SHAPING THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP
The methodologies and ethos of leadership and management needs of modern
organizations are progressively evolving. Due to the increasing demand for higher
productivity and complex business models, the typical organizational structure
comprising of only a few people at the top of the organogram no longer fulfills the
requirement.
In today's fast paced and dynamic market, decentralized controls and leadership through networks of people at all levels is essential for success. It is imperative to state that leadership and management shall inevitably evolve in the innovative 21st century environment. Companies are growing rapidly due to technological advancements and greater competition. Organizational structures are evolving as well such that you can visibly see greater levels of delegation and decision making at all levels.
Leadership focusses on providing guidance to staff and effectively communicating the vision. Secondly, leading projects and finding new ways to develop company staff. Managers are taking on more leadership responsibilities and delegating increasing amounts of responsibility to subordinates and encourage them to take initiatives. One of the primary roles of a leader is to define and bring focus on the vision and emphasize its importance amongst staff. Having a well-defined and pragmatic vision makes it easier to make the right decisions and working in the right direction.
Another defining factor shaping the future of leadership is the increasing role of women who are eagerly taking up leadership roles in all industries. Various surveys show that the percentage of female CEOs in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany has exponentially risen in recent years. From these countries, the United States is reported to have the largest share of women leaders.
The typical impression of a female CEO is of one who leads a small scale local business or branch office. On the contrary, many of today’s most notable brands in the world have females holding the top management positions. This changing trend has also led to greater creativity and is helping in bringing up even more innovative business ideas at a global level.
Many leaders today risk of failure if they are unable to adapt to the changes happening in our current environment due to digital transformation. Moreover, leaders will be required to change even more quickly and act even more proactively in the coming future, if they want to stay at the top of the market. Given the vast number of changes happening daily due to technology’s advancement, today’s leaders are under a great amount of pressure to know more and do more than ever before. Jack Welch, GE's former Chairman and CEO, is an eminent example of bringing change into his organizations. He is widely regarded as one of the best business leaders in history. Under his leadership, GE shifted its focus and exploded into one of the most valuable companies in the world. He quoted
“Change is good -- embrace it in everything, from competition, market conditions, and consumer spending habits.”
Leaders of the future will be required to know how to use the Internet. Today’s leaders need to be well versed on every new technological trend not only in their own industry but globally in other walks of life. In this age of rapid digital changes, future businesses will have to make even more effort to survive and sustain. Therefore, leadership must make decisions to build for fast and sustainable productivity.
Most companies tend to focus far more on the present with little future focus due to which there is no room left for innovation. Future leaders need to be constantly considering how to answer customer demands before they even ask. They need to be hungry for change, not afraid of it. There is no doubt in the fact that today’s leaders are under severe pressure to adapt quickly to rapid changes in the market and excelling in this age of chaotic and disruptive change. However, when it comes to leadership, the fundamentals of the most successful leaders today are the same as they’ve always been: committed to the customer, focused on continuous improvement, and capable of inspiring their teams even in the face of massive change.
To become a great leader is a process of learning that lasts forever. Adopting a mindset of “get better” is critical to lead in a competition but requires a high level of willingness to improve, self-awareness and the humility to grow. As it has been quoted that
“Learn early, learn often” – Drew Houston, CEO and founder of Dropbox
In today's fast paced and dynamic market, decentralized controls and leadership through networks of people at all levels is essential for success. It is imperative to state that leadership and management shall inevitably evolve in the innovative 21st century environment. Companies are growing rapidly due to technological advancements and greater competition. Organizational structures are evolving as well such that you can visibly see greater levels of delegation and decision making at all levels.
Leadership focusses on providing guidance to staff and effectively communicating the vision. Secondly, leading projects and finding new ways to develop company staff. Managers are taking on more leadership responsibilities and delegating increasing amounts of responsibility to subordinates and encourage them to take initiatives. One of the primary roles of a leader is to define and bring focus on the vision and emphasize its importance amongst staff. Having a well-defined and pragmatic vision makes it easier to make the right decisions and working in the right direction.
Another defining factor shaping the future of leadership is the increasing role of women who are eagerly taking up leadership roles in all industries. Various surveys show that the percentage of female CEOs in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany has exponentially risen in recent years. From these countries, the United States is reported to have the largest share of women leaders.
The typical impression of a female CEO is of one who leads a small scale local business or branch office. On the contrary, many of today’s most notable brands in the world have females holding the top management positions. This changing trend has also led to greater creativity and is helping in bringing up even more innovative business ideas at a global level.
Many leaders today risk of failure if they are unable to adapt to the changes happening in our current environment due to digital transformation. Moreover, leaders will be required to change even more quickly and act even more proactively in the coming future, if they want to stay at the top of the market. Given the vast number of changes happening daily due to technology’s advancement, today’s leaders are under a great amount of pressure to know more and do more than ever before. Jack Welch, GE's former Chairman and CEO, is an eminent example of bringing change into his organizations. He is widely regarded as one of the best business leaders in history. Under his leadership, GE shifted its focus and exploded into one of the most valuable companies in the world. He quoted
“Change is good -- embrace it in everything, from competition, market conditions, and consumer spending habits.”
Leaders of the future will be required to know how to use the Internet. Today’s leaders need to be well versed on every new technological trend not only in their own industry but globally in other walks of life. In this age of rapid digital changes, future businesses will have to make even more effort to survive and sustain. Therefore, leadership must make decisions to build for fast and sustainable productivity.
Most companies tend to focus far more on the present with little future focus due to which there is no room left for innovation. Future leaders need to be constantly considering how to answer customer demands before they even ask. They need to be hungry for change, not afraid of it. There is no doubt in the fact that today’s leaders are under severe pressure to adapt quickly to rapid changes in the market and excelling in this age of chaotic and disruptive change. However, when it comes to leadership, the fundamentals of the most successful leaders today are the same as they’ve always been: committed to the customer, focused on continuous improvement, and capable of inspiring their teams even in the face of massive change.
To become a great leader is a process of learning that lasts forever. Adopting a mindset of “get better” is critical to lead in a competition but requires a high level of willingness to improve, self-awareness and the humility to grow. As it has been quoted that
“Learn early, learn often” – Drew Houston, CEO and founder of Dropbox
Totally agree with you. Traditional strategies are replaced by conventional techniques and leaders have to constantly keep up with the new changes. Even the biggest of companies who were once market leaders lost tgeir position because they couldn't perceive the important of moving and moving fast. Fuji films and kodak is one of the biggest examples who took the digital technology non seriously and now they have no exitence. Not only this nature also requires us to be in motion and nothing exists in static state. So flexibility, be open to new experiences and ideas and embracing change is the essence of leadership.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with the fact that becoming a leader is process of continuous learning. This is why a leader has to be curious. I would like to add that Curiosity is essentialfor strategy: the desire to learn and explore information is foundational for the strategist. Good strategy is rooted in a rich understanding of the company, the people in it, and what is going on outside of the organisation. Continual learning informs the top-down strategy, helps to discover successful emergent strategy and to make informed decisions. It is difficult to develop a strategic understanding of any issue or company without intellectual curiosity.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with him on his thoughts of how communication is the key during the change process because it requires an effective blend of participation and communication from the subordinates provided that people are knowledgeable and eager to be involved. Management should communicate that they are bringing fewer two or three changes that can have ripple effect so that subordinates are not scared and they should also know the reason for change. Overall a very interesting and informative session.
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