Next Generation Leadership, coronavirus and a rubik cube — 10 considerations to navigate your way to better leadership
On a standard 3x3 rubik cube there are over 43 quintillion permutations (yes you heard right!)! That’s more grains of sand that exist on earths beaches.
Trying to effectively lead, and not manage, is a difficult task for most to edge into muscle memory. With Covid-19, leading teams effectively becomes even harder — for you as a leader and also for the people you are trying to lead. You may struggle to know what to say and how to say it seen as no one has all the answers. You may shy away from making tough choices for fear of excessive opinion or mistake. You realise everyone is directly or indirectly looking to you for some direction. But do you have it? Do you have a credible point of view and a plan that’s unique for your team whilst not trying to solve every single Covid-19 challenge?
Just like a rubik cube, there are so many intricate and delicate dependencies to be evaluated in leadership. Lots of those dependencies may seem to be of priority yet there are still so many uncertainties. Where do you begin and how do you know what good leadership looks like?
Well if it’s possible for our rubik cube to be solved in under 7 seconds (by the reigning record holder Max Parc), then it’s possible to lead effectively through complex transformation and uncertainty!
The additional good news is that seldom do we see that leaders must be loud, male and in a boardroom. Leadership styles have been changing for a few years now. Leaders are everywhere. Just look around. Leaders can also be parents supporting a community initiative, teenagers utilising their social platforms for change, or a coach helping you to find your next big move. Ultimately it’s not what you look like or who you work for, but really what you do, and how, that will define your leadership success. The emergence of the next generation leaders (NGL’s) fully embody this ethos.
Though there is still more work to do. Recently I sat down to coach a very pleasant lady at work, in between a busy day of client meetings. During the session she questioned whether her shy-ish, introverted nature already ‘classified her out’ as a potential leader. Erhhh no!
The truth is you just have to be you. At least that’s the starting point. I’ve typically seen and been more successful in my own ability to lead where I’ve embodied one or many of these NGL characteristics.
1) Empathise with sincerity: how many times have you said ‘how are you?’ and actually meant it? Replacing ‘hope you are well’ with a genuine ‘how are you?’ or ‘how are you coping? can make a real difference to making a genuine connection. Even better if you use someone’s real name or remember something personal they once told you when you are ‘checking in’. The ability to put yourself in the shoes of those you are trying to lead (customers, teams, family and the like) is a must. We all want to feel listened to and understood. Great leaders carve out time to make deeper connections. For the next new team you lead, start by having an open discussion so everyone gets to know one another first (likes, interests, dislikes, strengths, ‘weaknesses’ etc). This will be more effective in the long run in helping build connections, empathy and understanding.
2) Advocate for something: Stop for a moment. Think about someone who has had great impact on your life. Chances are they are/were advocates for something. We can advocate silently (through soft marketing, work ethic, culture etc) or be very vocal advocates through speech and media, for example. Either way, if you are an advocate for something, you have or are building an identity and brand. We gravitate towards identities and brands that make sense for us (think about why you may prefer to shop in a certain food store or clothes store). So figure out what you will advocate for so you can forge a better connection with those you are leading and ultimately lead effectively.
3) Be visible and approachable: Hierarchies and role titles should not stop us from connecting with another human being. I rarely now use my Partner title to introduce myself to colleagues or clients in meetings, but rather I describe the work I actually do and if appropriate something personal about me that may resonate. Always look for the way you can connect with and level with those you are trying to lead as this will undoubtedly allow them to feel more at ease. A good way to do this is making the first move — so go ahead and send those invites out for a coffee catch up or turn on the video more often when on your conference calls!
4) Vulnerability and authenticity: Just like a good love story, when someone can treat us by giving us a preview (or the main act) of their lives, including the good, the bad and the grey, we will no doubt open our hearts a little bit more. Being real is huge. I’ve certainly had to learn to break down my barriers and armour and leave a bit of my ego at the door! It’s less exhausting and very rewarding. Start with a story. It could be talking about your upbringing and why that’s influenced your decisions, or “keynote speaker” speaking about the toughest moment in your life that taught you a big lesson, or even a story about how you juggled 5 roles at home during coronavirus! The people we all lead love a good story especially ones about you. Start to open up a little more, you’ll probably like it.
