New leadership directions

In a world where new paths are trodden daily, yesterday’s road map is not helpful. Aspiring leaders are finding that the career paths the last generation of executives followed is likely to lead to a dead end today. This calls for a new lead­ership mindset. James Kacena offers a new definition of leader reflecting this mindset: “A leader is any person who influences individuals and groups within an organisation, helps them in the establishment of goals, and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective.”

The new generation of organ­isational leaders is approaching goals and objectives – both at the organisational level and personal level – with a different mindset and perspective. Contemporary leaders are getting new directions in career and business manage­ment. it is essential to understand the new navigational system if you are to keep pace with this new generation of leaders.

There are general governing principles by which navigation is improved and James Kace­na offers the following as the guidelines that today’s leaders are adopting to stay on course.

Think, speak, act, and walk like an entrepreneur

The line between self-employ­ment and working for someone else is, today, a very thin one. In fact, jobs that blur the line be­tween employment and self-em­ployment are increasing as busi­nesses seek to find a new balance between consistency and flexibil­ity. Given this trend, those who want to succeed in the corporate world adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. That is everything that they do, they think and act as if their own personal investment were at stake. They take an entre­preneurial approach to identify­ing their company’s market and customers and to specifying the current product or service mix in terms that address the needs of the marketplace. Above all, they remember that jobs exist so that problems can be solved.

Make chaos a friend

In contrast to people who regard change as a threat to the established order, today’s best leaders embrace change as an opportunity for growth. They view the workplace as a collection of learning resources, and they challenge themselves to find and use as many of these resources as possible. They develop the ability to move forward. They try new ways, seek new solutions, find new angles, and come up with ideas for how to do a job better and more efficiently. They don’t tie themselves too closely to a particular set of tasks and skills. They are aware that even the “big picture” can, and do change in fast paces environment and real­ise that without risk, there can be no potential for gain and growth.

These new executives make friends with the productive dis­order and thrive on chaos. They learn to make tactical decisions, rather than seeking perma­nent answers. They invest their time in figuring out how to get something done rather than in thinking up reasons why it cannot be done. Today, the thinking is “Eager to stay, yet ready to leave.” In the old world, this would have been seen as disloyalty; in the new world it is just plain realism.

Do not be afraid to break the rules

New executives are not risk averse, and they will take the plunge when their guts tell them to do so. In the old world of business, we called such people “mavericks”; in the new, we call them “visionaries.” They under­stand and welcome the ability to fail. They shy away from organ­isations in which the corporate culture would not allow people to be wrong. They realise that inno­vation is possible only in cultures that tolerate mistakes.

Nevertheless, these leaders do not rely exclusively on intuition or tolerate flimsy mistakes. They believe getting the facts is the key to good decision making and that they must pay attention to small details. By taking the time and driving hard enough to look at the little things, they steer around avoidable mistakes.

Know Thyself

Effective leaders are not shy about their accomplishments. To the contrary, thy take an active role in creating a positive im­age of themselves and believe self-marketing is important. Knowing that their accomplish­ments and efforts do not speak for themselves, they find ways to enhance their own visibility. They do this by expressing a commit­ment, passion, and excitement about their work so contagious that those they encounter listen and embrace the same commit­ment.

They are also well aware of their own strengths and weak­nesses, motivational patterns, and personal style. They know what turns them on (or off), what launches them into the heights of effectiveness. Most important, they are aware of what kinds of problems they are good at solving and enjoy solving. They also give themselves a few minutes each day for personal reflection. They make time for mental and physi­cal activity, time to step back and think about thinking.

Be Nonlinear

Typical graduates today will work, on the average, for five different employers on the first ten years of their work lives, and they will probably change their careers five times before they retire. In fact, radical career shifts are becoming normal and even desirable in the information age. For many, this means a new mindset in thinking outside the box and away from “one life, one job” mentality of the past. The organisational chat of the future may consist of largely overlap­ping, cross-connected, dotted lines.

Logically, in this world of radical career shifts, the specialist is a dying breed. Corporations are ignoring specialisation in favour of multiskills. Rising executives need to be continually alert not to become silos.

The new imperative to wear multiple hats eliminates “defeat­ist” phrases such as: “I cannot do that,” “I have never done that before,” and “That is not my job.” anyone who does not know how to do something must learn, or partner with someone who knows how, because in the new world of work, everything is our job.

Maintain work/life

balance

New professionals don’t believe their jobs are their lives, or that they are what they do. They invest in their careers, yes, but also in family, community, hobbies, their faith or spiritual life. Careers are about two things: earning a living and making a life. The new leader finds ways to do both, and it is not always about money. In fact, higher wages are not necessarily being seen as the principal way to lure good work­ers anymore. One thing workers seem to be stressing is a little more attention to work schedules, more flexibility, and the need for organisations to be more accom­modating to people’s lives outside work.

Stay connected

Networking, the order of the day for executives in the old world of work, is still essential, but the rules have changed. Today, networking is referred to as building alliances. Effective leaders treasure their connections. They build and broaden their contacts by developing reciprocal relationships with colleagues, clients, customers, and even competitors. They stay connected by making contributions to their professions, industries, commu­nities, and charities. They also develop a broad array of mi­cro-alliances based on common interests, common values, or a host of other considerations.

Developing and nurturing rela­tionships are probably, the most important actions executives take to advance their careers, receive recognition, stay visible, and enjoy what they do. Relationships are the links that connect leaders to their organisation, their chosen profession, their community and their self-worth.

Effective executives stay flexible and in control of their ca­reers. They always keep their op­tions open, not overtly looking at other opportunities, but keeping abreast of the market, developing their skills, staying professionally active, and never becoming too complacent. New leaders accept complete responsibility for man­aging their own careers.

BY CAPT SAM ADDAIH (RTD)