If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.
The world has changed and how we lead needs to change.
What’s changed?
Plenty is the short answer!
Covid. The shift to hybrid and home working. The massive rise in mental health challenges. Social media and how the world is more polarised. Sustainability and dealing with climate change. Polarisation in politics and conflicts around the world.
Individually we all know that things have shifted.
Have you?
Have you adapted how you lead and how you think about your team - both at home and at work?
If you’ve not, you almost certainly aren’t alone, but will also certainly fall behind.
Talent and Customers will migrate to the organisations who lead in a different way.
It’s what I would describe as the Be More Human approach.
Here’s 3 things to reflect and score yourself on as a leader:
1) Curiosity
How much do you value curiosity over being right? As the world shifts, none of us have the answers and the answers we had yesterday might well not work tomorrow.
The future of leadership doesn’t say “I’m right. It says “How do I know I’m right”
The future of leadership is not afraid to be wrong, its’ about being open minded, it’s about the fact that good ideas can come from anywhere.
The more highly you value and celebrate curiosity, the more likely your team will respond to this and develop better and more creative solutions to problems.
2) Emotional Understanding
How much do you seek to get under the bonnet and understand what’s really happening for those around you.
You don’t have to be a therapist, but you can and should ask questions and listen. And then listen again.
It’s a good idea to start with yourself.
It’s a good idea to do this at home.
It’s a good idea to do this at work.
We’re not thinking creatures who feel. We are feeling creatures who think.
Taking the time to understand that we’re driven by emotions and to better understand yourself and others is something that’s historically been dismissed as woo woo, as soft stuff, as being too feminine.
We all have emotions.
We’re all affected by them.
The future of leadership seeks to understand them and help shape and steer them.
3) Work and Home Life
Do you only ever focus on “work conversations” or “whole life conversations”.
The future of leadership looks like understanding that we all have a work and a home life.
The future of leadership understands that we all experience challenges both at home and at work and is there to support and understand.
To be understood, to be seen, to be heard is one of the most fundamental human needs.
To ignore this is to ignore the person.
The future of leadership is to be more human.
How do you score?
How do you score across your teams - at work and at home?
What’s one conversation that you can do today to be more human at work or at home?
My challenge to you is to have one conversation today around either Curiosity, Emotional Understanding or Work/ Home Life.
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