A New Vanguard of Great Leaders is Emerging
Globalization. Geo-political blur. Nano-technology. Blackberrys. The connectivity and sheer velocity of business today have rendered the old models of leadership obsolete. They don’t scale effectively to a portable world in which most communication is virtual and decisions are made at rocket speed. The balance of power has shifted to the masses while the free-agent knowledge worker of today experiences incredible liberty.
Today, work is about networks and collaboration. Command and control has given way to social networking as the way to influence. Authenticity, transparency, connectedness and consensus are highly valued tangible assets. These assets have made the ability to build a compelling leadership presence, based on trust and integrity, the new lever that fuels priorities and objectives.
People want to buy from (and work for) socially responsible companies where everyone is treated with respect. And where there is a high level of integrity and trust. They want to think of themselves as citizens, not consumers. Employees want to work in companies that are proactive, creative and innovative. They want to work in a climate where leaders know how to ensure that team behaviors are healthy and productive. A place where talents are appreciated and skills are developed with continuous learning and challenge.
What all this means is that your leaders and key associates must understand and master positive relationships through multiple points of access, culture, and skill in markets internally and around the world. Are they ready?
A New Leader for a New Age
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” —Lao Tsu
Why do we need a new leadership model when there are already so many of them out there? Take a look around. The reasons become obvious. The world of work has dramatically changed in the last decade. Leaders with strong character are the ones who will make it during tough downward cycles. These are the leaders we look to in order to ease the burden of anxiety and loss of hope. Tilt is the only leadership-360 that measures trait-based character strengths. The only character-based 360 that will tell you who you are betting your future on!
Rapid change, demands a leader who is personally consious…
“I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” —Henry David Thoreau
Along with the inherent advantages brought about by the Information Age, many companies who once were able to work in neatly contained geographic isolation are now reaching out to compete globally in order to maintain strategic advantage. Globalization, in general, has rapidly changed the tone of organizational culture everywhere. The world of work has been altered significantly by changes in the global environment. The establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the emergence of a unified Europe, and the impact of China’s accession into the WTO have all accelerated globalization of multi-national business opportunities and broadened the scope of cultural diversity almost overnight. Add to that the continued acceleration of digital technology, connectivity and speed of knowledge transfer, and it becomes obvious that we are experiencing changes in the world of business like never seen before in history.
The old models of leadership have not scaled effectively to a portable, global world market. Real-time data pours in on Blackberry’s and cell phones every second. This shift has transferred the balance of power to the masses and is steadily loosening the grip of hierarchical power over society and the average worker. The world of work today is about networks and collaboration, and has superseded the old model of command and control. Power has shifted into the hands of those who are broadly connected and socially respected. Trust and integrity –character- has never been more important, or more in demand than right now.
Transparence is Here to Stay
Along with the complete dominance of digital communication comes the inescapable issue of transparence. You simply can’t get away with being a bad leader in today’s environment without getting negative feedback that could derail your career. So, those who resist the new model of leadership will become obsolete if they don’t start thinking about self leadership and the social capital it creates as their most important asset. The good news is that some people are thinking differently and are making the development of their leadership teams their top priority.
Executives in the ranks of senior leadership are realizing the benefits of being transcendent, and are increasingly reflecting the qualities of behavior made famous by Abraham Maslow, who coined the term self-actualization. The affluence built on the backs of hard-working baby boomers is now paying off, and self-aware leaders are depending less on materialistic sources for life satisfaction. How? By changing their focus. The transcendent state of psychological maturity Maslow heralded has now become reality in many senior leaders. Having accomplished substantial material goals, they now look for meaningful ways to contribute to the greater community in which their companies have thrived. They are not daunted by the downturn, because they are the ones who are resilient enough to lead us out of it!
Morph or Become Obsolete
The demise of the loyalty model of the manufacturing age, coupled with the moral disasters of leadership failure now showing up in the media on a daily basis, means the world of work is letting go of rigid structures and is experiencing exciting new trends that are more humanistic again. With transparence, follows accountability and the natural balancing currents of nature. This is evident by the increasing numbers of executives who are turning their attention toward building strong values and trust. Their influence is making a new wave in the corporate ranks, and is just in time for emerging leaders who want to be part of that change.
Generation X & Y are highly educated and empowered with the ability to access information through their massive networks. They operate like free agents in the workplace, departing from companies as quickly as they enter when they believe that the change message hasn’t been received. Smart leaders are paying attention to the things that matter to this young population of leaders who dress casually, put as much emphasis on life as they do work, and are informed about world issues. Formerly bottom-line obsessed companies are turning a new leaf. They are going green with a new interest in world issues. They are beginning to behave like socially responsible citizens, instead of being pure consumers of resources and human capital. Capitalism is a great gift, unless it is unbalanced by accountability and concern for the greater good.
The world wants a new kind of leader, and the age of globalization is already demanding them.
It Takes More Than Competencies
It takes more than competencies to create a culture where innovation and proactive productivity thrive.
Everyone is talking about competencies. These are a combination of knowledge, skills, experience, and abilities that have been acquired over the lifetime of a leader’s career. Competencies are critical to performance and are indicative of the work a leader has done to build functional business skills. We believe that competencies are the standard expectation today and leaders won’t survive long without them. But, there is something vitally important that’s missing from the equation. What’s missing is what lies beneath the competence in terms of personal motives.
What lies beneath the surface are the values and character
For example, what if you are functionally very competent in your chosen field or domain, but you’re a jerk? Most competency models are missing a comprehensive approach to the aspect of leadership that is MOST critical to sustainable leadership success…namely, who you are being as a person in fulfilling your leadership role.
Which virtues are you developing in your executive presence? Research shows that the number one influence on an individual’s performance comes from the psychological influence of the supervisor. Second to this is the acceptable norms that the supervisor creates through their leadership of values accepted on the team. It follows that if we don’t measure the beliefs, values, motivations and character of the leader, then we are allowing a substantial impact on results left unchecked. In other words, being a decent human being really is a tangible asset.
Our research, and that of many others, indicates that leader perception and presence has a META-EFFECT on the psychological aspects of the team. These factors are the all important WILL DO (as opposed to CAN DO) aspect of leadership. A leader can be wicked smart and functionally brilliant, but if he or she can’t create an atmosphere of trust, then the manifestation of group performance will not be evident. In fact, the group’s resistance will cause all kinds of performance problems and will produce a toxic work environment where people focus on power and internal competition rather than the creative work itself which creates abundance in the greater accomplishments of the team.