Why is this happening?
1. There has been a shift from the Industrial Era to the Knowledge Age.
2. We are now operating in a VUCA world which requires different things from us as leaders. VUCA stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.
What is different?
1. Business is much more internet-based, and people – both team members and customers/clients – have much more information available to them online. They know more which creates increased expectations.
2. Business has become more globally oriented and/or is impacted by business outside of their locality. Now businesses are not only competing with their local counterparts but with like businesses around the world.
3. Organizational hierarchies are flatter than they used to be. Organizations do not operate in a top-down manner as they used to. They are now a combination of many groups interacting with each other in various ways.
4. There are up to five generations in the workforce where there used to be two.
Change is rapid. To stay the same is to become irrelevant.
What works?
1. Vision – People want to contribute to something bigger than themselves. Make it easy for them to understand the organization’s vision and how they can align and contribute their strengths towards it.
2. Understanding – Keep on top of what is going on in the organization and what your competitors are doing. Respond accordingly.
3. Clarity – Be clear about how you want things done by defining and operationalizing the values that you want for your organizational culture. People need to know how they are expected to behave and why. They need to know what behaviours are associated with the organizational values. You, as their leader, need to walk your talk with what you are expecting. In addition, ensure your processes and procedures make it easy for your team to follow through on expectations.
4. Agility – Keep the ideas flowing. Create an environment where it is safe for people to share their ideas, experiment with chosen ideas, and innovate to sustain your business relevance and thrive.
Considering these factors, it is no wonder that the leadership required to succeed is changing also. If you would like to learn more about how to further evolve your leadership, please contact me for a complimentary conversation. Email me at: jamie@sparksuccess.com, and we can schedule it in! I am passionate about supporting people to adapt, thrive, and succeed based on current times and the opportunities and challenges that they offer.
Jamie
Sources:
Mind Tools https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=g0R5Dd2QrAo (2019)
Dare to Lead (Brown, 2018)