5) Diversity with inclusion: This is one joint venture every leader should have at their side. Leaders no longer have to look, sound, think or behave a certain way (great news right!), so why would the teams you lead? Do not be afraid to visibly challenge the status quo, whilst being vocal about it. Do not be afraid to broaden diversity and inclusion action well beyond the realms of gender; NGL’s do this well. If your teams feel they can be themselves and that it is encouraged by you, they will likely waste less time ‘hiding away’ and probably communicate more effectively, thus increasing productivity.
6) Entrepreneurial mindset: “How to develop a growth mindset” Personally, one of my favourites. Millennial’s and Gen Z’s are, arguably, more entrepreneurial than their Baby Boomer predecessors, swapping the sole focussed rat-race for multiple streams of revenue (aka side-hustles). Entrepreneurship and ‘intrapreneurship’ is on the rise. Relentless curiosity to improve a product or service, ambitious drive to innovate quickly, refuse to lose mentality and flexibility to allow your teams to make mistakes and take risks is essential in NGLs today. We’ve seen hundreds of firms and entrepreneurs pivot their traditional offerings in a bid to help against the Covid-19 pandemic. Having an entrepreneurial mindset will continue to be essential amour for any leader.
7) Decisiveness and quick action: The human authentic side of you may stutter when it comes to making tough decisions, particularly if those decisions can be game changers for not just you but a team of people. Whilst it’s good to acknowledge and share the tough times in leadership, it’s also essential to show decisive leadership particularly at a time of crisis. Decisive leadership does not mean you have to have every answer. It just means you have to give clear, timely and honest messages.
8) Empower others: When I made Partner/MD at Accenture, I remember people congratulating me for weeks. Particularly the black, asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community, where I had people reach out to me from 5 continents for their congrats. It soon became clear to me that I signified hope. An overnight coach, teacher and guide. How did she do it? It’s possible for me? So I started answering questions and a lot of them. I started pre-empting questions and putting more content out there I thought would be valuable. At some point in your leadership journey your level of influence will increase. That is your great moment to choose to use that influence to encourage and inspire EVEN more than you may be doing already. If your teams do not want to emulate you, or would not want to ‘take your job’, or simply just have a transactional relationship with you, you’ll have a less effective team. Always. When you can inspire, you reach hundreds, thousands. A clear and articulate vision of what is possible, along with advocacy and intimacy will help.
9) Collaborate: NGLs are not afraid to work alongside peers and teammates and will often set metrics for success based on what the team does collectively rather than the individual. This collaboration creates a sense of community and if channelled right, a sense of family. Resourcefulness is also crucial. I cannot think of a single team I work with (in business or personally) that is not what I would call a mixed team of skills. Those skills generally sourced by stepping out of the immediate hemisphere in which you tend to operate in. That means, we can collaborate with different teams in the same firm, different firms altogether, would be competitors, entrepreneurs, peers. When we collaborate for the greater outcome the results are immense, not just for you and your teams but for the wider community. It’s been magical to see unique collaborations by differing organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic. NGLs typically have a strong sense of community building and focus on sustainability.
10) Communicate: if you have a phone, tablet, laptop, or PC you have the basics for your own platform to communicate. Do not leave it up to others to do the communication or tell yourself that there is no need to communicate as everyone already knows what to do and what’s expected of them. It’s incredible how many assumptions we all make when it comes to communication. Do not be afraid to be the voice for others also
So whilst there are so many traditional leadership characteristics that are still critical (like delegating effectively or demonstrating accountability), NGL is becoming ever more important, particularly now in 2020 and beyond. Applying these techniques should help you on your own leadership journey — good luck!
#newgenerationleadership #leadership #transformation #topten
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
