades, lofty titles or that sweet corner suite. Rather,
genuine leaders are able to establish and sustain a mindset that profoundly resonates
with the masses—one that galvanizes committees, groups, companies, and
organizations in a common mission. Of course, there’s isn’t a one-size-fits-all
leadership style that every CEO “must” adopt. In fact, much is learned by
trial-and-error throughout a leader’s oft jagged trajectory to the top.
Successful leaders certainly can—and should—play to their innate strengths and
abilities. However, those that go over-and-above to recognize and parlay those
of key stakeholders, recognizing (and being willing to admit) their own
abilities aren’t enough, often exceed achievement expectations. To do this
effectively, a leader must maintain an uber-awareness of the human resource
assets at hand.
Towards this end, it’s imperative for leaders to identify their superstar
players across all departments while also staying in-tune with the proverbial
“pulse” of their workforce overall. But this is easier said than done amid a widening
gap among the c-suite and “everyone else” that’s sure to make doing so a bit
more complex. A recent Forbes online article cited that “an important challenge
facing US leaders in 2020 is the growing generation gap in attitudes and
capabilities between themselves and workers soon to be entering the labor
market,” as asserted by Rob Anthony—a professor of management at the Boston
campus of Hult International Business School. This Forbes article also offered results of a study conducted by
organizational advisory firm Korn Ferry, which put “the average age for CEOs at 58, chief HR
officers at 55 and CFOs at 53. At the other end of the spectrum, the
post-millennial Generation Z will start to turn 23 and soon command the largest
share of the US labor force.”
Relative to mindsets, this widening age gap will also surely breed emotional
rifts that can further alienate an inflexible or stubborn c-suite. Another Forbes online article underscored the importance of leaders
ensuring every employee understands their organization’s purpose. This Forbes report noted that, “in the past,
most employees focused on their paychecks and job titles. Times have changed.
Purpose matters more than ever before. Individuals who have a clear sense of
purpose are more likely to stick around and love their jobs.” This particular
article also cited a study (registration required) finding that “nine
out of ten workers were willing to make less money to do more meaningful work.”
So, a leader with his or her ear to the ground, with a keen understanding of
what will motivate a team, can be a make or break differential.
With the modern business landscape changing so profoundly, I connected with a
few business leaders who are known for being particularly progressive for some
perspective. Below they share some philosophies on “what it takes” to lead in this
competitive and transformative new decade.
Nimble, Organized and Ready
Leadership requires influencing others to accomplish the company’s mission,
and a key is to provide employees with adequate tools to be flexible, organized
and purpose-driven. This is according to Ken Thompson of AlignOrg, who believes that
experienced leaders curate great and well-equipped teams through strategic
planning, organizational design and change management.
“Organizations today don’t
have the luxury of stability since they’re an ever-increasing change in
markets, customers, and technology,” Thompson notes. “Organizations who are
ready for this change, who are organized enough to respond to these changes and
who can operate as a tight cohesive unit will not only better survive seismic
shifts in the market, but also actually thrive in the face of such profound
competition and other evolution.
Leaders are Activists
In our brave new world of rapid change and complexity, there is no single
person who can really direct an intricate business. A lone individual can only
encourage those involved to think differently, which is a key argument as to
why leaders can be considered activists. This is particularly true for those
who promote change and coordinate the efforts of others to help them achieve
goals without actually “controlling” them.
Chris Stewart, CEO of brightbeam, is a deep-rooted
leader, activist and 20-year supporter of charitable and education-related
causes. As a parent himself, Chris leads brightbeam’s network of education
activists under a single mission: to demand better education and a brighter
future for every child.
When asked how he gained such a powerful voice fighting for the educational
opportunities of all children, Stewart remarked, “It’s because 29 years ago,
when I had my first child, I became a parent with a problem. I didn’t have a
great education myself and I didn’t have many resources. But, I had a kid that
I loved and I was determined to give him a better life than what I had.”
Today, Stewart fights to provide millions of families with the tools,
knowledge, skills and confidence to fight for their own children’s ability to
receive a quality education. As far as Stewart is concerned, the future of
education in this country shouldn’t be grounded in empowering parents, but
rather by putting them in power.
Stewart upholds that same premise when it comes to leading his organization, which
he does through a distributive leadership model. “If leadership provides
direction, it should come from many where the collective wisdom prevails,
rather than just one dictatorial voice,” Stewart says. This mindset led Stewart
to establish a chief leadership team at brightbeam. “Operationally, of course,
it was important to have a group of smart, influential individuals leading the
work of the organization, but it was also important for external stakeholders
to recognize the power of a strong bench,” Stewart notes. “I am attempting to
change the world. That’s a big mission and I can only achieve it by building
relationships with top-notch people.”
To lead
today, in a world where there is an abundance of passionate, talented people
who want to make a difference, Stewart knows he doesn’t have to be the smartest
person in the room just because he holds the title of CEO.
