Leadership development seems not to be working properly. The reality is that many leaders today feel really helpless. They don’t understand why their leadership development programmes and procedures aren’t bringing results. Yet the same old programmes and initiatives are still in place.
Lead well, gain followers and deliver results in the next 10 years, which will be full of volatility and ground-breaking changes: this will be the challenge for executives and those responsible for their development. Leaders need increasingly to adapt to a wide variety of different conditions and contexts. Teaching how to lead is becoming ever more difficult.
Skills needed for an ever-changing world and ambiguous workplace
What are the basic skills leaders will need to rely on?
- Emotional intelligence
- Critical thinking
- Decisiveness
- Humility
- Drive
- Agility, adaptability
- Strong sense of purpose
Successful leaders will need to discover a purpose – and then live by it. They will need to develop and demonstrate that they are authentic and agile. They will have to be able to transform their organisations.
Don’t just copy others
The author of an article on smartblogs.com admits the most transformative truth he realised during his leadership course was that he was at his best as a leader when being himself. That means when he fully embodied his strengths. He didn’t have to acquire new knowledge and hone new skills. Leadership development should focus on the skills people already possess. You can’t just copy one phenomenal leader (such as Steve Jobs) or one exceptional company’s practices and use them for your own success.
-jk-