The current coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has demonstrated how everything around us is rapidly changing. Many experts agree that the future will continue to be “VUCA”. “VUCA” stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. The futurist and author Bob Johansen says” “…it won’t be getting easier. Leaders must accept this reality…”
I recently listened to a presentation by Jacob Morgan who offers an interesting solution to this dilemma in his new book: “The Future Leader: 9 Skills and Mindsets to Succeed in the Next Decade” (Wiley 2020). He interviewed over 140 CEO’s from Mastercard, Unilever, Verizon, KPMG, Oracle, Saint-Gobain and over 100 other international companies. He also partnered with LinkedIn to survey almost 14,000 people worldwide to compare how CEO insights align with employee expectations.
This article is a summary of the main findings of his research and conclusions that Mr. Morgan refers to as the “Notable Nine”: ... the four mindsets and five skills that all leaders need to develop to be successful over the next decade and beyond…
1. The Explorer
Just like explorers over time who ventured to new lands, future leaders need to lead their employees and organizations into new, uncharted destinations. Explorers are curious, open to new ideas, and agile enough to pivot when their original plan hits a roadblock. The Explorer mindset encourages the pursuit of new ideas, products, services, and novel methods of doing things. It means fostering an environment for continuous learning.
2. The Chef
Great chefs are experts at balancing ingredients to create perfectly flavored dishes. Similarly, leaders of the future will need to balance the two most important ingredients in any business: humanity and technology. The humanity ingredient includes all aspects relating to people. The technology ingredient includes all aspects of how work gets done, including software, devices and automation.
Adopting this mindset means embracing and leveraging technology to automate mundane, repetitive tasks in order to give employees more time to focus on the human side of the business.
3. The Servant
The Servant mindset applies to relationship with your superiors, employees and customers. Successful future leaders will build strong collaborative relationships with their superiors. They will also work closely with and support their employees and make them feel valued and engaged. Finally, they will put the customer at the center of every decision the company makes to grow customer loyalty over time.
4. The Global Citizen
As the world becomes more connected, every company becomes a global company with the potential to serve customers and attract employees around the globe.
To develop a Global Citizen mindset, leaders need to be inclusive and actively seek out diverse teams, build upon different perspectives, and realize the global potential and impact of their decisions.
5. The Futurist
Futurists don’t just react to trends; they proactively shape the future and lead change. The Futurist skill means constantly looking out for new trends, being open to change and preparing themselves and their organizations to thrive in conditions that may only materialize in the future.
6. Yoda
Just like everyone’s favorite green Jedi in Star Wars, leaders of the future must develop emotional intelligence, including empathy and self-awareness. These softer skills are crucial to strengthen relationships and achieve effective leadership. Empathic leaders have the ability to see things from the point of view of an employee or customer.
Future leaders must also be self-aware: both internally and externally. Successful leaders must be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, and how other people view them. Then, they must be humble enough to act upon their shortcomings.
7. The Translator
A skillful Translator has superior communication and listening skills. Future leaders need to learn how to deliver a persuasive message clearly and concisely. They need to use the right channels and communicate in a way that gets people’s attention and mobilizes them to action.
Future leaders understand that listening is more than just hearing. They listen with empathy to what is being said and develop a sense for what is not being said.
8. The Coach
Future leaders will face the challenge of leading a multi-cultural and multi-generational workforce. They will lead diverse groups of employees working remotely as well as on-site. The leader-coach will support employees to explore multiple alternatives, set realistic goals, develop actions steps and focus on solutions. As a leader-coach they create an environment of trust and listen without preconceptions.
9. The Technology Teenager
Future leaders need to be curious about how to apply the rapidly evolving technology to their business. Just like teenagers they have to be thrilled to dive in and experiment. They must be eager to discover new technologies to disrupt their business model or their industry. They must become enthusiastic early adopters.
For further references please refer to the sources below:
https://thefutureorganization.com/books/
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/01/leadership-mindset-fourth-industrial-revolution-skills/
https://www.dukece.com/insights/nine-skills-for-future-leaders/
https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/leadership-skills-for-an-uncertain-world/
Book: The Future Leader: 9 Skills and Mindsets to Succeed in the Next Decade - Jacob Morgan (Wiley, 2020)