A Winning Leaders Key to Success
Andrew Wyatt, head coach
at Andrew Wyatt Leadership, LLC, acknowledges that the modern business
landscape has clearly shifted but also notes that, as the saying goes, “the
more things change, the more they remain the same.” That is why he feels it’s vital
for a leader to avoid focusing on trends or on sentiment that are ever-changing
and instead focus on principles, which largely remain constant. This, he
asserts, is the foundation of winning leadership.
According to Wyatt, winning leadership requires a ruthless application of one
key leadership principle in particular: that effective leaders guide from the
inside-out. Meaning, before any leader can successfully lead others, one must
lead them self. Wyatt offers these three ways to accomplish this: 1) establish
your credibility, 2) build your following and 3) lead with impact. And, the
order of execution is apparently vital.
Here’s Wyatt’s advice:
Like building a skyscraper, leadership first requires excavation before
elevation. This is how one establishes credibility. It starts with an inward
look. The leader must know the truth before taking the next step to build a
following. People follow truth, and most have a natural ability to discern it.
Building a following requires the leader to look outward to draw followers
inward. This is the principle of servant leadership through which a leader must
“engage” their followers in order to build a genuine and certainly impassioned
following in return.
Finally, to lead with impact, the leader will need to be not only engaged but
also current and relevant, able to adapt to the changing landscape without
compromising the truth.. Winning leadership understands and employs this
cyclical process.
Customer Speed
Hari Abburi
is a transformative thinker and leader who believes in centering leadership “at
the speed of the customer.” This is a non-ego-driven approach that directly
concentrates on what a customer is thinking and experiencing in the present. “When
leaders stay focused on anticipating customer needs and keeping their teams’
customer-centric, a better product or service is produced,” he says.
In this chase to understand how customers transfer their experiences from an
unrelated situation on to a company, Abburi views leadership narrowing down to
a few critical elements: curiosity, visual thinking, ability to articulate a
clear purpose, using design as a key principle for everything done does and
simplicity of execution.
“I have worked and lived in several countries and with responsibilities for
over 50 countries and have seen patterns emerge, notes Abburi. “Curiosity and
imagination are two universal key elements shared by leaders across cultures,
ethnicities and industries. Curiosity is the best attribute a leader can have,
as it drives the kind of imagination that solves problems and spurs
innovation.”
Pursuing New Markets
Great leaders throughout history are known for not shying away from new
processes, technologies and, most importantly, new markets. Instead, they have
an inherent ability to “see” emerging trends that others do not. Not only that,
they take action to collaborate with key creative partners to realize early-stage
success in these newly emerging sectors.
Orna
Azulay did just that.
As founder and president of Abington Speech Pathology Services, Inc. and the
RemoteSpeech.com teletherapy platform, she significantly expanded the reach of
her company—now a global powerhouse—by approaching an existing therapy protocol
in a new and more effective way.
An experienced business development professional, when Orna opened the business
20 years ago, she saw a business opportunity in a big HMO provider who was
looking to have relationships with satellite clinics. Although speech
teletherapy was still a new idea in the market compared to traditional therapy,
Azulay knew the potential and convinced more clients to share her vision and
come on board.
Filling in gaps is how great leaders realize great businesses. Thinking outside
the box, trying new things even amid naysayers and trying to fulfill that empty
niche in sustainable and scalable ways can catapult one’s company to incredible
heights.
It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Great leadership is an art that requires a combination of several skills and
qualities to be successful. Castle Negotiations CEO Ruth Shlossman
urges the importance of thinking long-term as a leader. “Developing a ten-year
plan to withstand any expected or unexpected circumstances is how great leaders
stay afloat,” Shlossman says. “Keeping the bigger picture in mind will help
create a culture that believes, plans and aptly executes.”
Now that we are entrenched in a fresh new decade, it’s a great time to
recalibrate your leadership approach to be one that’s more aware, sensitive and
adaptive to those inevitable threats, weaknesses, trials, and tribulations.
Being an agile, opportunistic, customer-centric and activist-oriented leader
with planning prowess makes the difference between realizing success versus
true greatness.
~~~
As the Executive Editor and Producer of “The Luxe List,” Merilee Kern, MBA is
an internationally-regarded brand analyst, strategist and futurist. As a
prolific branding and marketplace trends pundit, Merilee spotlights noteworthy
industry innovators, change makers, movers and shakers. This includes field
experts and thought leaders, brands, products, services, destinations and
events across all categories. Connect with her at www.TheLuxeList.com / Instagram www.Instagram.com/LuxeListReports / Twitter www.Twitter.com/LuxeListReports / Facebook www.Facebook.com/LuxeListReports / LinkedIN www.LinkedIn.com/in/MerileeKern.
Sources:
https://hbr.org/2018/11/9-out-of-10-people-are-willing-to-earn-less-money-to-do-more-meaningful-work