What’s ahead for you and leaders like you?
That depends upon whether you’re willing to think “personal and collective transformation”. Transformation must begin with leaders—and their teams.
Of the nearly 4400 global leaders participating in a research study conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review in collaboration with Cognizant, less than 10% believe their company’s leadership has the right skills to prosper going forward. The study explored how the future of leadership is being influenced by changes in our society, work and the nature of competition and what needs to change as the future unfolds. My focus is on the need for leaders to be more open and self-reflective, encouraging the same for all those within their sphere of influence. Their research supports that need!
Many of the terms we may view as mere buzzwords, are not. Things like transparency, authenticity, collaboration, and empathy mean something for leaders who are on the rise. Taking it a step further, the study underscores the importance of longstanding attributes that many have been lost along the way—integrity, trust, honesty, inspiration… all critical elements too.
Mindset is at the core for leaders looking to create leadership among the ranks. They work to identify, encourage and leverage individual talents and capabilities and they do so by paying attention to some very specific behaviors critical to their success: Nurturing passion, demonstrating authenticity and empathy, behaving in an inclusive way, being humble, being purpose-driven, and working beyond “perceived’ boundaries.
The ‘what’ is always easier than the ‘how’ but it begins with an open, honest, 360 degree, unfiltered assessment. If you can live with the answers, if you can see them for what they are—an opportunity to transform and grow, helping others to do the same, you will be happier, healthier, and undoubtedly more successful…
Source: D. Ready, C. Cohen, D. Kiron, and B. Pring, “The New Leadership Playbook for the Digital Age,” MIT Sloan Management Review, January 2020.