Are you a future fit leader?
This article was originally written for LiveMore app and if you’d like the shinier and better edited version, please have a look at it here, which is a link to the app. As I will mention again at the of this article, you can also find ways to track your progress on this topic and a quiz on how future fit you might be on the app, as well as lots of other content. Best of all, it is free! I would really encourage you to have a look!
There are a multitude of books on leadership and what makes an effective leader. And yet, if one were to ask anyone what makes a good leader, people would be hard pressed to answer that question with clarity. Additionally, if one were asked to name good leaders, they might struggle to give more than a small handful of answers. Sadly, closer to home, most people would say that their organizational leaders were not good at all. Between us all, ‘not good at all’ is the polite version. Your very thoughts have been proven time and again through research. One study showed that a whole 1 in 2 people left their company to leave their manager (Hartner 2015)!!!
Whilst this may seem rather depressing, the good news is that good leadership can be taught and you can prepare yourself to be better than what you don’t like and want to see. However the mindsets and skills needed today are not going to be exactly the same as those needed in 2030. For example, businesses up to the 2010s have been focused primarily on shareholder value and not a lot else. Since then, concepts like diversity & inclusion have become norms (at least for some) and as at today, the focus on sustainable offerings, purpose, AI & tech in general and the importance of humanizing the work experience have steadily increased in significance and focus.
At this stage, I would also like to clarify, that when I used the word ‘leader’ in the context of being future fit, I would say it applies to all of us. Not just leader in title and status but leaders of our own world. We can all benefit personally and professionally from having the mindsets and skills of a future fit leader.
So what are some of the mindsets and skills that should be considered?
Jacob Morgan, in his book The Future Leader did some impressive research where he interviewed over 140 CEOs of global corporations from a large variety of sectors. In summary, here are the results of what these CEOs thought would be essential for leaders in the future.
The Mindsets – how you think and therefore how you behave
Global Citizen – this is about being open to others, curious in thought and approach and to understand the viewpoint of those who are different to them in all and every way. These leaders are also able to use those different perspectives and adapt to alternative ways of operating.
Servant – this concept is the opposite of encouraging authoritarian leadership but one where the leader supports and empowers others to be the best version of themselves so that they, and as a consequence the business, can succeed.
Chef - this mindset is about creating masterful balance between the increasing growth and importance of IT in our lives and arguably the biggest assets of every organisation, the humans. The focus on technology is to make products and services, workflows and communication more effective and efficient, and yet without people, innovation, creativity, understanding customers etc will be lost. A good chef can work out where IT is most effective so that humans can focus on the high-value and human judgment aspects of the business.
Explorer – The explorer is one with a growth mindset – open-minded, curious, always wanting to learn and explore. This leader is agile, adaptable and resilient.
The Skills – the things you need to know how to do
The Futurist – someone who stewards the change and designs the future. This isn’t about being able to predict the future but about preparing for it and being adaptable to headwinds.
Yoda – someone who has emotional intelligence and actively practices using it for themselves and in the workplace. This includes being self-aware (more elusive than you think, and yes that includes you…!) and empathy (possibly even less elusive).
The Translator – excelling in communication – in all ways. Typically one would imagine, presentation skills, conversing one on one etc. But this also means healthy debate, influencing and negotiating amongst many things, and on different media across ever more polarized and public platforms. Even more important, the ability to listen – not just to what you want to hear but active and open-minded listening. Again, something that is a rare entity.
The Coach – someone who can guide, motivate, engage and inspire others. One who remembers that being a leader is not an ego project but about building something greater, and for the future, in a sustainable way. This means focusing on current employees and prepping the next generation to be the best versions of themselves.
The Technology Teenager – this is a leader who is fascinated by technology and is curious about it and its possibilities. One doesn’t need to know the ins and outs but one needs to be aware of its potential and to speak tech in order for it to be at its most effective within your organization.
Sounds amazing? Totally doable? Pah! You have it all in hand and you’re a connoisseur already? Here’s a slap in the proverbial face with a wet fish… In Jacob Morgan’s book, those CEOs declared that they were working on themselves to be future fit and that they were well on that journey of amping up those mindsets and skills. Here are some results from a follow-up survey conducted by Jacob Morgan. Over 14,000 people were surveyed on LinkedIn.
· Only 8% of people said that their managers and senior executives are practising those skills ‘very well’
· 60% said their managers were in the bottom 2 categories (ie very bad and bad)
· 62% said their executives were in the bottom 2 categories (ie very bad and bad)
Shock and horror! A very large gap between how effective leaders think they are and how they are perceived by others. What is their level of self-awareness? How do they fit into their own definition of a good leader? How truly future fit are they and will they be? The good news is that they can make the changes they need to be fit leaders now and keep working on it for the future.
To close off this article, I’d like to leave you with a question. How future fit are you?
If you are interested in pursuing this topic even more, I will be setting up some questions in Quizzes and Tracks to sow the seeds for your journey. To think about what you, as a future fit leader might look like. Over time, I will write in more detail on each mindset and skill to help you practise each one. See you there!
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