Leadership skills for today’s marketplace.
Leadership skills today look so different to what it did when I studied at university some 30 years ago. Back then it was all about being in charge, managing people, delivering value on the product or service you are in charge of, and getting things done. Much like a leader you would think about in the armed forces.
Today leaders do more than manage performance. They need a new set of leadership skills: They inspire. They innovate. They listen, and they go out of their way to help their team members succeed.
The leadership skills used today are a totally different set then what we used even 10 years ago. The training I was delivering back then still applies, yet it has changed. Today the focus and perspective of leadership is about inspiration, facilitating, decision making, creativity, mindfulness and culture.
Key Leadership skills for today
There is a huge growth in the new skills needed to be a leader in our current times. Growth for the leader and for the development of training in these skills. Today the following are skills are needed for your success as a leader:
- Communication skills are more important now than they ever were. You need to learn to listen, to really listen so that you seek to understand. This means asking questions, to be curious, and allows others to find the answer.
- Be self-aware. Self awareness gives us the baility to feel into what is heppening around us. The impact we make on others, the impact others make on you, and the impact our thoughts have on our well-being. Leading from within is the ONLY way forward. Being self-aware enables this to happen.
- The ability to be authentic and transparent, are needed more and more. Again being curious helps, and the ability to draw others in.
- Coaching skills. One of the most essential skills for managers and leaders to possess to be successful. The ability to coach others.
- Being proactive – being able to think 3 steps ahead, and then planning to go that path, yet being flexible enough to know that sometimes you need to change tack – just as you would to move forward when sailing a yacht.
- Being able to create diversity in teams, and also to create cross functional teams. Diversity of skills, and of experience so that the wealth is in the discussions with others, and learning new and maybe better ways.
- Negotiation skills are pivotal, not just in sales, but with other employees and stakeholders. Skills that can build relationships, provide problem solving and reduce barriers.
- Having skills to build a strong network. A network that you can call upon to help with with leadership is powerful. Your connections are powerful! Networking is the key tool to growth in your career and helping the organisation.
- Conscious energy – this energy gives you a whole new perspective on life, so that you can truly feel satisfied with your life, and know it is worth living. When you connect with YOU in this way you show up in every area of your life – a ripple effect of positive energy.
- Listening skills. Connected very strongly to communication (well it is essential) I wanted to make it have it’s own importance. The ability to listen and really hear is vital in leadership today.
One of the areas in leadership that is gaining momentum is creative problem solving. As a leader you no longer just need your skills and knowledge that got you your promotion. Today you need to think creatively, be able to involve the whole team, and inspire action.
We need leadership that is designed for a dynamic environment. This means being able to change as the environment changes, plus being able to work with other teams across the organisation for specific projects. Leaders need to be able to handle the volatility that this brings, and allow the teams to feel coherency with their experience and the company.
Organisations, the leadership team and their expectations within organisations also are changing rapidly. Therefore we need to be able to communicate to others what those expectations are. Therefore we need to transparent, and real, as well as learning skills to communicate in remote environments as well as face to face.
The skills listed above – self-awareness, listening and communication will enable you to really delve into your creative side. Allowing you to really step up your curiosity by asking questions, and listening to the answers. By showing the way, you will create momentum for the whole team to become creative for problem solving.
The way we learn is also changing.
As your leadership skills grow, you will see that the old ways of learning a once off event is no longer fitting the current economy. We need to change the model of how we learn. These skills are ones you can learn in a once off training course, yet the reality is for them to be applied in the real world, you need continuous learning and sharing to grow. This means you need assistance from a mentor, a peer or coach over a longer term.
One way this works really well is through a mastermind group or a community of practice. Each person comes from a diverse background, and brings with them skills that are unique to them. Ask me about my mastermind group or other online coaching solutions.
Mastermind groups meet regularly for example every month or every other week. This means the learning is continuous, and just in time. Small groups of 6 – 8 people in size are a great way to gain that intimacy of discussion and build the trust with each other.
Training is all about being provided with information and new knowledge in a once off situation. Peer masterminds, or Communities of practice allow the integration of skills, and the realistic experiences based on the workplace.
Regular meetings means real workplace examples can be discussed and everyone benefits from the continuous learning. In Masterminds I’ve worked with I’ve seen and heard discussions of challenges, real problem solving and possible solutions from previous experience. The groups form strong networks, and rely on each other to help them move through their business and career. In some cases they have even used the network of each other to help them out under a contract basis. They all find the support and opportunities to talk through situations is extremely beneficial.
Having continuous learning allows the development fully realised leaders, ones who are agile and able to pivot when needed.
Effective leadership happens everywhere.
You don’t need a title to learn leadership skills. Leadership is not positional, and it can come from everywhere in the business. A leader is someone who expresses energy to empower others to act. They can see how things can be improved and they rally others to move toward that better vision. They invite others to follow, they don’t force.
Leaders are present in all walks of life. They can be young and old, and are found at all levels of organisations. Sometimes a leader is another colleague, someone who sits within a team or group without taking the active manager or leader role. These people are able to articulate the vision and bring others into the picture. They inspire the team on the journey, and are key members of every team.
Typically in the past at the annual review process, managers look to see what needs to happen, and conduct a once off assessment. This review looks at where the organisation wants to go, and then how are we going to take our leaders forward. This no longer fits in todays business. In today’s world, the ongoing process of learning and listening to others across the business and it’s stakeholders, will provide greater benefit to the business.
Online versus face to face challanges
Leadership for todays world
With people being online communicating, the general water cooler conversation has been removed. Now we need to look at how this can be replaced. Peer learning and mastermind groups can be the answer.
People need to take ownership of their own learning, and have continuous learning, through continual engagement with others. Integrate learning opportunities. Look at where you are now, what can you do that will have the greatest impact. Consider the fact that people are already busy, and adding another thing to their calendar could mean a tipping point. So you need to consider how you can combine peer learning into the things you are currently doing.
You can no longer depend on what happened in the past, and hope that it works today. Things have changed.
Gather together with peers across organisations, create groups for support, buddies for connection and to gain valuable skills. These will support the team, create micro learning opportunities and allow growth. The benefits of doing this continuous learning, will far outweigh the cost of time spent together. The alignment, and whole way of being creates abundance in buckets. Each unique person aligns together to tap into their wisdom, and create success, for themself, for the team and for the business.
Let’s consider the ROI where staff attend an ongoing monthly Mastermind group and have discussions around communication.
From these discussions your people go and implement some of the strategies.
If the at the end people are 2% better in their jobs, then you must consider:
- What impact does that have on your bottom-line?
- How much more effective are people being?
– How much better will projects be? - What problems are being avoided?
- What new opportunities and solutions are being brought in?
If you do this for communication, how will it impact across your whole organisation?
From my perspective I hear people say they feel like they are growing. Only you will know the improvement to your bottom line. The ROI is a key element of the organisation for this investment. Ask yourself, “If we were successful at this, what would we expect to be doing?” Look at all area risk mitigation, increased efficiency on errors, better communication across teams, better leadership.
If this interests you and you would like to work with Merinda on placing your leaders into Mastermind groups, then click here.
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