With the hierarchical silos of the workplace these days,
change management is the new requirement to be a successful leader. Now, more
than ever, leadership takes more patience, poise, and the ability to connect
the dots of opportunity.
Change management has become a bigger part of the business
fabric – an embedded leadership requirement that plays into everything that we
do, every day, and how we go about getting things done, regardless of hierarchy
or rank. Leadership not only requires the ability to manage change
– but also the vision to see beyond the obvious in order to anticipate unexpected
circumstances.
According to Forbes, here are 10 things that will become
defining moments along your journey to successful leadership.
Multigenerational
Influence. Connecting the dots of talent and experiences requires leaders
to change their attitude, and style to accommodate the needs and seize the
opportunities that lie within a broader multigenerational reach. So, get
out of your comfort zone and learn how to multiply the opportunities for innovation;
invest time to understand the insights in the broader field of talent and
customers that lie in front of you.
Cultural Intelligence.
The opportunities embedded in the rapid demographic shift are endless, but
the lack of cultural intelligence is making it difficult for leaders to
understand the new business models and best practice requirements that lie
right within reach. Success in today’s global market requires a leader’s
ability to see the talent and consumer landscape as two sides of the same coin.
Today, a leader must be culturally intelligent about others in order to realize
the value of the demographic shift. Culture is the new currency for
growth and leaders must change their perspectives about diversity from
being a cost center to a profit center.
Global Market Wisdom.
Business outside of the U.S. respects wisdom equally to knowledge, as well
as proper conduct, tact and executive presence. Conducting business
abroad is about the total experience a leader can bring to the table that is
consistent, original and true. Self-promotion, lack of values and
sensationalism will get you nowhere. While your organization’s brand carries
weight, just as important is getting to know who you are as an individual, and
the intangibles that help you earn trust.
Consumers Demand More.
As leaders, you must touch the business just as much as you lead
it. Leaders can never forget about the customers that contribute to
the growth of their business and must never grow complacent about understanding
their changing demands. Today’s consumer is more fickle; they are drowning in
the noise and clouded by the choices that are in front of them — that are
attempting to sway them and influence what they buy. Leaders,
regardless of hierarchy, are affected by consumer behavior; therefore, they
must change the lens that they see through in order to be more mindful and
educate themselves about consumer demands.
Women Leaders Are Ready to Dive In. More
women will assume senior executive leadership roles in the next 10 years, and
if you are a male leader, be open to the new opportunities this
represents. Women are ready to command the leadership space by
diving in, not just leaning in — to solidify their influence in the business
world. Women see through a different lens then men and thus interpret the
requirements of leadership differently. Leaders must assess their
approach and challenge themselves to think differently about how to best align
their leadership attributes to the needs of the business.
Entrepreneurial
Attitude. The competitive marketplace has made it mandatory for leaders to
be more entrepreneurial, connect the dots of opportunity and find
non-traditional ways for their business to grow and prosper. Beyond
creativity with the existing business at-hand, leaders must be prepared to get
involved in new ventures that may require them to open up new markets, launch
new products, and/or be involved in merger and acquisition activities.
Technology. You
may not be technologically savvy, but you must get to know the role that
technology plays in the evolution of your business. As a leader in your
business, change your mindset and educate yourself and those around
you. If you plan on being in a leadership role for the rest of your
career, the 21st century demands that you be knowledgeable enough
about technology to test it, engage with it and use it to harness the
profitable evolution of your business.
Crisis Management. Businesses
are dealing with crisis management issues because their leaders didn’t have the
circular vision to anticipate the unexpected. The advent of social media
– and a national media hungry to sensationalize any misstep – requires more
leaders to have the necessary preparation, and technologies to respond to a
potential crisis in a timely fashion whenever needed.
Thought Leadership.
Today’s leaders must be visionaries that are not afraid to speak-up and change
the conversation and/or introduce new ideas. Being a constructively
disruptive leader is important and if you are not pushing your organization,
its employees and the industry at large to think differently, you will not only
grow complacent – you will forget how to think like a leader and as a
consequence your organization will become more vulnerable to its competitors.
Evolution of the Business Model. The
result of these changes is the natural evolution of a company’s business model
that now demands that its leaders serve as change agents to lift and lead the
entire company. As change agents, you must know how to sell change and this
requires a set of skills that you may not have been asked to have when you
first got the job.
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