Just when you thought you had leadership sorted, conditions change and you need to adapt once more. For those looking for some tips as to where leadership is headed, then I have some good news for you. The MIT Sloan Management Review team have just produced an outstanding report called ‘The New Leadership Playbook for the Digital Age’(Read it here), and it is packed full of very useful and relevant guidance.
I knew it was going to be an interesting read when the opening sentence is “Executives around the world are out of touch with what it will take to win, and to lead, in the digital economy.” The report is based on a survey of 4,392 global leaders from more than 120 countries and should be mandatory reading for every leader.
The report acknowledges that leaders need to being transforming themselves and their teams before they are able to transform their organisation. This transformation means acknowledging that some things that have worked in the past are no longer relevant, such as command and control leadership. Successful leaders in this new era are increasing transparency, demonstrating authenticity and emphasising collaboration and empathy. Interestingly the study found that honesty, integrity, inspiration and trust have ‘withstood the test of time, regardless of the respondent’s country, age, cultural context, or industry.’ A significant finding is that not only do great teams develop leader competencies and skills, but ‘also the mindsets required to build authentic and passionate communities of leaders.’
The leadership attributes in the report are classified as eroding, enduring and emerging. The report also categories the mindsets of leaders in the new era as being producers, investors, connectors and explores. It is well worth reading the report to get the full description of what they entail.
To help ‘make your organisation an amazing community of leaders’ there are four recommendations at the end of the report, which are:
- Articulate a powerful leadership narrative
- Build communities of leaders
- Align your talent, leadership, and business strategies
- Don’t just embrace inclusion and diversity – demand it.
The report concludes with two particularly challenging statements for leaders now, regarding what it will take to lead into the future:
‘Leading in today’s world is about creating conditions for success so that everyone can contribute their best efforts to a common cause.’
‘Creating conditions for success starts with setting the tone and developing the mindsets that constitute the foundations of the new leadership playbook.’
So think about where your leadership is currently at, and what you need to do to lead the new age organisation.